In John 15, Jesus delivered one of the most iconic sermons ever. But what motivated His message? Was it disappointment, knowing that Judas had just betrayed Him, Peter would soon deny Him, and Thomas would still doubt Him after He defeated death? Was it frustration because He knew His disciples would soon fall asleep in the garden? Or did He want to guilt His disciples over their lack of fruit-bearing? The answer to all these questions is no. That’s not how our Savior operates. His motivation was something far greater.

That branch represents us. Ephesians 2 states:

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:1-6).

Today, take joy in the fact that for those in Christ, we have been united to a vine that delights in our abiding. He speaks, and we lean into His words with joy. We pray, and He listens with joy. We obey His leading, and it serves our joy. And one day, we will enter His presence in eternity and experience everlasting joy.

“A joyless life is not a Christian life, for joy is the one constant in the recipe of Christian living.” – William Barclay