.....remain

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.  John 15:5

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus walked with His disciples toward the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way, they may well have passed vineyards on the hillsides, their branches heavy with leaves and fruit. Jesus used that familiar picture to teach one of the most important lessons of the Christian life: where our strength and fruitfulness really come from.

A branch has no life of its own. It does not produce grapes by trying harder or straining with effort. It bears fruit because it is joined to the vine, and the vine’s life flows into it. Cut a branch off, and no matter how healthy it looked a moment ago, it will soon wither. Jesus says our spiritual life works the same way. We are the branches, and He is the source.

The key word is “abide.” To abide is to remain, to stay connected and to make one’s home in Christ. It is not a single moment of decision but a continuing relationship. We abide in Him through prayer, through His Word, through obedience and through daily surrender. As we stay close to Him, His life, His patience, His love and His purity begin to flow into ours.

Ellen White puts it plainly: “Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness,—all depend upon our union with Christ” Steps to Christ, p. 70. Growth, joy and usefulness are not things we manufacture. They are the natural result of a living connection with the Saviour. When that connection weakens, our joy fades and our service becomes a burden. When it is strong, fruit comes naturally.

Jesus ends the verse with words that humble us: “Without me ye can do nothing.” We may be gifted, educated, experienced and busy, yet without Him our efforts bear no lasting fruit. But the reverse is also true. A weak branch joined to the true Vine can bear much fruit, because the strength does not come from the branch.

Growing in grace means staying close to Jesus every day. We do not have to strain to produce fruit. We have to remain in Him, and let His life do in us what we could never do alone.