Almost everything has worked smoothly in our newly opened tasting room, everything except our fancy new wine glass washer. We installed it, plugged it in, hooked up the rinse agents and pushed start. We could hear the pump motor running but water would not pump in at the proper rate, nor would the little bit of water pump out. We read the vague instructions and the trouble shooting pages, and then I turned to the specs page.  Oops, our particular model needed 220 volts, not 110 volts. The machine was only getting ½ of the power necessary to run. Problem identified. I will call the electrician this morning and turn the fixing over to them.

Are we running on full power? Are we trying to run our lives on our power, not resting in the power of God at work within us? We have a pretty good idea of what our Christian life should look like. We set about our work to work it in ourselves with good intentions. We often fall into the easy habit of only spending time with God on Sunday mornings or when we’re in a deep mess. We know what we should do.  Can we admit that we’re plugged in, but not running on full power? Problem identified. We are called to call on God and turn the fixing over to him.

Then they [the crowd who had been part of the 5,000 Jesus fed] said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" ²⁹Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."  John 6:28-29

The work of God is that we believe! Believing is not our work; it is his work in us.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

The power of God is at work within us! Power to be filled with all the fullness of God is not our work; it is his work in us.

We are called to plug in to the Word, Jesus Christ, who spoke creation into being. We are called to plug into people who are plugged into the word. We are called to allow God’s word and work, his power, to work in us. We are called to be the outlet other people can plug into. We don’t need our lives to be all together perfect before we can plug in because we have the all together perfect Lord of life living in us. We don’t need our lives to be all together perfect before we can be the conduit for others to come to Christ’s word and work because we live in the perfect Christ and the perfect Christ lives in us.

May God grant us courage to open the Word of God in our hearts and homes, and then rest in his power at work in us. May God grant us boldness to speak of his work in us to others. May the peace which passes understanding guard our hearts and minds and free us to live freely in him. Blessings IN Christ, Cindy

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