"I in you, you in Me!"

Jesus used many real life examples and parables to teach us great spiritual truths. The illustration of vine and branches is one of them (John 15:1-11). Here Jesus is the vine and believers are branches. Branch cannot "produce" fruit. Branch is like a "fruit bearer" or "fruit hanger". It uses the nutrition from the vine and "express" the fruits vine produces in them.

As a Christian I cannot produce "fruits" (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control - Gal 5:22-23) but He CAN!

All I need to do is "abide" and "express". In this case Christian life is not a "burden" as it is for many people. It is NOT me who lives, but Christ lives in me and through me!

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." - Gal 2:20

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. - 1 John 4:15

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. - 2 Peter 1:4

The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. - Col 1:26-27

What a relief! I have "tried" to live my Christian life by myself and I have FAILED. The more I tried, the more I failed.

I tried to put lot of rules (do's and don'ts ), disciplines around it, it worked for a little while then became a burden. These "rules" included all the good things like "separating time for prayer", "systematic bible study", "quite time with God"... Hey! nothing wrong with any of these! But it was "my" effort, instead of allowing Christ to live His life through me!

Then He said, STOP implementing your rules and walk according to the Spirit who dwells in you.

But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.- Rom 7:6

Christ who dwells in me in the person of Holy Spirit can produce much fruit.

When I was legalistic (trying to produce fruits by observing rules/laws), Gal 5:22-23 was only a "theory" to me! I thought this can happen in my life only when I get to heaven, especially "patience"!.

Instead of committing and re-committing what I needed was Surrender.

When I did that it is just amazing!