“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5 NIV).
On a recent trip to a local pumpkin patch with my family, my oldest son noticed a green pumpkin off to the side of the rows of bright, orange pumpkins. He asked a poignant question, “Mommy, when will that green pumpkin become ripe and turn orange.” My wife replied, “That pumpkin will never become ripe because it is not attached to the vine.”
Though the exchange ended there, a few hours later I was reminded of Jesus words above. If we are not connected to the vine of Jesus, we will never ripen into the image of God that the Christ-life affords. All of our labor will be in vain. The Apostle Paul said that he labored, struggling with all of God’s energy to present every Christian he came into contact with mature in Christ. Apart from God’s power working in Paul, apart from Christ’s Spirit controlling him, Paul’s labor would not produce any fruit.
Our connection to Christ, His very presence in our lives, is the only fruit producing activity that we can hope for. It is the love of Christ that must compel our activity, so that God will be glorified and others will recognize God’s love in us.
So, how do we remain in Jesus? Of course, the typical answers of more prayer and more study of God’s Word immediately come to mind. But we must be careful not to focus on what we need to do or add to be connected to Him, but what Christ wants to do for us. Christ sent His Spirit to us, so that we would have His presence always. So, maybe it isn’t what we will add to remain in Him, but what we need to subtract.
What are the distractions that keep us from a vital connection to God? Certainly, American Christians are too busy pursuing material possessions, spending too much time at work, and often working solely for the purpose of increasing their opportunities for leisure activities. Our lives are have become so complex and disconnected from our communities that we find little time for the things of God. Some of us may go to a house of worship once a week, and maybe we volunteer at a program or two. But we find ourselves so busy that the simplicity of our relationship to Christ becomes muddy and we do not sense a real connection to the Vine.
So, to truly remain in Him we must simplify our lives. And our quest for material possessions is the greatest inhibitor to this simplicity. The worries of this world are choking out the breath of the Spirit in our lives. Instead of working to get a larger house, a bigger car, a better paying job, and a longer vacation further away from home, we ought to look to downsize our houses, find smaller and more efficient vehicles, and plan more meaningful relational activities with our family and friends closer to home and to our spiritual community.
When we curtail our desires for what the world desires, we will begin to sense a stronger connection to Christ, and His love will flow more freely so fruit will be borne from our relationships with those who are lost without Christ.
