Are you independent?

Do you feel the weight of pressure to be independent, to rely on no one but yourself, and to stand on your own two feet? Self-reliance is celebrated in our society but it is not the divine design God has for you.

Jesus declares in John 15:5-6: “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. If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

At first glance, this verse seems intimidating, with its imagery of branches being thrown into the fire. But Jesus did not intend to threaten his disciples when He said this; in fact, He made them a profound promise to take care of them.

A vine provides a branch with support and sustenance. The branch cannot feed or grow on its own; it is utterly dependent on the vine. All the branch needs to do is receive all that the vine offers.

It requires significant force to sever a branch from a vine, especially if it is healthy. When Jesus said, ‘Remain in Me,’ He meant choose not to sever yourself from Me.

God wants you to depend on Him as a branch depends on a vine. As long as you choose to stay connected, He promises to nourish, care for, and tend to you.

Let us pray: ‘Lord, I pray that we will choose to depend on You today. I pray that we will feel nourished, loved, and strengthened by Your presence and will draw ever closer to You.’

Hey! You are a Chamatkar.

Jenny Mendes

Ps: If you’re familiar with John 15 you might be wondering about the part where the Father cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. We’ll delve into that tomorrow, but I can assure you that there is another beautiful promise from God hidden in that passage as well 😉