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By Mike Caton

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.”

Jesus makes it clear here that we must remain in him, connected as we talked about yesterday. Jesus says he is the vine and we are the branches. The branches do not support the vine, they do not provide the water and nutrients for the plant. In fact, they receive those things. The branches do have the leaves, and I suppose they do provide something through photosynthesis, and the branches are the parts that actually bear the fruit. But the point is, if those branches are not connected to the vine, they are simply going to die. There will be no leaves, there will be no fruit, and in reality there will be no branches, either.

The key, Jesus tells us, is to remain in him and for him to remain in us. Let’s make the point clear here, Jesus is never going to abandon us, he is never going to pull out from us, he is never going to leave us. Unless, we want him too. We can, and people often do, abandon Jesus. It might not be so much of a conscious decision, they probably don’t wake up one morning and say, today is the day I desert Jesus. But it happens slowly, over much time, as they gradually make a thousand small decisions that put space between them and Jesus. They probably seem insignificant at the time, hardly worth noting. And people honestly think this is not going to have an effect on my relationship with Christ. It is such a little thing.

But one day they come to the realization they are not as close to Jesus as they once were. Or maybe they don’t. Maybe they think their relationship with the Lord is fine. And yet, spiritually, they are dead and shriveled up. And when that is the case in our lives, we can do nothing. Except return to God.

Father, help me remain in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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