You know it's funny. When I opened up the blog yesterday, I discovered that my post from the other day never posted (or whatever techno-term I'm supposed to use). I wrote the entry on waffles on tuesday, hit the publish button, but it apparently never appeared on the blog. What on earth?
I'd noticed at the time that my computer kept sending me little "Warning!" messages that indicated the blog was somehow or other not hooked up to the internet, but, as usual when it comes to computer issues, I ignored it. I didn't understand it anyway, so I just figured it would somehow go away on it's own. Never a good plan. It seems that AT&T, our internet provider, has been experiencing some intermittent glitches the last couple of days, and our internet has just been a lot spottier. I'm sure that's an excellent technical analysis of the problem, and I'm equally certain it has nothing to do with my abysmal computer skills.
Anyway, the funny part has to do with what we're studying right now in John 15--the vine and the branches. Jesus is talking to his disciples on the last night of His life. He's washed their feet; Judas has left; they've finished the Last Supper, and now Jesus is sharing His heart. He's preparing His disciples for the onslaught ahead--thought they clearly do not catch on--and sharing the deep riches of His love and wisdom with His own.
And in John 15, Jesus gives them the analogy of the vine and branches. "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) I won't go into great detail here, but I've really been pondering what it means to abide in Jesus. How does this look in our lives?
Then, I discovered the glitch with the blog. And it hit me--that was a failure to abide! God was teaching me what it means to abide by a negative example of non-abiding.
I was not connected to the power source... or at least not well connected. Service was spotty, so when I tried to do something, nothing happened. Here I had done all this work--all this thinking and typing and sharing... and nothing, nada. Not one thing appeared--because my computer had not been abiding in it's connection to the power source of the internet.
O, I had had warnings, but I just ignored them and soldiered on. Just kept working away, assuming I was bigger and better than an internet computer issue. HA!
Nope, in order for my work to count and to last, I had to be connected--and well connected!--to the power source. And if I wasn't, it didn't matter one iota how much I typed or labored--not one person, including myself, would ever read it or see it. Lost and gone for good. Imagine if this continued day after day? I'd be exhausted, frustrated, and failing to fulfill my God-given tasks. What an exercise in futility!
Yet isn't that frequently how many of us live? Busy, busy, busy from dawn to dusk, but never taking time to plug into the One who gives eternal, abundant Life. Sustaining, strengthening Life.
We've got to slow down and make sure we're connected with the ultimate Power Source--that we're abiding in the One with all wisdom, all joy, all ability, all energy, all love, all grace, and all hope. And if we're abiding, we will produce fruit--He's promised. Only this will be fruit that stands the test of time. This will be fruit that lasts and nourishes others rather than just a bunch of nothingness--as Shakespeare put it, "all sound and fury, signifying nothing." And along the journey, we'll discover joy even in our labor rather than continual frustration and exhaustion.
So Lord, thank You that You are the Vine, the infinite source of all that we need and all that we are. Might You, through the Person of the Holy Spirit, continue to flow unabated through us this day. Keep us close and constantly communicating with You, Father. Remind us of Your Word. Continually fill us with Your love so that it overflows and splashes all over those around us. Check our spirits when our sin threatens to cut off the flow. Might we be fruitful branches for You, Lord.
To God, our Vine, be all the glory.
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