I Like to Vacuum.

Is that weird? It’s not that I am a clean freak, but amid the plethora of daily and weekly household chores, there are many I’d rather not do. Vacuuming happens to be one I don’t mind.

The other week, I was upstairs vacuuming our bedroom. As I made my way across the room, I stretched the vacuum out just a few inches more than the cord allowed, and the plug to the vacuum popped out of the outlet. Without the electricity the vacuum was designed to operate on, the light, brush, and the motor immediately stopped working.

“DRAT!” I thought. How inconvenient. I wanted to keep working. I didn’t want to take time to stop my flow, walk over to the outlet, and plug the cord back in. Then I had a ridiculous thought. “What if I just kept going?” How silly would that be?

Even though the vacuum had no power, I could have made vacuum noises with my mouth, pushed the vacuum back and forth, and acted as though I was getting things done. Then, I could have gone downstairs and announced proudly to my wife. “The floor is now clean!”

But the floor wouldn’t have been clean.

Staying Plugged In.

Just as a vacuum is designed to operate on electricity and cannot function properly without it, you were designed to stay plugged in, too. In John 15:5, Jesus says:

“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.”

If we want to be faithful and effective as Christians, we must stay plugged in to Jesus. It’s just that simple. We must take time to hear His voice, to be in His word, to worship Him, and to be around His people.

But you know what’s crazy? While it sounds simple, I am often guilty of not staying plugged in. While I’d quickly boast that I’m too intelligent to push around an unplugged vacuum, I’ll push myself around for days without plugging in. I’m assuming I’m not alone.

The solution is to change our mindset (Romans 12:2). We must value the power Jesus provides so that we stay plugged in. We must fully appreciate the fact that “apart from Him, we can do nothing” before we will see the pointlessness of going it alone.

So are you plugged in?

A Few Tips…

If you’re not plugged in, I want to help give some practical application. Here are three things you can do to make sure you’re not pushing around the proverbial unplugged vacuum.

Stay plugged into the Word. God wrote down what He thought was important for you to know. It’s a good idea to make a habit of reading it.

Stay plugged in to prayer. John Piper says we are in a daily war against evil and our own sin. In a war, communication with headquarters is critical to survival. Prayer is your wartime walkie-talkie back with your commander at headquarters. Use it.

Stay plugged in to community. God designed us to do life with brothers and sisters who encourage us when we are down, and vice versa. We were not designed to go it alone.  If you are not a member and regularly attending a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church, make that a priority. It’s a such a critical part of staying plugged in.

Question:

When you’re plugged in to Jesus through His Word, prayer, and community, you will bear fruit. Apart from Him, you can do nothing. How have you found this to be true in your own life?

Additional Resources

The Blueprint for Life eight week study will help you discover the life you are born to live in five areas:  Spiritual, Relational, Physical, Financial, and Career! The study contains a workbook and ten inspirational messages featuring Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Tony Evans, John Maxwell and others. Now available for digital download.  Click here to check it out!