More from Heather Hagstrom

How can we abide in Jesus as our true vine during the hustle and bustle of daily life while we prepare for Christmas? The world encourages us to go faster, be better, accumulate more, and focus on our own needs and desires. It leaves us exhausted and never satisfied, just like the broken blueberry branch that did not bear lasting fruit.

Jesus invites us to quiet our souls and rest in his presence by abiding in him and surrendering to his desires. A person can produce lasting spiritual fruit that satisfies by faith and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As we connect with Jesus through prayer, fellowship with other followers of Christ, and studying the Bible, we abide in him.

We can view times of suffering as being pruned so our lives will be even more spiritually fruitful. In our pain, we can continue to cling to Jesus and draw our strength and encouragement from him as our true vine by trusting in his unfailing love for us.

As we abide in Jesus through trust and faith, God produces in us the fruit of the Spirit such as “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness”(Gal. 5:22, NIV) in every season of our lives. Abiding in Jesus is a daily opportunity to seek him first. Will you take time today to abide in Jesus as your true vine?