“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.” John 15:5
We all need rest to recover strength for the next season of work and ministry.
There is a “rest,” a ceasing from striving, that many of us fail to realize and embrace no matter how many breaks and vacations we experience. Hudson Taylor, the founder of OMF International, worked tirelessly his whole life, yet he discovered the secret of drawing close to Christ to find rest: “I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking Him to do His work through me.” (from Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret)
Many of us try harder and resolve to achieve more—maximizing our limits and boundaries to accomplish much for God.
In John chapter 15, Jesus uses the vine fruit analogy to explain that He is the one who produces the fruit. We need to focus on remaining in Him—looking to Him for strength and everything we need to accomplish His will. We need to let His words shape us, His Spirit renew us and fill us, and we need to cooperate with Him—obediently following His lead to produce authentic fruit. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
May you discover the same secret: resting in Christ’s sufficiency for your every need.
Lord, please help me cease from striving and fully enter into your rest—abiding in You in order to bear much fruit for our Father’s glory.
Take Action
Rest and relax. Meditate on John 15:1-17 and ask the Lord to speak to you about how to cultivate a life of remaining in Him. Write down what you hear and mark down action steps in your calendar.
Learn to be filled with the Holy Spirit.