Abide

A Reflection on John 15:5

There are seasons when I feel the pull to do more. Be more. Try harder. Fix what feels unfinished. I can fill my days with good things and still feel spiritually dry. Somewhere in the middle of all the doing, I realize I am tired in a way that rest alone does not fix. What I need is not a break. What I need is connection.

That is where John 15 meets me every time.

Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” There is something both comforting and confronting about those words. Comforting because Jesus makes it clear I am not meant to do life on my own. Confronting because it reminds me how easily I drift into independence.

Jesus speaks these words to His disciples on the night before the cross. He knows fear is coming. Confusion is coming. Loss is coming. And instead of giving them a list of instructions, He gives them an image. A vine and branches. He shifts their focus away from performance and back to relationship.

What stands out to me is that Jesus never tells the branch to work harder. He does not say fruit comes from effort. He says fruit comes from abiding. Remaining. Staying connected. A branch does not strain to produce fruit. It simply stays attached to the source of life. The fruit comes naturally as a result of connection.

That changes how I think about faith.

So often I measure spiritual growth by how much I am doing. How consistent I am. How productive I feel. But Jesus invites me to a slower, deeper question. Am I abiding. Am I staying close. Am I making room to remain in Him instead of rushing ahead on my own strength.

When Jesus says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing,” He is not shaming us. He is freeing us. He is reminding us that life, peace, wisdom, and fruit all flow from Him. Without that connection, I can still be busy. I can still look productive. But I will eventually run dry.

Abiding looks simple, but it is intentional. It is choosing time with God when life feels full.

It is returning to His Word when my thoughts feel scattered. It is prayer that is less about asking and more about staying near. Abiding is not passive. It is a daily decision to remain connected to the One who gives life.

What I am learning is that fruit is not my responsibility. Connection is. When I stay close to Jesus, He produces what is needed in and through me in the right time. Peace. Patience. Wisdom. Love. Endurance. Those things grow best when I stop striving and start remaining.

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John 15 reminds me that faith is not about how much I can accomplish for God. It is about how deeply I stay connected to Him. When I abide, I am not living from my own strength. I am living from His.

And that changes everything.

Invitation to Write a Letter to God

Take a few quiet moments and write a letter to God. Be honest about where you have been striving instead of abiding. Write about where you feel tired, pressured, or disconnected. Then ask Him to show you what staying close looks like in this season. Let the letter be a place of
returning, not performing.

Jesus, thank You for inviting me to abide in You. Help me recognize when I am trying to live from my own strength instead of staying connected to You. Teach me to slow down, remain near, and trust that You will produce fruit in my life as I stay rooted in You. I want my life to flow from relationship, not effort. Amen.