"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
As a mom, we try to do just about everything. We cook, we clean, we teach, we guide, we counsel, we drive, we learn, we love...you name it and we probably do it. There are so many things that moms do (dads too, but this post is for the moms).
After a long day of doing mom stuff, I just want to relax, but instead I clean, do laundry, do some Bible reading and maybe some journalling, spend time with my husband, catch up on some work, and put the kids back to bed a few times. I'm sure you can relate.
We need to remember, that as we do all of these important tasks every day, that we are focusing on Jesus. The verse in John 15 says that when we choose to remain in Jesus, we will produce much fruit, but when we are apart from Him, we can do nothing. Without Jesus, we might do something, but it will be fruitless.
How do we remain in Jesus?
1. Pray without ceasing.
Praying is just talking with God. Start your day by praising Him for all He has done. Ask Him to give you strength today for whatever may come and to be an effective mom and wife. Throughout the day just pray to Him when you need help, patience, advice or just praise Him. At the end of the day finish up and say amen.
2. Listen to worship music.
Listen to worship music in the car and in the house. I often have worship music playing while the kids play instead of television in the background. Worship music helps to focus your attention to Jesus and helps you to keep a heart of praise all through the day. It also helps to remind us to depend on Him in our time of need.
3. Read your Bible or other devotional book daily.
By dedicating time to Jesus, even just 15-20 minutes a day, you will grow in your relationship with God, learn more about Him, and renew yourself daily. This is an important part of remaining in Him. The Word of God, our Bibles, are a consistent way for us to keep our eyes on Jesus.
By doing these small, but important things, we can ensure we are doing our best to remain in Him so we can produce fruit.
Let's pray: Heavenly Father, we are so grateful to you for all you have given us. We are thankful for this reminder that without you, we can do nothing, but when we choose to remain in you that we will produce fruit. Help us to be fruitful in our relationship with you and allow that fruit to have a positive effect on our other relationships. Thank you for your Word and thank you for the ability to communicate with you daily. I love you Lord. Amen.