Early this morning I was pondering some of the words of John 15:5 and how those words connected to Christmas. The verse reads: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
I was pondering the last phrase of verse 5 – for apart from me you can do nothing. In thinking about those words, it struck me how bleak my life would be if Jesus had not come. Without a life-giving connection with Jesus, my branch being grafted into His vine by His grace, my life would be empty, void of vitality. I find that stunningly heavy. But I also find it so incredible. Because Jesus did come. He came to give us lives. To move us from the gloom of anguish and deep darkness to light and life with Him. A life in connection with Jesus means a life of fruitfulness instead of a barren desert. The coming of Jesus offers us so much. I pray that we embrace the life Jesus came to bring and share that life with others.