Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.(John 15:4-5)

One of the wonderful things about God is that when He gives us an assignment, He never expects us to accomplish it with our own resources or strength. He makes available to us His resources and His strength to do whatever it is that He has asked of us. Jesus told the disciples that the Father expected them to bear spiritual fruit and thereby, glorify Him. Jesus revealed that the key to bearing fruit was to abide in Him because we cannot accomplish anything without Him. Jesus repeatedly told His disciples: “Abide in Me; Abide in My love; Let My words abide in you.” The word ‘abide’ literally means, ‘to take up residence.’

So many Christians make the mistake of dividing their lives into two compartments … ‘sacred’ and ‘secular.’ Abiding in Jesus means that we must let go of such a division in our lives and set our hearts to continually seek and dwell in His presence every day. To abide in Christ demands that we do more than just visit the Lord on Sundays. Abiding in Christ means that we live in His presence on a daily basis. Jesus is not just a part of our lives; He is our life and the source of everything to us.

I encourage you to stop trying to accomplish your life-assignment in your own strength and using your own resources. Draw from the strength and resources that Jesus has made available to you in Him. Stop trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your own strength. Trying to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your own strength is a guarantee for failure. Partner with the Holy Spirit and let Him reproduce the character and nature of Christ within you.

Make your pursuit of the presence of the Lord the priority quest of every day. Honor the protocol for entrance into His presence … “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise.” Once you have entered the Lord’s presence, stay there and enjoy your time with Him. Draw on His strength and resources to accomplish your life-assignment and let the Holy Spirit produce the fruit of the Spirit in you. In the end, God will glorified and you will be satisfied.