5 Minute Read

TODAY’S BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 9:1–11:27
John 15:1-27
Psalm 119:49-64
Proverbs 16:1-3

TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):

John 15:5 (CSB): “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In the verse that I have chosen as Today’s Bible Verse, Jesus is quoted as saying: “you can do nothing without me.”

There was a time in my life when I really struggled with grasping those words. I honestly didn’t believe them.

I remember working on complicated math problems in school and asking Jesus to help me. Then, when it seemed that the answer was in sight, I would stop praying because I felt that I could take it from there.

I felt that there were big, difficult things that I needed Jesus’ help with. But, there were other things that I felt did not require His assistance. I could do them on my own.

So, when He said, “you can do nothing apart from me,” I just didn’t grasp the truth of those words.

As “life” happened and I struggled with things like anxiety over making enough money to pay the bills, or I battled with serious bouts of depression, or I struggled with dysfunctional relationships, or I grieved over the illnesses and deaths of loved ones, I came to realize just how frail I was. I came to realize that my life was on a razor’s edge and anything could topple me at any moment.

It was in those times that God took me through the valley of the shadow of death that I realized how dependent I was upon Him. In fact, the Psalmist said that he found comfort in those dark times because “you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). He had learned dependence upon the Lord.

I came to realize that I was dependent upon the Lord for:

  • My next breath
  • My heart to take another beat
  • My ability to think and make decisions
  • My ability to experience success in my endeavors
  • My ability to enjoy relationships
  • Etc., etc., etc.

I came to realize that if Jesus didn’t graciously give me all that I needed, I was done for. He literally was my life! I could literally do nothing apart from Him!

But, remarkably, I discovered that this was an incredibly liberating truth. When I came to realize that I could do nothing apart from Jesus, I also realized that He wasn’t withholding those things from me. He simply wanted me to reach out to Him in relationship as He took care of me.

John 15:5 (CSB): “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

He was calling me to “remain” in Him. I understood that to mean that I was being called into an ever-deepening, ever-satisfying relationship with Him. I enjoyed this relationship by spending time in His Word, time in prayer, and living with a conscious awareness of His presence with me each moment of the day.

Life came alive for me when God enabled me to understand that truth! Life was no longer mundane and meaningless. It was filled with purpose and a sense of adventure.

Friend, while I wish that I could say that I have lived every day with this sense of purpose and adventure, I can’t. There have been plenty of days when I haven’t “remained” in Jesus. I haven’t enjoyed all that was mine to claim.

But, it wasn’t because of Jesus. It was because of me. It was because of personal sin, or simply a heart that had grown cold and indifferent to the Lord.

Friend, I would encourage you to write down John 15:5 this morning and carry this verse with you today. Read it over and over. Reflect on it. Pray its truths back to God. Ask Him to help you live in light of the truths of Jesus’ words.

It might be that God is calling you to a life of purpose and adventure but the doorway is found in the most unlikely of places. It’s found in Jesus’ words about your impotence apart from Him.

John 15:5 (CSB): “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

dailos-medina-1295855-unsplash