John 15:5
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

After a windy day, dead branches lay all over our yard. Dead branches are, well, dead. No leaves; no life. We either throw them away or put them on top of our firewood to be used for kindling. Okay, my wife, Lori, either throws them away or puts them on top of the firewood.

Have you ever felt like a dead branch? Not good for much? Not very effective? Not up for the task? The feeling of inadequacy can paralyze us to the point of uselessness, frozen in our fear of insufficiency. However, with Jesus, inadequacy is a word that never applies.

Jesus is the life-giving vine. We are the living branches. To be sure, apart from him we are like dead branches; we “can do nothing.” When we are connected to the source, we are alive! We are always up for the task! We are always effective! We will bear much fruit! Stay connected to Christ, and the fear of inadequacy is driven away by the fruit of sufficiency. Jesus takes our failures and our fears, and he infuses them with lasting life.

Lord Jesus, apart from you, fear reigns. Keep us connected and remaining in you, so we can leave behind our lives of fear and thrive with lives of fruitfulness. Amen.

Additional Resources

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