^3” You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ 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.”
                                                                        -John 15:3-4
 
Scripture celebrates a life that’s fruitful. Later, the apostle Paul will list off the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  If we each lived a life that was marked by this kind of fruit, the world would be a completely different place.
 
So how does this kind of fruitful living happen? As we pick up this homily of Jesus’s just before his crucifixion, Jesus introduces a word that he will repeat over ten times in the next six verses: remain.
 
Let’s remember who Jesus is talking to: these are some of his parting words to his closest disciples. These people have already invested considerably in Jesus. As he gets ready to leave them, what is his favorite parting word?
 
Remain. Abide is another way that word gets translated. Stick with it. Don’t get distracted or lost or scared off. It might not look like anything’s happening. That’s okay. That’s how it always is with the slow steady growth of real maturity. If you want to grow real fruit you have to tend to the plant for many days when it might look on the outside as if nothing’s happening.
 
Today, if you’re a Jesus follower, here’s the great secret to having a fruitful life: remain. Abide. This is much harder than it sounds. There are thousands of things screaming for your attention much louder than Jesus is. That’s why Jesus is so adamant about this word.
 
Remain.
 
What are the obstacles or distractions to you remaining today? How might you overcome those in order to live a fruitful life?