Devotional: Remain in My Love
“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.”
John 15:4-9 CSB
The scripture for today is one I must remind myself of frequently. I tend to believe I can do everything on my own. I can do and accomplish and check off my list to move my life forward, bear fruit, and make an impact. God is there for the big and hard things, but for the day-to-day, I can take care of those things myself, right?
Instead, Jesus reminds me that he is the True Vine. This means there are other sources I could try to draw our life from, like self-accomplishment. They look like viable options and might even look similar to Jesus. However, when I am connected to him, I am also connected to the giver of life-God the Father-and the Advocate-the Holy Spirit.
When we commit to connecting to him, he will cut away anything inside that proves to be fruitless. Cutting indicates pain. It's painful to let go of the past, to release our busy schedules, to release our personal ideals. But Jesus assures me life, love, and fruit if I allow this pruning.
All of this effort of connecting only to Jesus for our source of life and allowing him to cut away all the dead parts of me is not only for my benefit. It’s so the world will know Jesus and all he offers.
Prayer: Father, it’s too easy for me to get caught up in my own ideas of how to live. Remind me to come back to you, the True Vine, and my only source of life. As you cut away the dead branches in me, bring comfort to the pain. May my life be a testament of You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
