"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing - John 15:5
All human beings, indeed the whole world, are sustained by God. God gives life to all things. Without God, nothing will live; His eternal word holds everything together. It happens that once in a while, we lose that sense of oneness with God, and by that, we become helpless in the face of adversity. Aside from giving us life, God is the only one who can solve our problems without creating another problem for us. Why do we need to abide in God; simply because God is supreme and His sovereignty rules over the world. Power and might are with God and He is the only one who can do all things without taking responsibility for anything! In today’s scripture, Jesus makes known the plan of God to make each of us permanently fruitful in life, but we must accept to remain branches of the living vine. How do you become a branch of the vine that Jesus represents? Remember how a tree grows and develops branches; both the tree and the branches grow together at the same time. The branches are never separate from the tree; they grow on it, draw nutrients from it and are always fruitful for as long as the tree remains alive. This brings us to the usual question of whether you have a good relationship with Jesus. Interestingly, some have a relationship with Christ, but not a good relationship. Also, some have never encountered Him, and therefore, unable to develop any kind of relationship with Him. Your good relationship with Christ must involve union with Him, and constant communion with Him. The good relationship with Jesus is necessary because, He leads us to God. Therefore in Christ Jesus, we have access to a life-giving, soul-thrilling, joy-producing communion with God (1 John 1:3; John 15:11). It is this union and communion with God that makes us become fruitful and relevant in life.
To abide in Christ is not a one-off affair; it’s a daily lifestyle by the power of the Holy Spirit, Who empowers us to do the following three things:
First, you must walk by faith. Scriptures tell us that the righteous walk by faith. Your righteousness before God is justified by faith. For this reason, only by faith shall you be able to please God.
Second, spend and focus your quality time on God. Spend time to study the scriptures and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit. When you truly understand the scriptures, you will learn the truth that will truly set you free from every bondage and limitations.
Third, be part of a God fearing community and counsel one another. Fight against sin and live a constant life of imitation of Christ.