Student Leaders

by Rebecca Cloyd

Have you ever met a complete stranger but for some reason felt like you have known them forever? You are able to connect on so many different levels, have similar interests, and you even like the same music!

Connecting with people is an amazing thing, and something that is so important in the Christian faith. God has given us the ability to connect as a way to share the Gospel and form community in our lives. But as important as it is to connect well with other people, we first need to be well-connected to God. So what does it mean to be well-connected to God?
 

John 15:5 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". Jesus paints a picture of how important it is to remain connected to the Lord. If the branches are not connected to the vine, there will be no fruit. Notice here that this verse is not suggesting or recommending that we stay connected with God, it's telling us that if we do not remain connected we will not be able to do anything.

As scary as that may sound, it comes with a lot of peace. We were not made to do life on our own, we are in need of community and what better community than Jesus Himself. Through him we are able to do all things, because it is Him who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13). If we, the branches, do not remain connected to the vine, Jesus, then we will not be able to produce fruit. If we are not producing fruit, how then do we expect to be able to pour into others and share the gospel effectively?

It all comes back to this idea of being connected to Jesus; if we remain in Him, He will remain in us. I encourage you to be honest with yourself and ask " Am I truly connected to Jesus?". The truth is that we can never be too connected to Jesus, there is always room to grow and learn. Take time out of each day to remain connected to the One who deserves it the most and, I promise, you will not regret it.