“The ‘On’ Position”

​Weekly Devotional – Wednesday, April 20, 2022

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4, NLT)

Jesus used the metaphor of a vine, branches and fruit to describe the life of a Christ-follower—connected to Jesus and growing his fruit. It is a wonderful metaphor for those who understand how very crucial it is for the branches of a plant to remain connected to the vine. It is through the vine that the branches receive everything they need to stay healthy and grow fruit; however, if a branch is broken off it will die.​

In our time and age, when many people are dependent on grocery stores for fresh produce, the knowledge of plant husbandry has diminished, and the deep meaning of the metaphor may be lost on some. So today, I’d like to propose a different metaphor.

In addition to being called to produce fruit, we are also instructed to be the light of the world. We often think of candles in this metaphor, but I would like to suggest that you think of yourself as being like a light bulb. A bulb on its own will never produce light. Take a flashlight for instance. A bulb needs to be fitted into the flashlight housing, batteries inserted and the switch turned on before the bulb is capable of giving off light. The bulb, though admittedly the piece that shines the light, cannot do so if any of the other components are missing. We are the bulb, Jesus is like the flashlight casing, the Holy Spirit is the power source and the on/off switch is our obedience. We ‘remain’ in Jesus when the switch is in the ‘on’ position and we light up the world around us. However, when the switch is in the ‘off’ position we go dark.

It is important to remain in the ‘on’ position—connected to the Holy Spirit’s power, directed by Jesus and producing light that shows people the truth that we have found. And just as there are different kinds of lights, Jesus may have you serve in different capacities—some as spotlights to teach; some as night-lights to bring comfort; some as head lights to show the way and some as flashlights to show up dangers that may be hiding in the dark. Don’t worry about how Jesus may choose to use you, just be willing to keep the switch ‘on’ and remain ready and connected to shine his light for others.
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Pastor Jane