We all know John 15:5. “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.”
I think, so often, we believe we can do it all on our own. I know I certainly believe that sometimes. I like the idea of control and having everything within my reach. I like knowing how tomorrow is going to go. I’ve noticed, though, that as much as I think I am going to feel accomplished when I succeed in having everything under control, I end up not feeling as satisfied as I expected. In fact, at the end of the day, I feel mostly empty and depressed.
John 15:5 explains my empty feelings perfectly. The moment we believe life can be done on our own is the moment we separate ourselves from Christ. By believing that we can purchase, schedule, organize or plan our lives according to how we feel is best — we have no part in God’s plan.
John 15:5 says specifically, “apart from me you can do nothing.” If you think about it, it is obvious that the branches aren’t in charge of holding the tree down. In fact, the branches have no say in where the tree is actually planted. They only exist because of the vine.
If we desire a fruitful life, which I know we all do, we must realize that we can’t do it on our own. A fruitful life cannot be solely accomplished from our own efforts. I encourage you to allow God to lead you wherever He has planned. Trust Him. His plan holds more than you can imagine. Let that excite you.
Written by Emily Lehner, a writer for the Alumni Center and a sophomore Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.
