In this age of technology, connections make all the difference. A friend of mine carefully carried an expensive computer from Alabama to Africa. Upon arrival he plugged the computer into an electrical outlet – and immediately destroyed it. The common outlet there is 220V and the computer was wired for 110V. Wrong connection!
Connections matter in every arena of life. On the battlefield wars may be won by disconnecting the army on the front lines from its supply unit. Fierce hurricanes disconnect thousands of homes from electric power. Marriages end in divorce when two people fail to connect and discover how to become one. Athletic teams fail when there is a disconnect between the coach and the players. Teams succeed when all team members are strongly connected to the team’s game plan. Disconnects result in defeat.
In the spiritual realm, the Scriptures teach us the absolute necessity of a life-giving connection to God. Sin disconnects us from God. But God is merciful and willing to re-connect with those who repent and turn to the Lord. King David understood this, that only God could free him from his anguish and restore to him the joy of salvation. Thus his earnest plea in Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God.” Mercy alone could overcome David’s disconnect from God.
A humorous story about a goat illustrates how many of us wind up disconnected from the Lord. Walking through the woods one day, two men came across a deep hole. “Sure looks deep,” one said. “Sure does,” said the other. One tosses a rock in the hole, but hears no noise. Must be mighty deep, they thought, so they threw big stones in the hole but still heard no noise.
Amazed, and determined to find out how deep the hole was, they noticed nearby in the weeds a railroad tie. That will surely make some noise, so they dragged the heavy tie over to the hole and toss it in. But still not a sound from the hole. Suddenly, out of the woods nearby, a goat appears, running like the wind. The goat rushes right by the men, leaps into the air and into the hole. The two men cannot believe what they had just seen.
Then out of the woods comes a farmer. Walking over, the farmer says, “Did you fellows see my goat run by here?” One of the men replies, “We sure did! That goat came flying by us and jumped into that hole!” “Well,” said the farmer, “That couldn’t have been my goat. My goat was chained to a railroad tie.”
Now stop laughing and I’ll tell you the point of that story. That goat was tied to something that pulled him down. And that is what happens to many of us. We get tied down to things that pull us down and disconnect us from God. Possessions, or things, tie some people down; they spend money they don’t have for things they don’t need, trying to satisfy their desire for “the good life” in the comforts of this world.
Some folks are tied down to an addiction like alcohol or prescription drugs. Others are tied to an obsession with entertainment, mistakenly thinking they will find joy in a culture of darkness, loud music, excessive drinking and profane comedians. Still others are tied down to their work, unaware that their job has separated them from God.
Jesus offers the best advice about connections. He said if we want a life worth living, we need to get connected to him and stay connected. Here is what he says, in his own words:
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:5-8).
Yes, connections are important. In fact, the very word should remind us that the primary business of the church is to help people get connected to Jesus. All other “church work” pales in significance compared to the mission of loving disconnected people into a life-giving connection to Jesus.
If you are tied to something that is pulling you down and away from God, turn to Jesus because, disconnected from Him, you can do nothing. He said it; I believe it.