In Place, But Not Connected

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4

One Bible teacher writes: ‘Mobile phones can be life-savers…but the batteries have a limited lifespan and need to be recharged. One weary weekend I was as drained as my ‘phone battery. I went through my evening routine, dutifully placing my mobile phone on its charger. Unfortunately, I neglected to plug the charger into the socket. Next morning I woke refreshed—but my phone was no better than the night before. It was in the right place…but it wasn’t connected to the power source! Sometimes the consequences of not “plugging in” can be more severe…many people dutifully march to church every week, but leave as drained as when they came. They’re in the right place, but they’re not plugged in to the power of God…and without that it doesn’t matter if you sit in a pew or on a barstool…You can study the Scriptures for hours on end, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7); you can even do great things for God but lack power in your life. If I’d left my mobile phone on the charger for days or weeks instead of overnight, it wouldn’t have helped. Multiplication of effort isn’t a substitute for true power…Guard against things that disconnect you from the power source…obviously sin will do that, but so will weariness. We can’t remain connected if we’re weighed down by busyness. We can spend so much time doing things for God that we neglect our relationship with Him.’ Jesus said, ‘You cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.’ That means reading the Bible, praying and resting in His presence.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, keep me charged and plugged into Your Word so that I have the fire in my belly to shine You to others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen