“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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.” (John 15:4-5)
Jesus uses the word “abide” repeatedly in this passage, and it’s a deeply relational word. Abiding isn’t transactional. You can’t abide with a machine. You can’t have authentic soul connection with an algorithm. As our culture increasingly turns to AI for companionship, therapy, and even dating relationships, we as followers of Jesus must hold fast to what’s real. We were made for relationship with God and with each other. These relationships require time, vulnerability, patience, and presence. They can be messy and challenging, but they’re where real fruit grows.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t promise productivity through abiding. He promises fruitfulness. There’s a massive difference. AI might make you more productive, helping you accomplish tasks faster or more efficiently. But only relationship with Jesus and with His people can make you more fruitful. Only genuine connection produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This week, evaluate your relationships. Are you investing in real human connection or settling for artificial companionship? Are you spending time abiding in Christ or just checking religious boxes? Choose presence over convenience. Choose messy authenticity over polished transactions.
Reflect:
- How much of your time and emotional energy are you investing in real relationships versus digital interactions or artificial connections?
- What would it look like to more fully abide in Christ this week? What specific practices could deepen your connection with Him?
- Ask God to show you where you’ve been settling for transaction over relationship and to give you courage to pursue deeper, more authentic connections.
