There is so much information in this single chapter that I could write something about every sentence, but I’ll just choose two. The first thing that jumps out at me in this chapter is verse 5 where it says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus is talking about how our efforts are unfruitful without Him. More importantly, Jesus is the one who provides the nourishment we need to keep us going. He also provides the life that only He can offer us.
The second is in verse 13 where it says, Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jesus was talking about the sacrifice He was about to make on our behalf. He was also giving us an example of how we should love each other and showing us that even the unloveable deserve His love and in turn ours.
Daily Devotion 
Uh oh. My favorite passage in the Bible. This passage actually was pivotal in my relationship with Tim. But I’ll leave that for another time!:)
“And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.” – Working out our salvation. The more he prunes the more our true selves (the perfect being that Jesus sees) come out, the more our dreams and visions are revealed and come to light as they line up with the person he originally made us to be. Praise the Lord, seriously.
“When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.” – There is no formula. It’s intimate. It’s organic. The relationship happens between you and Jesus in a very unique way that is different than any other person’s relationship.
“But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.” – again, as we abide in him, the dreams and visions he gives us continue to emerge. Because of that intimate relationship, we really do think on the same wave length.
This passage revolutionized my relationship with Jesus a long time ago. Sadly, too many Christian churches base a relationship with Jesus on doing stuff. And Jesus contradicts all of that here. He’s saying, Look, I love you. I want to have a relationship with you. All I’m asking is that you live in a relationship with me and your original, God-designed life will emerge.
There are no formulas. There is no pressure. If we allow Jesus to know us intimately, he will be our greatest care taker. He knows how much pruning we can handle and when. And it’s all in his perfect timing. We don’t have to freak out. All he asks is that we “abide in him”. We can’t help but emit his fragrance (2 Corinthians 2:14-15. My favorite 2 verses of all time). We can’t help but love. This is the Good News! And it breaks my heart to see people striving, especially in the church, for Jesus/God to love them. We should know better! I almost feel like saying “woe” to all the leaders in the church who preach otherwise….but I’ll leave that to Jesus. “Woe” seems a little heavy for me to start throwing around!:)
This passage is my stump speech. It is the crux of my life. I come back to this passage regularly. And every time I do, Jesus tells me something new.