John 15:5 “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.

What good is a branch without the support of a vine? Nothing. It’s a dead stick. If you have a branch that has produced fruit, is weighted down with luscious grapes, but then is cut off from the vine, eventually all you’ll have is some shriveled up raisins. Ewww.

Right now I’m incredibly busy, and there’s the tendency in my life to just muster thru stuff when it all gets this crazy packed. I go into overdrive and forget that all I’m doing is for the Lord – and that I need Him in order for any of it to mean something. This verse today reminded me that as I’m trying to bear fruit for the Lord, I need to stay connected to the vine. Previous fruit doesn’t mean anything in the here and now. I cannot sustain growth without remaining plugged in to Jesus. He is where my strength comes from, and apart from Him, all my efforts would be pointless. One might say…(if you were a pun-loving person),fruitless.

My prayer today is that I would not become so consumed with all the details and decisions that I forget the simple truth of Jesus. The Vine. The source. God, help me to turn to you during the next couple days for my strength. I pray that great fruit would blossom in my life and the lives of people attending Evergreen’s Bright Christmas. Thank you for reminding me that it’s in You I can find energy and life – that in you I am a vibrant branch, not a dead stick.