Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Our Verse of the Day today is very, very personal to me. The reason for that is because this has been my go-to verse for the last two years—one of the most significant verses in my life.
It's John chapter 15, verse 5. It says, "'Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.'"
Recognizing the Fruit in Our Lives
Part of the significance of this verse has been when I start realizing the bad fruit that is in my life, and I think, this is not good. It could be fear, anxiety, stress, anger, or frustration. When I start seeing this fruit cropping up in my life, this verse reminds me that when I remain in Jesus and am attached to Him as the vine, I won't see that fruit anymore.
Those symptoms, those fruits in my life that I start identifying, I know are a result of God saying, you have somehow, at some place, detached yourself from Jesus as the Vine. He’s saying that I have now attached myself to someone or something else. This has been so powerful in my life, because when I start seeing those things crop up, I start realizing, wait a second—if I stayed attached to Jesus as the Vine, then I wouldn't see this cropping up.
Why Jesus as the Vine Changes Everything
Why is that true? Because Jesus, as the Vine, is not impacted by the circumstances of my life. Jesus isn't affected because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He holds my spiritual health, my well-being, in His presence. If I did remain attached to Him, I wouldn't see these things cropping up in me because He's not affected by those things. I’m seeing the fruit of attaching myself to another person or circumstance.
Applying This to Our Relationships
Let's apply this to ourselves in our different life situations. If I attach myself to my spouse, or if I attach myself to my boss, or I attach myself to this friendship—I will start seeing the fruit of what is happening in that relationship. If I am attached to Jesus, and that is the most significant relationship in my life, then He will produce fruit in me. Then, I get to offer that fruit to the other relationships that I have—with my spouse, my boss, my friends, or my coworkers—instead of the other way around.
That's why this has been a constant verse that I have kept in front of myself all the time. Even to the extent of printing it off on a piece of paper and having it taped up on my wall for a season. I’m constantly reminding myself that when I start seeing these things crop up, it means I detached myself from the Vine of Jesus, and I’ve attached myself to a person. Now the fruit that I'm seeing in my life is because of that relationship, instead of my relationship with the true Vine.
The Power of Staying Attached
When I stay attached, no matter what's going on in my other relationships, if I stay attached to Him, these other relationships, get to actually benefit from the fruit of what I'm receiving through the Vine. I can bring that healthy fruit to these other relationships instead of allowing the negativity of those relationships to produce fruit in my life that's unhealthy. We can also have the same thing happen with circumstances in our life that crop up.
I just want to leave you with this today. When you start going through a circumstance or you have difficult situations in relationships, the constant thing is to remind yourself of this verse. Remain in the Vine. Remain in Him. Remain in Jesus. Let Him be who we remain attached to, to allow Him to produce fruit that's outside of the realm of the circumstances or relationships you're in. Let Him do it through you today. Remain in Him because through Him we can do all things through Christ. Without Him, as He said, we can do nothing.
Remain in Jesus today.