“Whoever abides in Me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” 
John 15:5

I wear a lot of different hats. 

On any given day, I’m a husband, dad, brother, friend, executive director, carpool driver, caretaker, small group leader, housekeeper, yardman, etc., etc. 

Within each role, I juggle a subset of tasks and responsibilities. There are countless details to keep track of. Duties I can’t allow to fall through the cracks. The compounding stress and strain is borderline overwhelming.    

I know I’m not alone.

Many of us are spread too thin, managing heavy loads with no relief in sight. We wonder if we truly have what it takes to keep going. 

If I could be so bold as to remind us:  We don’t. 

None of us stand a chance unless we continually “abide” or remain in Christ.

The same was true for Jesus’ original disciples.  

As Jesus spoke these words during the Last Supper, the disciples couldn’t possibly imagine the roller coaster of events about to unfold, everything from the crucifixion to the Resurrection to the birth of the Church. Yet, Jesus had promised they would do “even greater works” than Him (John 14:12). The only way it would be possible…the only way they’d accomplish anything of eternal significance would be to abide in Him.  

From the moment of our salvation, we abide in Christ and He in us (1 John 4:15). We’re forever connected to Jesus, the “true vine” (John 15:1).  Praise God!

But abiding means we must seek to stay connected. That is, in all of our various roles and responsibilities, we continuously draw near to His presence.  We maintain a moment-by-moment internal awareness of His indwelling Spirit. As a branch is dependent on a vine for life and nourishment, we rely on the power of Jesus to face life’s demands. 

Of course, abiding isn’t automatic. Without effort, we naturally drift toward self-sufficiency. So, we must establish habits that help reconnect our spirits with the Spirit of Jesus.  

For me, abiding in Christ might look like: 

• Saying quick prayers throughout the day 

• Pausing to listen to His voice 

• Reflecting on a passage of Scripture I read earlier

• Reading a devotional in the afternoon

These and other practices remind my soul that my relationship with Jesus is absolutely vital to who I am. 

C.S. Lewis sums it up well: “A car is made to run on petrol {gasoline}, and it would not run properly on anything else. God has designed the human machine to run on Himself. He is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn or the food our spirits were designed to feed on.” 

The result of our spirits feeding off the life-giving Spirit of Jesus is that we bear “fruit” for the Kingdom. Put another way, abiding helps prevent us from being ineffective and unproductive Christians. This fruit is manifested in our actions as well as our character (Galatians 5:22). After all, what good is it if we accomplish tasks for Jesus in an un-Christlike manner?   

So, you have a choice to make. How will you handle all your responsibilities? Will you abide in Him or try to run your “human machine” on some other kind of fuel?  

Keep in mind that Jesus whispers to us the same thing that He told His disciples: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

While this startling statement should make us evaluate our lives, the converse is also true.

Without Him, we can do nothing.

But in Him, we can do anything He asks us to do.

And that, my friends, is a truth that will enable us to face all that is before us today and in the days to come. 

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director RFTH

DIG DEEPER

Read “The Best Way to Start Your Day” by Bryant Wright