Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
The Book of John, written by John the apostle, son of Zebedee, makes it clear that Jesus is not just a man; He is the eternal Son of God. Yet, how often are you and I guilty of casually tossing around His words and going about living our own way? In Chapters 2-12, we see the message and ministry of Jesus. We see Jesus meeting with individuals, preaching to great crowds, training His disciples, and debating with religious leaders. Of the eight miracles recorded in the Gospels, six are unique to the Book of John.
Our passage today takes us to John 15:1-17. The first thing that I notice as I flip the pages of my Bible to chapter 15 is all the red letters. The red letters tell us that these are the words of Jesus! In Chapter 13, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples, as well as shares the Last Supper with them. After the Last Supper, Jesus goes into a time of teaching His disciples. This is so cool! Jesus knows what He is about to face. He knows that one close to Him, whose feet He had just washed, whom He had just shared a meal with (not to mention the last three years), is about to betray Him. Jesus knows He is facing a torturous death on the cross, but He is still intentional and engaged in teaching His disciples.
This brings us to Chapter 15. I specifically want to hang out on verse 5.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
“Remain in Me.” That is the command from Jesus. Simple, right?
One thing that I am realizing about us as people is that we are so smart that we tend to dismiss “simple.” If it seems simple, it must not be effective. So often this is our default mindset. But let’s be clear. Simple does not mean easy.
Back to the command: “Remain in Me.” I am currently reading Live No Lies by John Mark Comer, and I think it answers the question of how we remain in Christ.
“Attention is the beginning of devotion. The starting place of devotion to God and movement into His Kingdom is simply to set our attention on His Spirit and Truth.
So, here it comes, here’s the secret: Spend time in quiet prayer and scripture upon waking each day. (If you are reading this devotion, you are off to a good start! Keep it up!) Recently, a friend of mine shared with me that the single most impactful decision he has made this year was to buy a desk and sit at it each morning while he reads his Bible.
The Goal of reading scripture is not information but spiritual formation. To take on the mind of Christ, to think as Jesus thinks. To fill our minds with the thoughts of God. It rewires your brain, and from there, your whole person.
Jesus tells us in verse 4, “No branch can bear fruit by itself: it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit, unless you remain in me.”
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.