Learning to Lovewell: W3 - TUE
Connected to the Source
John 15:4-5 (NLT) “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 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.”
Jesus uses the image of a vine and branches to describe what relationship with Him looks like. And what’s striking about this metaphor is how effortless it makes fruitfulness sound. The branch doesn’t strain and struggle to produce grapes. It just stays connected to the vine, and fruit happens naturally.
This is the opposite of how many of us have been taught to approach God. We’ve been told that spiritual growth is about trying harder, doing more, being better. We’ve turned relationship into a performance review where we’re constantly falling short.
But Jesus says the secret isn’t effort, it’s connection. Stay attached. Remain. Abide. Let the life of God flow through you like sap through a branch, and watch what grows.
When you’re truly connected to God, you’re connected to the source of everything good. You’re connected to love itself (1 John 4:16). You’re connected to acceptance that doesn’t waver. You’re connected to forgiveness that doesn’t run out. You’re connected to joy, peace, patience, kindness, all the fruit that makes life actually worth living (Galatians 5:22-23).
Here’s what’s beautiful about this: God isn’t asking you to generate these qualities on your own. God is inviting you to receive them, to stay close and to let His life become your life.
Think about what happens when a branch gets cut off from the vine. It doesn’t just stop producing fruit, it starts dying. It wither and loses its vitality. That’s what happens to us when we try to live disconnected from God. We might look okay on the outside for a while, but internally we’re drying up, losing the life we were created for.
But when we stay connected, everything changes. We find ourselves becoming the kind of people we’ve always wanted to be, not through white-knuckle effort but through organic transformation. Love flows more naturally. Patience comes more easily. Joy bubbles up even in difficult circumstances.
John 15:4-5 (NLT) “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 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.”
Jesus uses the image of a vine and branches to describe what relationship with Him looks like. And what’s striking about this metaphor is how effortless it makes fruitfulness sound. The branch doesn’t strain and struggle to produce grapes. It just stays connected to the vine, and fruit happens naturally.
This is the opposite of how many of us have been taught to approach God. We’ve been told that spiritual growth is about trying harder, doing more, being better. We’ve turned relationship into a performance review where we’re constantly falling short.
But Jesus says the secret isn’t effort, it’s connection. Stay attached. Remain. Abide. Let the life of God flow through you like sap through a branch, and watch what grows.
When you’re truly connected to God, you’re connected to the source of everything good. You’re connected to love itself (1 John 4:16). You’re connected to acceptance that doesn’t waver. You’re connected to forgiveness that doesn’t run out. You’re connected to joy, peace, patience, kindness, all the fruit that makes life actually worth living (Galatians 5:22-23).
Here’s what’s beautiful about this: God isn’t asking you to generate these qualities on your own. God is inviting you to receive them, to stay close and to let His life become your life.
Think about what happens when a branch gets cut off from the vine. It doesn’t just stop producing fruit, it starts dying. It wither and loses its vitality. That’s what happens to us when we try to live disconnected from God. We might look okay on the outside for a while, but internally we’re drying up, losing the life we were created for.
But when we stay connected, everything changes. We find ourselves becoming the kind of people we’ve always wanted to be, not through white-knuckle effort but through organic transformation. Love flows more naturally. Patience comes more easily. Joy bubbles up even in difficult circumstances.
- Where have you been trying to produce spiritual fruit through effort rather than connection?
- What does “remaining in Jesus” look like practically in your daily life?
- How might your spiritual life feel different if it was about staying close rather than trying harder?
No Comments