The Dwelling Place: 5 Days Towards a Life Well Spent

“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 15:5

What is the first thing you do in the morning? Do you listen to music so loud that your ears ring for the rest of the day? Do you scroll through your social media feeds to see what you missed while you slept? Do you read tweets about celebrities, gossip, current events, and sports? Most of the time, we wake up and walk into another day with the world at the front of our minds, only thinking about our own agendas. When we crawl into bed at night, it shouldn’t surprise us that we can’t seem to feel where God was during our day when we seek ourselves instead of Him. Let’s wake up! We can’t sustain ourselves with our world’s media, music, and empty promises. Today’s verse reminds us that we aren’t the vine; Jesus is. We are the branches. We have to be connected to the vine—Jesus—so we can bear fruit, be fulfilled, and live abundantly. When we turn our focus from our TikTok-, Instagram-, Facebook-, and Pinterest-saturated lives, we can see that apart from Him, we “can do nothing.”

Father, please keep me from allowing the world to consume me today. Let my heart yearn for Your truth, my ears listen to Your Spirit, and my eyes seek Your face.