Connected ?

John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,


Like most people in 2010 I have come overly dependent on my "smart phone". It has every thing I need to stay connected to family, friends, clients and anything else in the world at the touch of a screen. A quirky thing happened to me today on the way to work. As I turned on the interstate I realized that I had forgotten my phone and left it on the counter at home. Instinctively I starting charting a quick course in my mind to return home to retrieve it. God had other plans as I drove in silence (I would recommend this to all as a side note - driving is where I get a lot of focused time to talk to God). As I was thinking "How in the world can I live without my phone today?" He laid this question on my heart "If you viewed your connection to me as integral to your connection to the world you would be blessed".

After thinking it through, that it is exactly what Christ repeated over and over and over. I came to restore you and link you back to the father both in this world and eternally so follow Me , abide in Me and glorify Me. I love Jesus' analogy of Him being the Vine and us being branches that need Him to sustain us. Branches that are separated from the vine quickly turn brown, shrivel and die. I know for a fact that I don't want that for me or my family or my friends or anyone else and what is more important is that God does not want that either - hence Jesus Christ hanging on a cross and rising to defeat death to overcome sin so that God can receive great glory from all of our praise and worship.

So let's bring this home a little closer. How do you abide in Christ? Is it a brief website devotional visit before you start your day? A once a week visit to your local church? Spotty bible reading when someone challenges you? Maybe some service thrown in there during the Holidays?

This is serious stuff. I know that I have a lot of changing to do in my life. To start, I am going to pray more intensely, more often to God today and trust that being more connected to Him will bring me through the day more fruitful than if I had my phone. And oh yeah - if you need me don't call or text me, send an email.

In the Abiding Love of Christ,

Chad