I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Jesus gives us the key to bearing much fruit in this chapter. People desire to live a fruitful life, but for many it seems to be an elusive quest. The key to bearing much fruit is to realize that although I can’t – He can. Jesus does not tell me to try harder, do more, be better, or act like I’ve got it together. He asks me to do one thing – abide in Him. The word abide is a favorite word of the apostle John and it conveys the idea to remain or stay. This enables us to be plugged into the power source. Just as an appliance needs to be plugged into a power source, so we must be connected to the true vine which is Jesus.

We can abide in Jesus as we read His word, pray, and follow Him. If we don’t realize our dependence upon Jesus, then we will be tempted to rely upon our own strength. We may be able to achieve earthly accomplishments, but they will not have a spiritual legacy. The prophet Isaiah gave us a picture of work that is done in our own strength:

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

God’s desire is that we will bear much fruit for His glory.