“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit because you can do nothing without me.” — John 15:5
Read Together: John 15:1-7
We know that with any household appliance, it needs to be connected to a power source for it to work. We know that for a team to have a winning season, they must experience connection with each other. We know for a marriage to grow deeper each year, we must remain connected to each other and with the Lord. As followers of Christ, we were created for connection; to God and one another.
Jesus is teaching His disciples some of His most important lessons at the Last Supper. One of those lessons is John 15. As you read verses 1-7 together, you see the importance of connection. Jesus uses the illustration of a vine to explain that He is the vine and we are the branches, and although the branches are where the fruit grows it is impossible for the branches to bear fruit if they are not connected to the vine. “Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). As coaching families, we often try to do things on our own, handle things on our own, but we will never produce the Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) on our own. These fruits are the very things we need to have a Christ-like influence on our team, a flourishing marriage and a peaceful home.
It is important to understand Jesus is the true vine in a world of fake ones. There are many “vines” of this world that claim to give us power, strength, joy, peace, etc. including our jobs, trophies, people’s affirmations and social media platforms but Jesus teaches us our connection with Him is the only true vine that will produce the Fruit of the Spirit.
Five different times in our reading today we see the phrase, “remain in me.” If God says something once it's important. If He says it five times, we better take note. Once we are connected, Jesus teaches that we are to remain connected to Him. To grow spiritually and relationally it takes intentionality. We don’t grow closer to each other in our marriage on accident but with intentional time spent together, dating each other. The same is true with our relationship with the Lord. We grow closer to God because we intentionally remain connected to Him through His Word, prayer and the Church.
FAITH
“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.” —Psalm 62:5-6
WARM-UP
Q: When do you feel the most connected to your spouse?
Q: When do you feel the most connected to the Lord?
WORKOUT
“The Lord has found a man after God’s own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people...” — 1 Samuel 13:14
If there is anyone in Scripture that has a deep connection to the Lord, it is David. He was living proof that when we connect to God, there is potential to bear fruit for generations. When God rejected King Saul as the leader of God’s people, God said, I have “found a man after God’s own heart.” Whether David was in the fields tending to his father’s sheep as a shepherd, fighting in battles as an army leader, leading the nation of Israel as its king or leading his household as a husband and father, he was connected to God. Even in the generations that followed David, we see the fruit of the Lord in David. After the Kingdom of God split into two, Israel and Judah, there were many kings leading these two nations. Many did evil in the eyes of the Lord but because of the connection David had to God, God showed mercy time and time again. “For the sake of his servant David, the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah, since he had promised to give a lamp to David and his sons forever” (2 Samuel 8:19). When we choose to remain connected to the Lord, it doesn’t just affect us, it affects our family and our family legacy as well.
We know in David’s story just because he was “a man after God’s own heart” doesn’t mean he was perfect; he was far from it. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and even had her husband sent to the front lines of battle to be killed. But, because he was connected to God, David not only experienced the blessings of God but the conviction and forgiveness of his sin because of the mercy of God. If you read throughout David’s life when he was connected to the vine (God) he bore much fruit, but apart from God, he could do nothing. May we learn this same lesson from both David and Jesus when it comes to our coaching career and our marriage.
WRAP-UP
“My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him God is our refuge.” — Psalms 62: 7-8
Q: What stands out to you from David’s relationship with God?
Q: How do you see the connection between Jesus’ words in John 15 and David?
Q: What are some intentional ways you will connect to God to be a couple after God’s own heart?
FAMILY
“Listen to my words, Lord; consider my sighing. Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you.” —Psalm 5:1-2
WARM-UP
Q: Who in your life do you know that is connected to God? What are the qualities in them that show that connection?
Q: Who is your list of people you turn to first when you vent and/or celebrate?
WORKOUT
Read Together: Psalm 5
In the book of Psalms, we see an in-depth look at David’s connection to God. Out of the 150 psalms, David wrote 75 of them including psalms of praise, psalms of desperation, psalms of grief, psalms of repentance and psalms of devotion. Through his words and songs, we see a heart that needs to be connected to God and a heart surrendered to the will of God. Through the good times and the bad times God was his first choice not his last resort.
Can we say the same?
There are many times when the Lord is the last on our list of people we turn to in times of need or celebration. Our lives reflect a thought process of, “Well, I have tried everything and everyone else, I guess I will try God.” We read in Psalm 5, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.” Seeking God is the FIRST thing David does in the morning and he does so expectantly.
In marriage, there can be tension because we often expect our spouse to fulfill what only Christ can. Our spouse was never intended to meet our every need, want, heart’s desire…CHRIST IS! When we expect our needs to be met in Christ, our other relationships tend to flourish because of Christ.
WRAP-UP
“But from there, you will search for the LORD your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul.” — Deuteronomy 4:29
Q: What sticks out to you from Psalm 5?
Q: What expectations do you place on people including your spouse that you should be expecting from God?
Q: In what area of your marriage do you want and expect God to move?