John 15:4-5 “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
If we could collate all the new year resolutions and all the goals people have throughout the year, I am pretty sure that ‘getting fit’ would close to the top of the list! Although the majority of people are concerned with their physical fitness, I would like to encourage you to think about your spiritual fitness today.
What is your level of spiritual fitness? What is it that you hope God will accomplish in your life before you die? God wants to do more than you or I could even imagine – immeasurably more! But how will this happen?
Examining the state of your spiritual life is the first step. Trying to become spiritually fit apart from a spiritual life is like a branch producing fruit apart from being connected to the vine. There’s no life in it, and it cannot produce a thing. The first step toward spiritual fitness is to make sure you are connected to the source of spiritual life – Jesus Christ. Only He has the power to change your life. New Year’s resolutions, willpower, even Bible study, and church attendance are not enough. You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus in your own strength. For you to be able to do it, you need Jesus in you!
It is not necessary for branches that are attached to the vine to attempt to generate fruit; rather, they are merely responsible for bearing the fruit that the vine produces. It is not your responsibility to create anything; rather, your job is to “remain in Him!” God is the one who is responsible for making things happen; you are not responsible for it. Attempting to act in a particular manner just because we believe that this is the appropriate course of action is like to attaching artificial fruit to an apple tree. The genuine fruit, also known as “much fruit,” is obtained by remaining or abiding in Christ!
So, you can take a break from trying produce good fruit in your life. It’s not about striving but abiding. Your highest priority should be developing a close personal relationship with Christ by spending time alone with God on a regular basis, reading the Bible, and joining with God’s people in a good local Church community. I can assure you that when abiding in Christ becomes your primary goal in life – it is going to blow your mind to see the fruit that He will generate in you and through you!