“I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me and I in him, shall bring forth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
For many years of my life I thought I was the one making things work, providing for our family needs, dealing with the problems we faced. I was in good health, working hard, trying to do the right things, being in charge. I thought I was doing pretty well in producing “fruit” and getting things done.
But, God has a way of correcting our erroneous thinking. At one point, He brought to my attention the fifth chapter of the Book of John. In the first ten verses of that chapter, Jesus compares life to a vineyard. It was verse five that hit me like a rock, over and over again. After reflecting on the verse for some time, a big light bulb turned on for me. John 15:5 has become one of my favorite.
Jesus provides, we abide; He produces, we bear; He nourishes, we flourish. We are the vessels through which His will is accomplished. We are to become willing vessels, grounded in the truth, and seeking not just any way, but the true Way. He is the potter, we are the clay (Is. 64:8); He is the Creator, we are the created (Gen. 1:27); He is the giver of all good gifts, we are the receivers (Jas. 1:17). We work and do a lot of things; but it is only through Him that our work has meaning … true purpose (Ex. 9:16).
Despite what the world says, it’s not all about us, it’s all about Him. We are alive, breathing, thinking, talking, acting, and generally having a good time. That’s all well and good, but we’ve only touched the surface of life. Life goes much deeper than the popular images we see being portrayed from day to day. It is only by living in Him that we will find abundant life (Jn. 10:10); a life that has real meaning; real joy. Eternal life.
You can either walk with Him or without Him — it’s your choice, but it is a choice everyone must make.
