“I chose you.” Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and now to us. “Chose” can also be translated as “picked up.” Jesus has picked us up, and we can be confident in His hands. He has chosen every single one of us on purpose and with a purpose.

Jack brings a word from God from Ephesians 4 as we look at the identity we have in Christ

In everything, Jesus remained filled with the love and joy of God in a way that overflowed to all around Him. He reminded His disciples that following Him would bring trouble, but reassured them that connecting to Him would produce a rooted life.

Our calling is “Be the Branch,” but the alternative is to be the stick that isn’t connected to Jesus and gets thrown in the burn pile. We don’t want to be sticks with fake fruit tied on. Our job as branches is to stay connected to the vine, Jesus.

Bonsai trees can live hundreds of years, but need intentional pruning that cuts bad and good for the better. The way of Jesus is a way of pruning, intentionality, and lifelong commitment revealing the value and distinction He makes in this world.

The word “remain” appears 11 times in John 15 as a call to faithfulness and consistency. Like in a vineyard where fruit can only come through connection, believers are called to the branch life, drawing our strength and life from Jesus alone.

The pathway of peace isn’t always peaceful, but you will have peace of mind and heart. If you don’t have both peace of mind and heart, you probably aren’t on the path. Jesus offers us peace even though our circumstances are not always peaceful.

Gauges help us understand if anything needs repair. Jesus showed the disciples that love is the gauge that shows us the way forward. He didn’t use fear or shame to convince them of what they should do but instead lived by the metric of love.

HOV lanes are the fastest way to get somewhere as long as you have someone else in the car. The Holy Spirit is meant to help us find our way. Just like the HOV lane, we cheat the Holy Spirit, finding substitutes for His presence and power.

Philip, with Jesus from the start of His ministry, asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus was surprised, because everything He had done had shown people the Father. We, too, need to know how to look for Jesus when it is hard to see Him.