This morning I sat in church with my notebook open, waiting for God to say something profound.
One of those lightning-bolt revelations. The kind where you underline everything three times, circle it, draw arrows everywhere and immediately think, “Well, that’s definitely going in the book.”
Instead…
He gave me one word.
*Stay.*
Honestly? It almost felt too simple. Because we’re people who love strategies.
“Lord, what’s next?”
“What’s the five-step plan?”
“How do I fix this?”
“How do I grow faster?”
Meanwhile, Jesus is over there in John 15 quietly saying,
“Remain in Me.” Not achieve. Not impress. Not exhaust yourself trying to become the strongest branch in the vineyard. Just… remain.
I’ve realised something.
Most of us are trying so hard to produce fruit that we’ve forgotten fruit isn’t our job.
Branches don’t stand there all day grunting.
“Come on… apple… come on…”
No.
Branches simply stay connected. Fruit is what happens when they do.
I wonder how much of our striving would disappear if we remembered that. Then another verse jumped off the page. “You are Mine.” (Isa 43:1)
Can I ask you something?
When was the last time you simply sat with those three words?
Not, “You might be Mine if you perform.” Not, “You’ll be Mine once you’ve sorted yourself out.” Not, “You’ll belong once you’ve stopped making mistakes.”
Just…
Everything changes when you know where you belong.
Children don’t wake up every morning wondering whether they’re allowed in the kitchen.
They don’t knock on the front door of their own house.
They belong there.
Sometimes I think we still approach God like nervous visitors instead of beloved children. We whisper our prayers as though we’re interrupting Him.
We apologise for existing.
We wonder if He’s tired of us.
Meanwhile, the Father is saying,
“Pull up a chair.”
“Stay a while.”
“You’re family.”
And here’s the beautiful thing.
When you know you belong…
you start to grow.
Jesus says that bearing fruit glorifies the Father (John 15:8), but notice something incredibly freeing.
Growth is slow.
Trees don’t panic because they aren’t taller by Tuesday.
Imagine walking into your garden every morning shouting,
“WHY ARE YOU STILL A TREE?!”
Ridiculous, right?
Yet we do exactly that to ourselves. Growth takes seasons. Roots grow before fruit does. God is rarely in a hurry, even when we are.
Then today’s sermon landed on one of my favourite verses.
“For we are God’s workmanship…” (Eph 2:10)
I absolutely love that word.
God didn’t save you to put you on a shelf. He crafted you with intention. There are conversations only you will have. People only you will encourage. Someone waiting for a smile only you can give.
Someone wondering whether God still sees them who might hear it from your lips before they ever open a Bible.
Serving isn’t reserved for pastors standing behind pulpits. It happens across coffee tables. In boardrooms. On school runs.In WhatsApp messages.
Across dinner tables.
Sometimes the holiest thing you can do all day is send someone, “I’ve been praying for you.” Never underestimate encouragement. The world has enough critics. Let’s become outrageous encouragers.
Let’s clap when someone else wins. Let’s pray for people who don’t even know we prayed.
Let’s celebrate growth instead of comparing journeys.
Let’s remind people who they are when they’ve forgotten.
The Church was never designed to be a building full of spectators.
It was designed to be a family that cheers one another on.
And then we ended with authority.
Jesus said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” (Mat 28:18) Think about that.
The One who has all authority now sends us in His name.
Not with arrogance.
Not pretending we’ve got it all together. But with quiet confidence that wherever He sends us, He has already gone before us. One last thought stayed with me.
An altar isn’t simply a place where something dies.
It’s a place where someone lingers. Maybe we’ve become too quick to pray…
too quick to say “Amen”…
too quick to run off to the next thing. Perhaps God isn’t rushing us. Perhaps He’s inviting us to sit a little longer.
To listen a little deeper.
To enjoy His presence instead of only asking for His presents.
So if you’re looking for today’s grand strategy from heaven, here it is.
Stay. Stay close. Stay in His Word. Stay connected to His people. Stay at the table. Stay in worship. Stay when life is beautiful. Stay when life falls apart. Because the people who stay with Jesus eventually begin to look like Jesus.
And that…
is where the fruit grows.
