Our Daily Bread Devotional For December 31, 2025: Title - Resolution To Do Less

OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL

DATE: December 31, 2025

TOPIC: RESOLVING TO DO LESS

BIBLE IN A YEAR:

Malachi 1–4; Revelation 22

KEY VERSE:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”

— John 15:5

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

John 15:4–12

MESSAGE

As a new year approaches, many people make resolutions filled with high expectations—goals that are often abandoned within weeks. Statistics reveal that a large percentage of New Year’s resolutions don’t survive beyond mid-February. Writer Amy Wilson offers a refreshing alternative: rather than assuming we must constantly “fix” ourselves before life improves, she encourages us to do less. The new year can become a time to intentionally say no to demanding and draining commitments that consume our energy without yielding meaningful fruit.

In a culture that constantly urges us to do more and become more, it is easy to overlook the countercultural invitation Jesus extends to His followers—an invitation to abide in Him. In John 15, Jesus calls Himself the true vine and describes His disciples as the branches.

A branch does not grow by striving harder; it grows by staying connected to the vine that nourishes it. Likewise, true spiritual growth does not come from self-effort but from dependence on Christ. When we release our self-reliance and rest in Him, we discover that lasting fruitfulness flows naturally, for apart from Him we can do nothing.

Through Jesus, we are offered a life marked by less anxiety, less striving, and more peace. As we remain in His love, it overflows into loving others and living in joyful obedience (vv. 12, 17).

— Message by Monica La Rose

REFLECT & PRAY

What might God be calling you to let go of in the coming year? In which areas of your life is He inviting you to deeper surrender and trust?

Prayer:

Gracious God, help me release my dependence on myself and learn to rest fully in You. Amen.

INSIGHT FOR TODAY

Jesus used the image of a vine and its branches to illustrate our dependent relationship with Him. The key word in John 15:4–12 is the Greek verb menō, translated as “remain” or “abide.” It conveys the idea of dwelling, continuing, and living in a sustained relationship. This word emphasizes the importance of our union with Christ—our continual communion, dependence, and obedience to Him. Only Jesus supplies the grace and life needed for genuine fruitfulness. As the apostle John later wrote, “Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). As we learn to abide in Christ, we can confidently surrender self-effort and trust Him to work through us.

— Insight by K. T. Sim