Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
What are you attached to? As you’re thinking about it, I’m going to give you a little challenge today. What first came to mind about what you’re attached to? Now, I would encourage you to ask somebody, either a family member or a close friend. Ask them the same question about yourself. Ask them, what do you see? What would you say if I asked you what I'm attached to?
I would encourage you to do that, because sometimes we can come up with things in our mind of what we would say we’re attached to, family or something else. It’s interesting to find out what other people’s perception is of what they see that we’re attached to. It’s very, very revealing. I would encourage you, if you dare, to take that challenge today and just ask somebody that knows you really well what you’re attached to.
Our Verse of the Day comes from John chapter 15, verse 5. "'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.'"
Apart from Me, You Can Do Nothing
Now, I want to start off focusing on that last part, because we can dwell a lot on “I am the vine, you are the branches,” but sometimes it can bring clarity about what He’s saying at the very end: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
Now, obviously we know that in our lives we do a lot of things. When it says, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing,” what does that translate to, if obviously we can live our life and we can do a lot of things? What is He referring to? With Jesus, He is constantly focused on us producing good fruit.
It is not about just being this beautiful tree or plant or vine that everyone else sees as looking beautiful. I’ve had that before. We had a tree at our house. It was this huge tree, and it had no fruit on it. I could tell it was a citrus tree. I had no idea what it was, but I ended up pruning it back, and it had some fruit that came on it.
Often we settle for just looking beautiful and green and vibrant as a Christian. What Jesus is talking about, and His constant goal for us, is to bear fruit. If we stay attached to Him, He will produce good fruit in us.
What Are You Attached To?
How does that translate into our lives? That’s why I asked the question, what are you attached to? A lot of times, what we are attached to is going to dictate the fruit that comes out in our life.
I have to be candid with you. A lot of times we are attached to something, and we don’t actually do anything about being attached to something that’s an unhealthy habit in our life until it actually produces bad fruit in our life that other people can see. That’s when all of a sudden it becomes something we want to address.
I’ll tell you what. Sorry, but I’m guilty too. Our phones are one of many things that we could have an unhealthy attachment to. Bad habits develop where we spend lots of time, and that fruit actually can be something that we see cropping up in our life, and we can actually look over it and not really pay attention to it.
Remaining in Jesus
That’s the key here to this verse and what Jesus is saying when He says, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” If our goal is simply to just be this vibrant green plant in our life, and all we start focusing on and caring about is if bad fruit starts cropping up, then we are not truly living into what Jesus has called us to as followers of Him.
He wants us to be attached to Him, to remain in Him so that we are producing fruit, good fruit, good things. You may say, well, I try to be a good person. There’s a difference between trying on our own efforts to be good and to do something good, versus remaining in Jesus and allowing what He is calling us to, to produce good fruit in our life, to actually come out. It calls us to not just settling in the Christian life, not just being okay with I’m a Christian.
It’s now saying, okay, if I’m a Christian and I’m choosing to be a follower of Jesus and be attached to Him and remain in Him, then He will produce fruit in me. That’s something I can’t produce in and of myself. That’s what He’s so desiring for you. That’s why He says, you can’t produce this kind of fruit that I’m calling you to on your own. I need to be able to do that in you and through you.
Don’t Settle
I would just encourage you to take a step back and see, what are you attached to, and what fruit is it producing in your life? Don’t settle. God has something so much greater for you.
I have to be honest with you. I’ve had to look at my life, and God has rebuked me with this verse. I keep revisiting this verse because He uses it powerfully in my life. He rebukes me and says, David, what are you doing? What are you spending your time on? Is this actually good fruit in your life to make a difference and impact people for Him?
Or am I settling? Am I settling with just doing the Christian life, instead of focusing on remaining in Him and allowing Him to call me to do something and be something bigger than myself by following Him and remaining in Him, so He can produce supernatural fruit in my life? That gets me out of my comfort zone, but it’s something that will produce fruit that will impact people in greater ways for His glory and His Kingdom.
Be attached to Him today. Remain in Him so He can do something supernatural in and through you today.
