“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
John 15:4
I used to be scared of the vine story, because I was always so focused on myself and the fact that I had no fruits to present to God. I was even afraid of being cut off.
The part I failed to understand in this story was that Jesus was actually telling me that I could do nothing outside of Him, and the only solution was to abide in Him. So, it was futile to be afraid of being cut off for not producing fruits, because it was impossible anyway to produce pleasing fruits for Abba if I was not abiding in Him. The simple solution was to stay with Father continually.
It is no surprise to God that we can do nothing for Him by ourselves, so there’s no need to be scared. The problem, however, begins when we begin to think that all we do outside God – by ourselves – is worthwhile. By yourself, despite all you achieve, it is nothing before God. But when you abide and obey – then fruits come.
Further Reading: John 15:1-8
Thought for the day: Who are you by yourself? Do you still measure success before God by the metrics of wealth and achievements? The real metrics are surrender and obedience.
Stay blessed.
