Paige Bier_April 19_Remain in the Lord

I have learned a lot about God and His plan for me in John 15:1-7.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

After many hardships my sophomore year of college, I realized God was cutting off a lot of “branches” in my life that were not producing fruit. A young man named Jefferson Bethke discusses this concept in a video called “Counterfeit Gods”. It was my responsibility to trust God when He was throwing away branches to let them wither. I realized all the branches that were thrown away, such as poor habits, were only because they were keeping my apart from the Lord. He says, I can't "bear fruit" unless I remain in Him; therefore, I learned that I must remain in God for my “branches” to bear fruit. This means that the luxuries and happiness in my life will be brought to me if I remain in the Lord. If I am a part from the Lord, I “can do nothing”, John 15:5.

This is one of my favorite verses because it is very easy to get trapped in peer pressure and inappropriate social settings in college. This verse showed me that I must put the Creator above all things, above all creations. It is important that we thank God for all that he has created, and we must worship him always before we worship what He has gifted us with.

Bethke, Jefferson. Counterfeit Gods. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkZg1ZflpJs