My pastor recently preached a very powerful message encouraging us to stay connected with Jesus. If you boil down the Christian walk, it all comes down to that very simple concept. In John 15:5 Jesus says:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Today do you find yourself disconnected from the vine? Do you have a shallow prayer life? Are you reading the word of God? Do you think about Jesus, God and heavenly things often during your day? Without doing these kinds of things we become disconnected from the vine. And Jesus tells us that apart from him we can do nothing. Notice that I didn’t ask if you're going to church, or doing ministry work. I think we can still fake our way through those without truly being connected to the vine. No, I’m talking about real time with Jesus. If you’re struggling in this area, it might make sense to schedule time with Jesus. Pray, read the word, seek God’s face, and do these things often. Because when we do, we can bear much fruit, and if we don’t we can do nothing.
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Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Being a follower of Christ isn’t just something we tell people we are. It isn’t something we only live out on Sundays or when it is convenient. It isn’t something we do half-heartedly. AND it isn’t something we can do without being connected to the vine. I’ve tried doing things in my own strength, and even if I’m trying to do something for the kingdom and am disconnected to Jesus it has always ended in epic failure. So I encourage you to make sure that you are connected to the vine, because apart from Jesus you can do nothing.