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Just as people loved Jesus one minute and hated Him the next, we also will be hated. How we respond will make all the difference in our growth as followers. We’ve been given the Holy Spirit, who will give us needed grace, truth, and confidence.

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 mantra 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 Him 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.

Carpool 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 carpool 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.

As He talked to His closest followers in the upper room, Jesus knew He soon would be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead of offering them reassurance about their remaining days on Earth, He reminded them this world is not their home.