Jesus said, “I am the true vine . . . Abide in Me . . . .” (John 15:1, 4 (NKJV))

Where do you live? I’m not talking about your address. We can be in one place physically with our minds somewhere entirely different.

Jesus instructed us to abide in Him. Abide means to stay in a given place – to be present or remain. We should remain in Jesus. In other words, we should live in Him with everything we are, including our minds.

If we live with our minds focused on Jesus, we’ll be attached to Him. Jesus is the true vine. In the metaphor, the Bible compares us to branches (John 15:5). A branch must be attached to the vine to get the nutrients it needs to grow and produce fruit.

But we can only get that sustenance from the true vine. We can try to get it from somewhere other than Jesus. There are other vines. Yet, those vines won’t give us what we need. Only Jesus is the true vine.

When we connect to something other than the true vine, we end up empty. Unfulfilled. Depressed. The false vines are detrimental to us and poison our minds.

So, where do you live? Where is your mind most of the time?

Do you . . .

• binge-watch tv shows or movies on Netflix or some other streaming service, numbing your mind to reality?
• ruminate on your circumstances, replaying something that happened over and over again?
• dwell on your finances, worrying about where the next dollar will come from, bills that need to be paid, or how to get more money?
• obsess about your appearance – the clothes you want to wear, how to do your makeup just right, how to fix your hair, looking in every mirror you pass by?
• constantly think about food, planning what you will or won’t eat, where you will get it, and how good it will taste?

To be clear, the Bible doesn’t say we should never think about these things. It doesn’t tell us it’s a sin to enjoy wholesome entertainment. Instead, those things shouldn’t consume us. They shouldn’t separate us from the true vine.

Examine yourself. Be honest about where you live. Is your mind immersed in those things? Or are you living in Jesus?

Are you . . .

• reading the Bible and learning about the things Jesus wants to share with you?
• talking to Jesus as you go throughout your day?
• praising Jesus for who He is?
• thanking Jesus for all that He’s done?

When we remain in Jesus, we’re in the best place we could be. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11 (NKJV)). There’s joy when we stay connected to the true vine. There’s a calm delight in being where we’re supposed to be.

So, I’ll ask you again: where do you live? It’s your choice. You can decide to live in the true vine, Jesus. Or you can waste your time on something that will have no eternal value.

Let’s choose to remain in Jesus so we can walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash