One of the most difficult challenges we face is that we can never become “good” at Christianity. We cannot get better by our own efforts. Nothing that you and I can do can ever make God love us more (or love us less) than He loves us right now. In this world that glorifies success, what does it mean to become a “successful” Christian? I'll make New Years resolutions: I’ll fast more, pray more, read the Bible more, do whatever that will that help me to succeed. But will it? Today, let’s listen in as Jesus tells His disciples (and us!) how to be successful Christians:

“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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit… 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. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:1, 2, 4, 5, 7-8)

Jesus uses the process of growing grapes to illustrate the organic nature of a life lived with God. Grapes don’t bear fruit by making New Years resolutions to better grow fruit. They bear fruit by being attached to the vine. Jesus said, “If you will stay joined to Me you will bear much fruit.” According to Jesus, the Vinedresser, or Gardner, is the Father; the vine is Jesus, and you and I are the branches. Interestingly, the Vinedresser prunes the branches whether they’re bearing fruit or not. If you’ve ever seen a pruned grapevine, you wouldn’t think it would ever bear fruit again! But then the growing season starts and the fruit comes, better than before. The Vinedresser knows what He’s doing. Jesus says that if we want to be fruitful we must “remain” in Him. In fact, He says that apart from living intentionally in Him we can do nothing. Nothing fruitful will ever come from a life lived apart from God. Could it be that God is doing a little pruning in your life right now? Some of your most painful struggles could be coming from the Vinedresser’s knife. But don’t give up! The fruit God is after in your life and in my life is not the fruit of our best efforts. The fruit that God wants is the fruit of the Spirit and He’s going to have to prune us to get it. That might sound like bad news, but it isn't... in fact, whenever God is doing the work, it’s always Good News!