Day 86
Deuteronomy 19–20 | John 15:1–17
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself… neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)
I’m good at producing. Addicted to outcomes. Drawn to metrics. Movement. Measurable results. It’s why I’m so good at my job.
But Jesus doesn’t start there. He starts with a command that sounds passive:
“Abide.”
Stay. Remain. Dwell.
Not go.
Not build.
Not fix.
Not even serve.
Just stay.
The Counterintuitive Command
It feels insufficient.
So much of the Christian life can feel like striving—trying to live faithfully, serve sacrificially, grow spiritually, bear fruit.
But Jesus doesn’t say, “Bear fruit and prove you belong.”
He says, “Abide in Me.”
“Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
That’s not poetry. That’s reality.
Apart from Him, there’s no lasting growth.
No spiritual power.
No fruit that matters.
Only performance without presence.
Because Jesus isn’t interested in what can be accomplished apart from Him.
He’s interested in what’s formed by remaining in Him.
The Work Beneath the Work
This has been a pruning season for me.
Some branches trimmed with care. Others cut deeply. And in my case—quite literally. Those two fingers on my right hand didn’t survive the pruning shears and had to be replanted.
And in that process, it’s tempting to reach for activity—to prove usefulness. To feel productive again. To do something.
But Jesus doesn’t invite action.
He invites communion.
“Abide in My love.” (John 15:9)
That’s not a call to spiritual drift. It’s a summons to intentional nearness.
Not just to believe He loves, but to remain in that love.
To rest in it.
To root in it.
To let every other part of life grow out of it.
Abiding Isn’t Passive
It may sound like doing nothing. But it’s the hardest kind of obedience:
- To stay when it would be easier to run.
- To root deeply when waiting feels like wasting.
- To trust the Vine when the fruit is yet unseen.
That’s not inactivity. That’s spiritual tenacity.
Because staying is trusting.
And trusting is worship.
And worship never returns empty.
What Abiding Produces
Jesus doesn’t call for striving—He promises results:
- Fruit that glorifies the Father (v. 8)
- Prayers aligned with His will (v. 7)
- Love that mirrors His (v. 12)
- Joy that’s full, not fleeting (v. 11)
- The unmistakable mark of true discipleship (v. 8)
But none of it begins with effort.
It begins with abiding.
The branch bears fruit because it stays. Because it draws life from the Vine. Because it trusts the One who tends and prunes and promises to finish what He started.
So I’ll stay.
When the path feels unproductive.
When I can’t see the fruit.
When everything in me wants to sprint ahead or scramble for control.
I’ll stay.
Not because I’m strong. But because I’m His.
Not to prove anything. But because abiding is where life begins.
And because the Vine is worthy of my trust.
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Lord, I want to bear fruit—but more than that, I want to remain in You. Teach me to stay when everything in me wants to move. Anchor me in Your love. Remind me that obedience flows from intimacy, not insecurity. And let any fruit that comes from my life bring You glory—not me. Amen.
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