I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

(John 15:5 NIV)

Two men were working one day for the local Public Works Department. One of them would dig a hole and the other would follow behind and fill it in. They worked up one street, then down the next, working steadily all day long.

A passerby watched in confusion until finally he called out, “Why do you dig a hole only for the other guy to fill it in?”

The worker wiped his brow and said, “I know it looks odd. We’re usually a three-man team, but today the guy who plants the trees phoned in sick.”

It’s a funny picture. Two men working hard, doing their jobs the same way they always do, but missing the one task in the middle that actually gives their work purpose. They were going through the motions, but they weren’t accomplishing anything.

It’s a good picture of how our spiritual lives sometimes work. It’s possible to fill our days with activity, even good activity, while missing the center that gives it purpose. We can attend worship, read Scripture, serve others, lead ministries, and stay busy, but still overlook the heart of it all: staying rooted in Christ.

Jesus said in John 15, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Those words aren’t meant to discourage us; they’re meant to redirect us. Branches can look busy. Leaves can flutter, twigs can move.  But unless the branches remain connected to the source of life, there can be no fruit. There’s motion, but no meaning.

Sometimes our spiritual routines become like digging holes and filling them back in. We go through the motions out of habit, tradition, or obligation, but something essential is missing.  Our service becomes more about staying busy than staying connected.  When “the one in the middle” is missing, we keep working but nothing can grow.

So ask yourself, “Am I connected to the one who gives my work meaning?” If something essential feels missing, go back to the vine and abide in him. Let him restore what truly gives your life purpose. Because that’s where the real growth begins.

Prayer: Lord, help me to stay rooted in you. Keep me from empty busyness and draw my heart back to your presence. Let my work, my worship, and my daily life flow from abiding in you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day