I learned something about my relationship with Jesus while serving as a missionary in Australia.

When our family moved to Australia for one of our mission assignments, someone invited us to a footy game, and I wanted to fit in. During the week leading up to the game, I asked people which team I should root for.

When five of us settled into our stadium seats with hot dogs, I asked again. “Who should I be rooting for?”

My Australian friends laughed. I assumed they were amused by an American trying to understand their sport. So I kept talking. I wanted to make sure I was rooting for the right people. How did they root here?

“Mate, we don’t root at football games.”

That made no sense to me. Of course you should root at a football game! Root for anyone you like. Root for every player out there.

More laughter. A few dirty looks from the women behind us. Finally, someone explained that the word had a vulgar sexual meaning in Australia. It meant the “F” word. Instead, they “cheered” for their teams.

A footy game gave me a language lesson I would rather have skipped.

I don’t remember who won. I spent the rest of the game staring at the ground, trying to recall how many conversations I’d had that week using that word. How was I supposed to share the gospel with people after asking about their sex lives?

I had arrived ready to communicate. I hadn’t yet learned how to listen.

Learning to live among the people

Once we settled into Australia, I had big plans. I like getting things done, and I tend to move quickly. I could see all sorts of things we needed to accomplish to reach people with the gospel.

The results didn’t match my effort. Some of our evangelism tools weren’t connecting with Australians. What little progress we made often seemed temporary.

Then my boss pointed out that I wasn’t joining the staff for lunch every day. Relationships mattered more than working through lunch. I needed to spend time with the people I hoped to serve.

Living in Australia meant slowing down and getting to know the people and their country.

So I slowed down. I spent more time at sausage sizzles. We traveled more and got to know the country. I learned to adapt my writing for Australian readers, including the Queen’s English they used. We developed gospel tools with those readers in mind.

As our influence grew, people came to Christ. We began seeing fruit as we learned to live among Australians and understand them. That experience helped me appreciate a word Jesus used in John 15:

Abide.

The source of a fruitful life

We lived about thirty minutes from wine country. Some vineyard owners welcomed visitors with lawn chairs and picnic baskets. After a demanding week of ministry, we could sit outside while our girls played on the grass.

Time in wine country gave us a closer look at the picture Jesus used in John 15.

We learned about grapevines from the people who tended them. Those visits gave me a better picture of Jesus’ words: “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, ESV).

Jesus is speaking about our dependence on him. A branch receives its life from the vine. Our spiritual life and ability to bear lasting fruit come from Christ.

That fruit includes the character the Holy Spirit develops in us. It also includes the ways we help others know Christ and grow as his disciples. Our families should experience that fruit. So should the people who live next door.

Jesus connects fruitfulness with discipleship and the Father’s glory in John 15:8. The condition of our lives matters.

Giving Christ authority over our work

Abiding means remaining in Christ and depending on him. We make our home in his words and respond to him with obedience. That reaches into our daily decisions, our schedules, and the way we treat people when things get difficult.

It’s possible to confess faith in Christ and still struggle to surrender a particular area of life. I can ask God to guide my life while resisting the direction he gives through his Word.

For those of us in ministry, the answer shows up in ordinary choices. Will I receive correction? Will I obey God when obedience interferes with my plans?

Prayer and time in Scripture belong in our everyday lives. Depending on Jesus gives us reason to approach the day humbly and do it well.

Allowing God to prune

Jesus describes the Father as the vinedresser. In John 15:2, he says the Father prunes fruitful branches so they will bear more fruit. Even healthy growth needs his attention.

I don’t always welcome that attention. Sometimes I want to keep pursuing a direction God is correcting. Sometimes I need to remove enjoyable things. Letting go can hurt, especially when I’ve invested time and attached my hopes to something.

Pruning removes growth.

God can use difficult seasons to expose our pride and deepen our dependence on him. We may discover how much of our confidence rested on approval or the next opportunity. His care for us reaches deeper than what we may call success.

There are also distractions that look like promising growth. I’ve had plenty of new ideas that pull me away from work I already needed to finish. A new idea can feel exciting simply because it hasn’t become hard yet.

I’ve often told my four children that saying yes to one thing means saying no to something else. A noble opportunity may consume the evening you planned to spend with your family. Before accepting, count the cost. Ask God whether an opportunity belongs in this season. We need his wisdom to recognize what deserves our attention and what needs to go.

Trusting God with the harvest

Not every vineyard produces grapes for the same purpose. Some grapes become juice or raisins. Others go straight to the table. We are all different too.

The fruit of your obedience may look different from mine. Comparing our results can distract us from the work God has actually given us. He hasn’t promised we’d all get what we want.

He has called us to remain in Christ. As we do, we can bring him our ambitions, receive his correction, and keep learning. We can trust him with results we cannot manufacture or measure.

Before you start your day, take a moment to pray. Is there something you need to surrender? A distraction you need to decline? A correction you need to accept? Ask Jesus to direct your life.

Then get to work, depending on him. Remain close to the Vine, and leave the harvest in God’s hands.