My son always loves to draw pictures of both of us with him, giving me a pot of flowers. I found it a bit weird at first because my two other children always drew me with either of them giving me a bouquet. And so I ask him each time, why does he give me the flowers on the pot instead of those that are picked? And he said he just wants to.
And as I reflect on it, I was thinking that giving a pot of flowers is a gift that endures. The flowers will not wilt easily as long as we nurture it with sun and water. The planted flower may still die, but another one will bloom in time. It is very similar to our faith journey when we remain connected to Jesus. When we cling to His words, hold on to Him in prayer, and follow His commands, we thrive instead of just surviving.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” John 15:5-6
In today’s terms, abiding in God means holding on to Him through reading His words, intentional prayer time, and worship. It means following Jesus’ teachings and commands, and choosing to honor him with our actions and decisions.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:1-2
When we strive to follow the Lord, we will reap the natural consequences of the God-honoring choices that we make. Even without thinking of the heavenly reward for the righteous, we already can enjoy the benefits of following the Lord’s commands. When we live a God-honoring life by default, we will have better relationship with the people around us, we will have a good name in our community, we can leave a godly legacy to our children, we will enjoy meaningful moments and have lasting memories with our loved ones, and we will not be in conflict with the law.
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:10-11
And while deciding to follow Jesus will not exempt us from trouble, it will arm us with the peace that is not anchored in our circumstances. Yes there will still be hardships, there will still be mean people, but since our peace is anchored in God’s loving character, we can rise above because we now have a better perspective about our existence.
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6
And so let’s go from surviving to thriving. Let’s go beyond just getting through the day, to looking forward to every single day. Only God, our true source of hope and joy, can give us that. Let us cling on to His words. Let us remain planted in Him.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on John 15:1-17 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you remain planted in God through prayer and bible reading?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to remain connected to you. I know sometimes hardships, difficulties, and our selfish nature make it hard to do that, but thank you for giving me the grace to continue holding on to each word you say, and clinging on to you for hope. Thank you for being our one true source of hope and joy. Amen.
