"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
“Low battery,” my phone alerted me. Hurriedly, I plugged it in and continued with
my conversation. A few minutes passed,
when my phone interrupted me again with another message; “Goodbye” and went
dead! I was completely confused. What just happened?! I looked down at the charger. It had fallen out and was lying NEXT to the
electrical outlet.
Close. But close
doesn’t cut it when it comes to power.
As a follower of Christ, I can look back and recall a lot of
“close” times. I was going to church,
serving, etc. You know, checking off all the boxes, but still feeling a little….powerless. Even now, I can get so caught up in being the
dutiful believer that I lose sight of what matters the most. That’s about as useful as me laying my plug
next to the outlet. I know I’m not the
only one, and as I held my powerless phone in my hand, I began to reflect on
some of the things that tend to cut off my charge.
Busyness – I can
easily get short-circuited by my To Do list.
If I focus too much on doing, life becomes a treadmill. That may feel good for a while, but I end up
going nowhere fast and exhausted. The
only “doing” I need to be focused on is “doing” God’s will; that’s it. “Jesus
explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does
only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).
Legalism – Going
to church? Check. Giving? Check. Cross Necklace? Got it! Listening to God?
Uhhhhh…don't you want to see my cool cross necklace? This is what I call “Pharisees-syndrome”
and these are the moments when I become preoccupied with following the doctrines
of being a “good Christian”. I swing my
spiritual cane, crossing every “T” and dotting every “I” as a means of getting
God, and others’, approval. Outside of being obnoxious, my pursuit of gold
stars on my report card severs my connection to a God that is LIVING and wants
an intimate relationship with me. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But, after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians
3:24-25).
Say it with me class, “relationship over rules.”
Got it? Class
dismissed.
Now what are some of the signs that usually indicate my
battery is running low?
Low energy – This
is probably the most obvious one for me; just plain tired! There is something rejuvenating about being connected
to God’s will. His promise is that He “will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah
31:25). So when my energy is feeling
low, I need to get plugged back into the source.
Low joy – This is
when “Ms. Attitude” comes out. It takes
a few different forms: low patience, high frustration, low gratitude, high
complaining. Whatever the form, I usually
feel like I should walk around with caution tape wrapped around me. The scripture tells me to “Let [my]
conversation be gracious and attractive so that [I] will have the right
response for everyone” (Colossians 4:6).
Much easier when I’m connected to God.
When I’m not? Not so much. In order for me to walk in love the way that
God desires, I NEED His power.
Low obedience – Remember
that zero tolerance policy I mentioned before?
Well, when I don’t connect to the light, then I become “hard of hearing”. When I can’t hear the conviction and guidance
of the Holy Spirit, exceptions and compromises run rampant. That’s one of the consequences of a
poor connection. But the Word calls those “who hear the word of God and keep it,”
BLESSED (Luke 11:28). I want to be blessed! Don’t you?
So what do I do to stay connected?
Prayer and
devotional time – It should go without saying, but the best way to stay
connected is to spend time with God. It’s
so obvious and simplistic that the busybody in me can miss it! But, there is incredible power when we do two
things:
Spend time in His word. “For the word of God is alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
Spend time in prayer. “The
earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful
results” (James 5:16).
Accountability
– Sometimes I have days like today, where the battery is dying out and
I’m ignoring it. That’s when it is
helpful to have those around me to help check my connection. In Hebrews 3:13, Paul encourages us to “warn each other every day, while it is still
"today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened
against God.” In Hebrews 10:24 he goes on to say, “let us consider how to stir up one another
to love and good works.” I have built accountability partners in my life. Sometimes a simple “is everything ok?” or “what’s
your problem?” is enough to plug me back in.
It’s no coincidence that the key to a successful connection
is our relationship with God and with other believers. We were built for relationship and it’s from
those relationships, or connections, that we draw the greatest power.
So how’s your connection today?
Is that little indicator buzzing away telling you, low
battery?
How can you strengthen your connection?
Who can strengthen your connection?
You’ve got the power!
Let’s pray: Dear Father, You are Elohim, the all-powerful
and omnipotent God. According to
Jeremiah 32:17, “You have made the heavens and the earth
by Your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Although,
at times, I try I can do nothing without You.
Increase my faith to trust in Your ability, and not my own. Surround me with brothers and sisters that
will keep me connected. When I am tempted to follow my own ways, convict
me and allow me to quickly turn to You, my source. Give me the courage and
wisdom to seek restoration and power in Your presence. In Your mighty name, I pray. Amen.
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