John 15:5 - “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.” Here is another fantastic lesson for us from these words of Jesus. God created us to be in relationship with Him, made it possible through the sacrifice of His Son for us to make that happen, and then designed us to “bear fruit” in life for His glory. As believers, each of us is wired to desire to live a life of impact for Jesus - to “bear fruit”. And we don’t just want to bear a little fruit - we want to bear a lot of fruit. We want to have a life that really matters. The good news is that this is exactly what God wants for us as well. He doesn’t want us to simply wander through life until we die. He wants our lives to count - to “bear much fruit”. But this is where it gets even better. Today’s Scripture states clearly that the only way to bear much fruit is to stay connected to Jesus. And here is why I say that this is even better. Nothing that comes against us can keep us from bearing much fruit. The passage doesn’t say, “You will bear much fruit, unless you face awful circumstances, or if people do evil against you, or if your life takes a hard left turn, or if your feelings tell you that you’re not worth it.” Nope. Nothing and no one can keep us from bearing fruit as long as we “remain” in Jesus and He in us. Think about the freedom that brings! No outward attacks that Satan throws at us and no overwhelming circumstances that make us feel like our life is at a dead end - none of it can keep us from producing “much fruit” for God. The simple truth is this: God controls your future, not people or circumstances. They do not have the ability to hijack God’s plans for you. He is the Author and Sustainer of the universe and as long as we abide in Him, fruit will happen. Satan is lying to you. No matter where you find yourself today, stay connected to Jesus and He will make sure that your life matters - you will “bear much fruit”. He said so