Last Sunday of the Church Year: Christ the King Sunday: REMAIN!

This is the last Sunday of this Church Year. As we approach the New Year of the Church, do we set resolutions like the world does for New Years? I don't really appreciate resolutions but if I were to make one, it would be to learn what the Lord intended for us as His Creation. He said in Genesis 1:28 "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it..." but what does that mean? For us it means letting the Lord decide the size of our family, but I think it means MORE in that we are called to be fruitful beyond procreation. It is obvious to me that we should resolve to hear the Word and follow the example of Christ as his disciples. So we are going to learn about the Semi-Circle, Lifeshape 2 this Sunday and the importance of knowing we were designed to Rest for work rather than work to rest. Look at how God showed Adam and Eve the priorities as He modeled resting during their first Day together before they set out to be stewards of the garden. We also recognize the truth of John 15:1-4 :
¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
We are clean because of the Word, we are being pruned to be even MORE FRUITFUL but this only comes by REMAINING or ABIDING in Christ! We belong to him and therefore we are able to abide in His Rest and be pruned to be more fruitful. We go from "human doings" to "human beings" and live our life of sanctification because of our justification and relationship with the Lord. We want to grow in our faith and life as disciples because of what Christ has done and because we belong to him.
As we approach "Thanksgiving Day!" Do we count our blessings and desire, because of who we are in Christ and because of what HE has done and continues to do by His Holy Spirit, to live lives of thankfulness and praise? I hope we resolve to remain or abide in Christ so that he will remain in us and we can bear much fruit.