Plugged In

In our Bible study yesterday we discussed living close to Jesus and abiding in Him. The example of the vine and the branches came up. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches and that anyone that stays connected to Him maintains life and health. The reference to the vine and branches reminds me of my recently purchased decorative fall cabbages. I have some red ones and some green ones. I find them so refreshing with their crisp robust leaves and sturdy stature. When everything else is beginning to look weary and tired, the cabbages are just coming into their prime time. They are hardy plants that withstand cold temperatures. I expect them to give me pleasure for a couple of months yet. Before I left for the last weekend, I didn’t think about watering them. The two days I was gone were very warm but I didn’t think of their need for life giving water until I returned home. As soon as I walked up the sidewalk, I saw them. They were in bad shape. The red ones were totally wilted and the top leaves were lying flat against the bottom leaves. My heart quickened with the need to hurry to get them some help. I took them in the house, filled three sinks with water and submerged their pots in water. It took soaking them the entire night before there was any sign of returning vibrancy. I got to thinking about how much that compares to the necessity of our being plugged into the life source of Jesus. When we neglect our time with Him and fail to read the “living word”, we begin to dry up spiritually. Our vibrancy and our very effectiveness are void.

If we find ourselves in that state it is important to act as quickly as possible to restore our selves to the source of life. Just as it took the cabbages time to recover, it also takes us time to recover the weakness produced when we have neglected the life source. How often I have run to God after abandoning Him for a time. I want Him to feel close. I get impatient about restoring the
relationship with Him that I have felt in the past. I begin to question Him. Doesn’t He love me anymore? Doesn’t He care? Of course He cares. It wasn’t He that left or neglected our relationship, it was I and it takes some time and deligence to restore the former.

I noticed today that the bottom leaves of my plants are turning yellow even though I watered them thoroughly and thought I had rescued them in time. Truth is that neglect takes its toll. It does damage that isn’t evident immediately. My plants will recover, drop their injured leaves and sprout new ones but not without a few scars. Don’t be surprised to find that may happen to you and I if we neglect the power source too long. Wounds manifest themselves and it takes awhile for the scars to form and then go away.

The way to avoid wilted branches and the risk of being a dead plant is to stay focused on Jesus each day. The Word makes it clear that we need spiritual food as often as we need physical food. Make sure you get yours today. I’m finding that if I don’t get mine very early in the day, my time is stolen from me and I find myself wilting.