“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:4-5

This passage from John 15 has been the focus passage I have used for the “40 Days with Jesus” Lenten devotional I have written almost every year since I arrived at LifePoint in 2009. It is a good passage to keep in mind every day of our lives, because it teaches us one of the stark realities of living our lives out under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Unless we remain vitally connected to Jesus, we will accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God. Everything done by our own strength, even if it looks deeply spiritual, is illusory.

This sounds extreme to me, as it may to you as well. Nothing? We can do nothing apart from Jesus? I’m a bit of a lay horticulturalist. I love plants and flowers and spend quite a bit of time caring for them in my home and my yard. Although I’m no expert, I do know this—remove a natural branch from its source of nourishment, and it is suddenly in the grip of death. Buds and flowers may remain for a season, but they are now slowly dying, not growing and reproducing. Makes sense in nature, but not so much in our lives. Here we are, living, laughing, working, maybe even fitting in quite nicely in the church, and yet we are doing nothing? All our living, laughing, and working is producing nothing that counts toward eternity? Jesus says that though we may show outward, physical signs of life, inwardly, spiritually, we are withering and dying. There can be no lasting spiritual fruit produced in our lives if we live apart from our source of nourishment. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, without him we can do nothing.

What will we do about this? We have only two options: remain in the vine and begin to see that spiritual fruit, or live apart from the vine and see the withering process continue until every sign of faith is extinguished. This is why we have a season like Lent on the Christian calendar. Not because it is holier in and of itself, but because we need to be reminded. We need times in our lives when we are purposely focused on our faith. When we spend forty days with Jesus, the goal is not to spend 325 days apart from him the rest of the year. The goal is to hone our spiritual muscles, to experience the joy of remaining in Jesus, then use that growth to catapult us into a stronger, richer, more vibrant relationship with him year-round.

To be clear, there is no law attached to this exercise of faith. Many Christians across the world will spend the forty days from February 18 through Resurrection Sunday focusing their attention more closely on their relationship with Christ. Many will even call it “Lent.” Many others will let the forty-days pass by virtually unnoticed. It is for freedom that we have been set free in Christ, friends. Jesus has fulfilled the law in order that we may know peace with God apart from the law. Therefore, let no man or woman place you under bondage to a “do this, don’t do that mentality.” Nevertheless, we are called to pursue Christ with great urgency in our lives. So, if concentrating intentionally for a season or two each year assists you in that endeavor, do so without reservation.

My hope and prayer is that you will use this season to focus on remaining in the vine. Remain in him, and he will remain in you. Memorize this passage from John, spend time in the word, use my devotional or any other source that keeps you focused on your goal, and experience the fruit of Christian growth and maturity in your life. Very soon, Lord willing, we will be repeating the beautiful phrase, “Christ is risen…He is risen indeed!”

This year, I will be reading my Lenten Devotional online. It will be available beginning February 18 and will run daily (Monday through Saturday) through Easter. Feel free to access it at your convenience.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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