Not long ago, I was in need of a new power drill. The old one just wasn’t cutting it anymore. So, I bought an impact driver and it’s mighty powerful. It will drive screws in just as easy as you please. But what do you think would happen if I tried to use my powerful new tool without plugging a battery into it first? I doubt much real work would get done, would it?

In order for a power tool to do its job properly, it needs to be plugged into a power source. Otherwise, any amount of effort on the tool’s part is kind of futile, isn’t it?

So, what do power tools and abiding in Jesus have in common? You might wonder what I’m driving at…no pun intended.

We, as Jesus followers, are God’s tools. God wants to use us to accomplish His will, but if we try to do that work in our own power, it doesn’t usually end well, does it?

In the book of John, chapter 15, verses 4-9, Jesus says this: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

Just like a power drill is pretty useless without a battery, we are pretty useless to God unless we are plugged into Him.

The same goes for trying to live the Christian life. God has given us principles to follow that will help us to become more mature disciples of Jesus. But so often, I know I fail to follow those principles because I am trying to do it in my own power and with my own strength. I can become angry or afraid or apathetic or give into temptation because I haven’t chosen to abide in Jesus. I’m sure many (if not all) of you have experienced the same struggles.

So, how do we “abide in Jesus”? By reading and meditating on His Word and praying regularly. You’ve probably heard that before, but those two things really are the key to a vibrant, growing Christian life. Unless you are “plugged into” or abiding in the divine Power Source, Jesus, you are just wasting your effort.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” If you looking for strength to get through another day or if you are trying to accomplish great things for God but just seem to fail more often than not, make sure you are plugged into the ultimate “Power Source.”

Abide in Jesus Christ.

Tim Carman is a semi-retired aerospace engineer and native Iowan who has been married to Sandra for 37+ years. He and his wife have two grown children and one grandchild and live in rural Clark County, Missouri.