Productivity

December 5, 2023

For months now, I’ve been intrigued by Jesus’ words in John 15:4–“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.“ The word “abide” and “abode” derive from the same root. The first is the verb form, the second, the noun. To abide, therefore, means to be at home. Home is where we land when we don’t have to be somewhere else. It’s where (hopefully) we find rest, renewal, and encouragement. Jesus is saying to us, “That’s what I want to be for you—where you turn when nothing pressing is of necessity keeping your thoughts elsewhere.

As I’ve said before, too often when I have nothing pressing, I have pulled out my phone, checked emails and messages, scrolled through social media. I was abiding in an electronic world that was in reality, doing nothing for me, adding no value to my life. I am far from being alone in this. 

Today as I read this again, the second sentence of this verse caught my attention: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” In other words, if Jesus isn’t my default, my life will remain fruitless, empty of meaning and productivity. I wonder how much fruit I never bore because I wasn’t constantly turning to Jesus instead of all the other false “homes” in this world. Only when Jesus is our heart’s home can we truly be productive. Only when Jesus is our heart’s home will we avoid an existence empty of meaning, purpose, and ultimately, life itself.