You Cannot Do Anything Without Me

One of the most important lessons that we continually learn from God is how desperately dependent we are on Him for everything. Jesus said these words to his disciples: 

“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”

Jesus makes this claim that just as a branch does not produce fruit without being connected to the vine, neither can we unless we “remain” in Him. This idea of “remaining” is continuing to live in pursuit of loving, knowing, praying to, depending on, and obeying God. 

He communicates 3 things that show the importance of “remaining.”

1) Our purpose is to bear fruit. A fruitful life is one that produces eternal value. It is one that obeys God’s Word. It is one that participates in God’s mission for the church. We love God, we love others, and we teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded them to do. 

2) Our inability to live a life of eternal value on our own. Jesus stated this clearly, saying, “you can do nothing without me.” We do so much without God that we convince ourselves that we can do far more than we should before we ask God for help.

3) Our confidence that we can live a life of eternal value because of Him. If we continue with and depend on Jesus, we have a promise that we will produce much fruit. 

Brothers and sisters, our lives are meaningless and powerless apart from Jesus. Make a list of all responsibilities you have in your life, and ask yourself, “How much do I depend on Jesus for these things?”

Love you Church Family! —Bro. John Roberts