Resolving to Do Less 决心少做些

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Dexu Xia

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Dec 31, 2025, 10:27:49 PM12/31/25

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Apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Today's Scripture John 15:4-12

Today's Insights Jesus used an agricultural metaphor of a vine and its branches to depict our dependent relationship with God and Christ. The key word in John 15:4-12 is the verb menō, translated “remain” or “abide” (esv). It carries the meaning of “living,” “dwelling,” “abiding.” It can also mean “to be in a state that begins and continues.” Menō stresses the primacy of our union in Christ and our communion with, dependence on, and obedience to Him. Only Jesus can provide us with the grace and vitality for productivity as we stay connected to Him. In John’s first epistle, he directs us back to the vine-branches metaphor: “Whoever claims to live [menō] in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). As we learn to abide in Him, we can surrender our self-reliance and trust Him to work through us.

Today's Devotional When we think about New Year’s resolutions, what probably comes to mind is a list of lofty ambitions we rarely achieve (80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are already abandoned by mid-February). Author Amy Wilson suggests a better idea might be to reject entirely “the idea that we have to fix ourselves before our lives can get better.” Wilson suggests that, instead of adding commitments, we see the new year as an opportunity to do less, to finally “start saying no” to some of the “oversized and ongoing commitments that take our time and energy without giving us much in return.”

In a world of constant pressure to do and be more, it can be easy to miss the radically different rhythm of life Jesus invited His disciples into—one of abiding in Him. In John 15, Jesus described Himself as “the true vine” (v. 1) and His disciples as “the branches” (v. 5).

Vine branches don’t grow through working harder but through the nourishment received from the vine. So, too, the growth we long for can only be experienced when we let go of self-reliance in exchange for resting in and finding nourishment in Christ, for “apart from [Him] you can do nothing” (v. 5).

Through Jesus, we have hope for a life of less anxiety. Less striving. And more resting in God’s love and letting it flow to those around us (vv. 12, 17).

Reflect & Pray

What might God be leading you to say no to this year? In what areas of your life might God be inviting you to greater surrender?Gracious God, please help me surrender my self-reliance to rest in You.by Monica La Rose

离了我，你们什么都不能做。约翰福音 15:5

今日经文：约翰福音 15:4-12

今日洞见：耶稣用葡萄树和枝子的农业比喻来描绘我们与上帝和基督之间相互依存的关系。约翰福音 15:4-12 中的关键词是动词 menō，译为“住在”或“常在”。它包含“生活”、“居住”、“停留”的意思。它也可以指“处于一种开始并持续的状态”。Menō 强调我们与基督联合的首要性，以及我们与祂的相交、对祂的依赖和顺服。只有耶稣才能赐予我们恩典和活力，使我们与祂保持连接，从而结出果子。在约翰一书中，他再次引用了葡萄树和枝子的比喻：“凡说自己住在祂里面的，就该照祂所行的去行”（约翰一书 2:6）。当我们学会住在祂里面时，我们就可以放下“自力更生”，信靠祂在我们里面动工。

今日灵修当我们想到新年决心时，脑海中浮现的可能是一系列我们很少实现的远大抱负，80%的新年决心，到二月中旬就已经放弃了。作家艾米·威尔逊建议，更好的做法或许是彻底摒弃，“我们必须先改变自己才能让生活变得更好”的想法。威尔逊建议，与其增加承诺，不如把新的一年视为一个少做一些事情的机会，最终，“开始对一些占用我们时间精力却回报甚少的过度承诺，说：“不”。

在一个不断被要求做得更多、变得更厉害的世界里，我们很容易忽略，耶稣邀请门徒进入一个生活节奏截然不同的世界，那就是住在祂里面。在约翰福音 15 章中，耶稣称自己是“真葡萄树”（1节），门徒是“枝子”（5节）。葡萄树的枝子不是靠努力工作而生长，而是靠从葡萄树那里获得的滋养而生长。同样，我们渴望的成长只有当我们放下自我依靠，转而安息在基督里并从祂那里获得滋养时才能实现，因为“离了我，你们就什么都不能做”（5节）。借着耶稣，我们对拥有一个焦虑更少、挣扎更少、更多安息在上帝的爱中，并让这份爱流淌到周围的人的生活充满希望（12节，17节）。

反思与祷告今年，上帝会引导你拒绝什么？在生活的哪些方面，上帝可能邀请你更多地降服于祂？慈爱的上帝，求你帮助我放下依靠自我，寻求安息在你里面。