Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

Many of us take a lot of pride in being able to do things ourselves. We have millions of DIY  projects to choose from. We use phrases like being “self-made” or “picking ourselves up by our bootstraps” to get through life. These ideas often lead to a good work ethic and help us accomplish many things, but this foundational philosophy makes it challenging to receive and apply the words of Jesus in this passage. We often work so hard on our own that we forget to even think about what it looks like to ask God for help. We pride ourselves on getting things done so it feels humiliating to depend on anyone, even God.

This struggle is not foreign; it has been with us from the very beginning. Adam and Eve chose their way instead of God’s, and even when they messed up, they found a DIY solution by making their own clothes instead of running to Him for help. The problem is, we can never earn God’s love or work our way back to Him. We are wholly dependent on Jesus.

Apart from Jesus, we cannot accomplish anything of eternal value. We can work in our own strength and maybe make things better for a little while, but ultimately these efforts won’t last. We don’t need a life of accomplishments or fame; we need only to remain in Him, and He will produce godly fruit in our lives.

• What are some ways you have tried to take care of life on your own? What happened?
• What would it look like to remain in Christ daily? What are some areas you forget to remain in Him?
• Pray and repent of the ways you have tried to live independent from God. Ask Him for help to remain in Him.