Love will make you do some crazy things. It is the best motivator, and it is what is most transformative. That’s why it is so sad that so many people who believe in God don’t really know His love for us. It’s a crazy love that Jesus describes to us in this passage. We aren’t motivated by religious rituals, obligations, or a sense of duty. We are motivated by God’s incredible love for us.

It is worth repeating high value information and we need to hear some things repeated over and over again before they stick. Jesus is repeating some important stuff in this passage. Mainly that he is the vine and we are the branches and to experience all he has for us we need to remain or abide in Him. By the way, all that he has for us, the fruit, is really awesome stuff and everything we have been searching for in our relationships. Fruitful people are successful where it matters most. Abide to thrive.

It is easy to miss stuff in the hectic pace of life. We get busy or distracted or pulled by the expectations of others and sometimes we can miss the best stuff. Jesus gives this invitation to found people, because found people can get distracted and become apathetic. The invitation is to abide and abiding is a choice.

Trouble can be unavoidable and sometimes life hurts. It can feel like waves of anxiety, worry, sadness, stress and grief are unending and buffet against our lives sweeping away our peace and joy. But, some boats don’t sink and you can trust Jesus even in the midst of your current storm. For people of faith we can find comfort in knowing Jesus is in our boat.

As a kid on a snowy day, it can be challenging to walk in the snow. So, the easy thing to do is follow the footprints of the person in front of you. In the same way, we need to follow Jesus’ footsteps and look at His interactions with other people. The point of this message is to learn how to see people in the same way God does, and the best way we can do this is by looking at Jesus and how He saw people. Although this is not an easy thing to do, Jesus gave us an example to follow, and it is our job to follow that example.

Who am I? Have you ever asked that question before? Do you ever feel like you have a hard time understanding who you are? It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s easy to view ourselves through the lens of other people, through the devil’s lens, and even through our own lens. We can sometimes struggle to understand our true identity. Moses also asked the “who am I” question. He had a hard time seeing himself in the same way God did, and so do we sometimes. We need to put on God’s Glasses and see ourselves in the same way He does!