“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, ESV). We live in a world where everyone is plugged in — to something. We have chargers for our phones, watches, tablets, cars, and earbuds. Some folks even panic more about a low phone battery than a low prayer life! Have you ever noticed how some people sprint to find a wall outlet the moment that little red battery icon shows up? Yet, spiritually, some of us have been flashing that red light for years and have not stopped to recharge in the presence of God.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” In other words, He is the power source. If we are not connected to Him, we cannot bear fruit — not love, not peace, not patience, not even good common sense, sometimes! When the Wi-Fi of our faith weakens, we start buffering in life by spinning in circles, trying to make things work out on our own. Let us face the hard core truth about this issue. It’s easy to get digitally connected but spiritually disconnected. We scroll for hours but can’t find five minutes to open the Bible app. We text everyone in our contact list but forget to talk to God. We know all the latest news but have not checked in with the “Good News”!
Tune into this brief funny, but thought-provoking, illustration: “A man once bragged, ‘I’ve got the fastest Internet in town!’
“His wife smiled and said, ‘That’s great; maybe you can finally download some patience!’”
The truth is, you can have full bars on your phone and no signal to Heaven.
Psalm 46:10 reminds us, “Be still, and know that I am God …” Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do in a plugged-in world is unplug, and just sit quietly in God’s presence. You don’t need Wi-Fi to reach Him; prayer works anywhere, anytime, at no charge.
When we reconnect with Christ, everything changes. He restores our peace, renews our joy, and reminds us of our purpose. The more we plug into His Word, the more power flows through our lives, and it is not artificial power, but Holy Ghost power! Take a few minutes today and check your spiritual signal. Are you connected to the Source, or just connected to the noise? Before you charge your phone tonight, take a moment to recharge your soul. Talk to God. Thank Him. Listen for His voice. If you stay plugged into Jesus, you’ll never lose power, even when life’s battery runs low. Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
