Intimacy Before Activity

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” -John 15:4–5

One of the greatest struggles in following Jesus is that we often focus more on doing for Him than on being with Him. We fill our schedules with good things—serving, leading, helping, giving—but sometimes in the busyness of doing, we forget the One we’re doing it for. We start confusing motion with meaning, and activity with intimacy. The result? We find ourselves running on empty, weary, and spiritually drained.

Jesus made it clear that real fruit—spiritual fruit that lasts—doesn’t come from our own efforts. It comes from abiding in Him. Just as a branch can’t produce fruit apart from the vine, we can’t live fruitful, effective lives apart from His presence. When we neglect time with God, we end up operating in our own strength instead of His power. And when we do that, burnout isn’t far behind.

We often think the answer to spiritual dryness is to do more—we serve more, pray harder, and continue to volunteer. But Jesus’ invitation isn’t to do more; it’s to remain. The word “abide” means to remain—to stay connected, to dwell, to make your home in Him. That’s where life flows from. That’s where strength is renewed. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us: “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” The power to serve, to love, to lead—it all comes from being with Him first.

Even Jesus, who carried the weight of the world’s redemption, constantly withdrew to quiet places to pray and be with the Father (Mark 1:35). He didn’t move without first being filled. How much more do we need to draw daily from the Vine? Without Him, we’re just branches trying to produce fruit with no source of life.

My prayer is that we would be a people who don’t just work for God but who walk with God. That we would understand the power of abiding—that the most productive thing we can do for the Kingdom often begins in stillness before our Lord. Because when we take time to be with Him, instead of losing power—we gain it. Amen?