John 15 Devotional

Chosen to Remain in Him

“I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.”John 15:5 (BSB)

Jesus calls himself the true vine, his Father the keeper of the vineyard, and his disciples the branches (15:1, 5). A branch does not produce grapes by straining. It bears fruit by staying joined to the vine, and cut off from Jesus, his disciples can produce nothing (15:4-5). Even the Father's pruning is care, not rejection (15:2).

Then Jesus shows what holds the branches in place. He loves them with the same love the Father has for him, and he tells them to remain in that love (15:9). He calls them friends rather than servants, because he has made known to them everything he learned from the Father (15:15). The choosing, he reminds them, was his, not theirs, and he appointed them to bear lasting fruit (15:16). He names laying down a life for friends as the highest love (15:13), and that is exactly what he is about to do. Fruitfulness starts with being loved and chosen, not with trying harder. Today you can remain in him by returning to his words and resting in his love.

To think about: What would it look like today to stay close to Jesus rather than straining to produce fruit on your own?