There is a line in that song we sing that I cannot get away from. Emmanuel, He loves to be with us. Not tolerate us, not endure us, not put up with us. He loves to be with us.
And yes, even you grouchy people. Even those of you still working things out. Even the ones who feel hard to be around. He loves to be with you.
That truth hit me deeply this year when the Lord spoke to me while I was praying. He said, “Cade, I don’t want you to work for Me. I want you to work with Me.” One word changed everything.
I was happy working for God. I wanted to do great things for Him, accomplish assignments, stay busy, and prove my devotion. My mindset was constantly asking, “What’s my assignment?” then running off to complete it alone.
But that is not how God designed this relationship. He does not want us running back and forth trying to perform. He wants us walking together through the day, asking, “What are we doing today?” and doing it with Him.
When I shifted from working for Him to working with Him, everything changed. I realized I needed His help, and I realized something else too. He loves to be with me.
When you look at Jesus and the disciples, you see that they were not working for Him. They were working with Him. They went everywhere together.
They fed the five thousand with Him. They cast out demons with Him. They watched Him move, learned as they walked, and stayed close. That is the model God gave us for our own lives.
This is how He wants it to be with us. Not distant assignments, but daily companionship.
I know believing this can be hard. I spent years thinking I was difficult to be with. Maybe I was. But He still loved being with me.
We can joke about people being hard to get along with, but the truth remains the same. God loves to be with you, no matter how you feel about yourself.
That truth is what leads us into John 15.
In John 15, Jesus paints a picture we often skim past without understanding. He says:
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.”
John 15:1–2 (NLT)
Most of us are ignorant when it comes to vineyards. Ignorant does not mean stupid. It just means we have not learned yet.
So I did some research.
A vine dresser was a skilled role, not grunt work. They were with the vines every day, touching them, examining them, studying them closely. They were never distant.
They also planned the harvest years in advance. Fruit did not appear overnight.
Years one and two were cultivation only. No fruit at all. Year three brought tiny fruit that could not be eaten yet. Years four and five required heavy pruning so the fruit could mature. Years six and beyond were when the harvest became truly good.
Six years. Are we patient enough with each other for that?
Pruning is not punishment. It is necessary help.
Without pruning, fruit stays small. Without pruning, pests show up. Without pruning, energy is drained from healthy branches. Without pruning, the vine collapses under fruitless growth.
When the Lord cuts something out of your life, He is not punishing you. He is helping you produce mature fruit.
Jesus reminds us that He is the vine and we are the branches. Fruit does not come from the vine itself. It comes from the branches that stay connected.
A branch has no life on its own. Separate it from the vine and it withers and dies.
So what is required to produce fruit? Trying harder is not the answer. Taking better notes is not the answer. Writing down more action steps is not the answer.
Abiding is the answer.
Jesus says:
“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.”
John 15:4 (NLT)
Abiding simply means staying connected. Hanging there. Letting the life flow.
And when the vine dresser comes along and says “snip,” we say thank you. Because what felt heavy needed to go.
Later in the passage, Jesus says:
“You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”
John 15:3 (NLT)
When you believe in Jesus Christ, you are made clean instantly. Salvation is not something you earn over time. It happens in a moment.
But after salvation comes the assignment. Abide.
Not perform. Not impress. Abide.
Jesus goes on to say something that makes people uncomfortable:
“But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.”
John 15:7 (NLT)
We love to explain that away. We search for extra conditions. We assume there must be a timeline or a performance requirement.
But Jesus keeps it simple. Abide.
If we truly believed this, our lives would look very different.
To abide means to continue to be present. It means continual communion. It means enduring through tests and trials.
It also means remaining as one and not retreating into individualism. And it even includes waiting expectantly for His return.
Abiding is not passive. It is relational.
God gave us marriage as a living picture of abiding. Two becoming one. Staying through seasons, tests, and changes.
People change over time. Beth and I are not the same people we were 18 years ago. Compatibility is not something you preserve. It is something you grow into.
Marriage shows the world what our relationship with Jesus is supposed to look like.
I recently shared something online that surprised a lot of people. Getting closer to God does not increase pressure. It removes it.
The closer I get, the less I feel the need to perform. The only thing I bring to God is my choice.
That is not a put down. That is freedom.
God is not impressed by our gifts because He gave them to us. Just like C.C. Winans said, He is not impressed by what He created.
So let yourself off the hook. You do not need to impress Him.
When the pressure to perform disappears, effectiveness actually increases. Peace and joy take over.
This week, someone told me they had never met anyone with so much peace and joy. All I did was talk about loving my kids and loving my life.
That joy opened the door to a real conversation about God. I did not have to force anything.
When we abide, righteousness, peace, and joy ooze out of us. And people notice.
Emmanuel is not just a Christmas lyric. It is a daily reality.
God is with you at your best and your worst. And more than that, He wants to be with you.
All He is asking for is your choice.
The gospel is simple. God sent His Son. Jesus lived a sinless life, destroyed the works of the devil, and gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice.
His blood paid the price for every sin. Past, present, and future. For the whole world.
But it requires a choice. Choose to believe that your sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.
