Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

We have been spending much of our evenings in our garden over the past summer, planting vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. I realize gardening is very hard work, but it is quite fulfilling to watch little seedlings grow into healthy plants. It is super exciting to watch the fruits and vegetables grow on them with time. We have had a healthy harvest of beans, cucumbers, lettuce, mint, rosemary, figs, blueberries, and spinach. We had planted a couple of tiny seedlings of cherry tomatoes, and we watched them grow into healthy vines about two feet high. Soon we observed little clusters of tomatoes, and they are getting bigger and juicier every day. How awesome!

But we had little insects and bugs in our garden inflicting damage on our tomato vines. So, we had to cut a few branches off. The cut off branches could still be identified as a tomato plant because of their outward appearance, but soon the severed branches withered in the sun and dried up. They went into our garden waste bin. All the branches that remained in the plant got their nourishment from the vine and produced a whole lot more tomatoes. Like these branches, unless we as Christians remain in Christ, we will be fruitless.

What would you say if I were to ask you, “How do you identify a Christian?” You would probably answer that they go to church, they pray, they give generously, they are forgiving and loving, they don’t swear, and they read a Bible. But it is possible to do all of that without being a Christian. However, it is impossible to remain in Christ and not bear His fruit.

In today’s world of fake branded products, fake news, deep fake technology, artificial intelligence, and false social media posts designed to get likes and follows, it has become hard to recognize the real from the fake. Speaking of fake believers, Jesus our Lord warned us that we would know them by their “fruits.” One can bear fruits of righteousness only by remaining in Christ. A severed branch would perhaps look like a Christian but fruitless.

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to become disconnected, like a branch severed from the vine. The world throws challenges our way, and sometimes we feel the weight of our responsibilities pulling us in different directions. In those moments, we must intentionally choose to remain in Christ. When we abide in Christ, our lives become fruitful. The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)—begin to manifest in our daily interactions.

I like to think of remaining in Christ as living for the audience of One. I only need to please one person, Jesus Christ. I only need to obey His Word and leave all the consequences thereof to Him. I need to sever myself from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and be grafted on to the tree of life, which is Jesus Christ.

Remaining in Christ involves staying close to Him in your very thoughts, actions, and daily decisions. It involves finding solutions to life’s challenges in His Word and not from this world because you no longer are a branch on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You are now a branch on the tree of life. As we discipline ourselves to consistently rely on His Word for all things pertaining to life, we draw sustenance from the vine—Jesus Christ—and we find wisdom and strength to navigate life’s challenges.

As you go about your day, remember the invitation to remain in Christ. Choose to stay connected to the true vine, drawing strength, wisdom, and life from the source. May your journey be one of continuous growth, abiding in the love and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

By Santosh Chandran, Bible League International staff, New Zealand