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.”
Running is a lot of work. Yes, I love it, and it brings a great deal of joy and satisfaction, but I readily confess it is a lot of work. Like other runners, I continually push limits and challenge myself. I want to be faster and stronger. I want to tackle greater distances and overcome areas of weakness.
When I invest all that work, I see results. And because I see a connection between my efforts and my achievements, I apply that discipline to other areas of my life. I work hard on my job, in my house, and on other projects and hobbies. I begin to feel invincible, as if there is nothing I cannot do.
Dedication to a task is great, but sometimes I mistakenly believe that if I work hard enough, I can accomplish anything. And the more I accomplish, the more I believe that the power comes from me alone.
Jesus is very clear about what we can do apart from Him: nothing. In these carefully chosen, honest words, He tells us that we cannot bear fruit or produce anything lasting without Him. He does not say that we will make a few “small gains” or have “a handful of achievements” apart from Him. Instead, He says we can do nothing.
Though I absolutely trust Jesus’ words, I often find myself ignoring them. I forget that God alone has the power, not me. Every part of the Bible reminds me of this truth. In the first book of the Bible, God creates everything by speaking it into being. He says, “Let there be light,” and suddenly there is light. He made everything in this way, and He did it and without me asking for it, without me there, without any effort on my part.
Each day, we need many things for ourselves and our loved ones – peace, patience, hope, love – things that we cannot create. But God can just speak these very things into existence. In four simple words – “let there be light” – God created a life-sustaining property of the universe. And every day is willing and capable to fulfill all the needs of our lives. He promises to do it simply because we remain in Christ. Let’s go to Him now.
