“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
On the journey towards intimacy with God, the Holy Spirit has led me to this passage many times. In fact, there was a season where the Holy Spirit would bring me back to this passage almost daily to meditate on. What I found during this time was rest and freedom.
When we seek to remain connected to the source of Life, it’s no wonder that Life flows through us. We get to experience the newness of life talked about in the New Testament (Gal. 2:20, 2 Cor. 5:17, Acts 5:20, John 10:10). When we remain in the presence of Jesus on a consistent basis, we begin to find that we no longer have to strive to produce the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives. We don’t have to work for patience, joy, or kindness. Those things spring forth simply because we’re connected to the source of all patience, joy, and kindness.
Growing up, I was constantly trying to live a holy and godly life. I was always seeking to live in righteousness and with Christian morality. I was often afraid that God was looking over my shoulder and was extremely disappointed, and sometimes disgusted with me, whenever I messed up. I would seek to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, but it would come from my own effort and willpower rather than the power of God within me. Year after year, I would seek to do better and be better. Year after year, I would fail to live up to the expectations of what I thought God had for me. I felt like a failure. I felt exhausted. I didn’t know what to do or how to change. I had exhausted all of my tactics and strength to create this new life within me, but I felt no different, or better than before. I felt dirty, tired, and hopeless. It was like I was running in a race, but I was somehow stuck on a treadmill instead and I wasn’t going anywhere.
Then Jesus invited me into intimacy. He invited me to rest in Him. He invited me to delight in Him. Rather than seeking to live a holy and righteous life, I just sought Him. I sought to connect with Him. I sought to spend time with Him. Soon, I sought His presence throughout my day, not just in the mornings. My delight in Him created in me a desire for more of Him. Throughout this time, I was just focused on Him and seeking to draw closer to Him. I discovered that throughout this process, though I wasn’t focused on it, my life began to change. The things I was once drawn to and struggled with were no longer a struggle. The fruit I longed to exhibit in my life began to manifest in my life and I wasn’t even focused on those areas.
You see, when we are connected with the True Vine, we experience rest. Our aim should be to solely stay connected to the Vine. When we seek this, the Spirit WILL produce fruit in our lives. Jesus tells his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and us also, that “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” When we focus on this one simple thing, fruit WILL be produced in our lives. The difference is that the Holy Spirit is doing the work when we’re connected to the Vine rather than us trying to do it in our own strength. I didn’t have to strive to live a holy life. I could actually rest in the presence of the Lord and He would do the work in me.
This was so freeing! I was set free from the bondage of striving. I was set free from the treadmill of performance. I was able to run to the Father and draw close. I knew that the Father delighted in me. I didn’t have to earn or achieve anything to receive his affection and approval. I didn’t need to be holy to be able to run into His presence. I simply could run to the Father and sit with Him and delight in Him and He would do the work in me that He desired. And there was work to do.
The Father would bring things to light that I needed to let go of, but he would do it in the presence of the Lord. When we remain in Jesus, we are connected with Him and there “His yoke is easy and His burden is light” (Mt 11:28). The work is not painless. There is sometimes pain associated with removing areas in our lives that we have allowed to become overgrown with the weeds of sin and the lies of the Enemy. When exposed, they must be removed and allow the soil of our hearts to be prepared for what the Lord wants to plant within us.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Gal. 5:1
I believe the Father is inviting each of us into this intimacy with Him. He’s inviting us to come to Him just as we are, rest in His presence, and find our delight in Him. He’s inviting us to remain in Him and to allow Him to do the work of holiness and godliness in our lives. If you feel like you’re running on that treadmill of performance and you’re not going anywhere, I challenge you to get off and just sit with the Father. Soak in his love, acceptance, and approval of you as his son or daughter. As you rest in Him, He will begin to do the work that you couldn’t, if you’ll allow Him. For it’s work that only He can do.
It’s not always easy, but it’s not complicated. And most importantly… it’s worth it!
