Abiding in Him

John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

Background: This verse is from a parable that Jesus gave to His disciples regarding the nation of Israel. (A parable in the Bible is a story that illustrates a spiritual truth.) Israel was a rebellious people who forsake God and His ways. They did not respond to the “Master Gardener,” so He sent Jesus Christ to restore the vine and make it healthy.

Jesus Christ tells us He is the True Vine, and we are the branches. The branches of a plant do not provide the support or the water or the nutrients for the plant itself. Likewise, without Jesus we cannot grow fruit.

“Abide” is a keyword in this verse meaning we are to continue to be present or remain in Christ. If we are not connected to Him, then there will be no leaves and therefore no fruit. If our relationship with sin is not broken, then how will the world know we are the children of God? We must be abiding in the Lord Jesus Christ and bearing fruit.

Some ways to abide in Christ are spending time with Him each day in His Word as well as talking with the Lord (prayer!) throughout the day, listening to music that uplifts the name of Jesus helping you to focus on praising, worshiping, and trusting Him, meditating on His truths, and trusting Him by allowing Him to intervene in our daily lives.

Jesus will never leave or abandon us. However, we often do it to Him. Most often it is not a conscious decision, but one that happens slowly over time. We can even think we are okay with our relationship with the Lord when in fact we are shriveled up and almost dead.

Allowing the Lord to be the Gardener of our lives may mean a season of pruning. In fact, God will continue to prune us throughout our lives, but if you have ever grown anything, then you know the importance of this. The largest and healthiest fruit will grow, giving us immense spiritual satisfaction!

The last phrase of the verse says, “for without Me ye can do nothing.” This is a hard blow for those of us who like to be in control. Our flesh does not like to rely on anyone but ourselves, but when we try to call all the shots in life, it is telling the Lord that we know better.

This part of the verse can also bring us comfort knowing we can rely on Jesus Christ, the Creator God who knows all, has all power, and is always there for us. We can be weak and allow Him to be strong for us. We can trust Him to take our inability and make us capable.

If you can surrender your life – which means the day-to-day, the dreams, the plans, etc – then life can be fulfilling and joyful in His presence. When we abide in Him, we can draw from His infinite resources. It is easier to spot the areas that we need to give to the Lord as well as see how the devil is trying to wheedle his way in.

Are there areas that you are trying to keep alive on your own? Do you have a branch that needs pruning so you can become stronger in Christ? Are we stunting the growth of our branches and fruit because we are trying to live what we want the will of the Father to be?

Dear Lord, thank You for offering Your unlimited resources so I can live in victory. Increase my desire to seek You, know You, and remain in Your presence. Show me areas where I need to change. Help me to endure Your pruning with strength and grace. Help me to stay connected to Your Vine, so I can produce fruit for Your glory. Amen.

Cross references: John 15:16; Romans 7:4, 12:5; Philippians 4:13