“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Connection with Jesus

Lately, I seem to be getting frequent reminders that I am not as young as I used to be. The latest was a notice in the mail that our 20th high school class reunion will be held this summer. Indeed, those 20 years can go by very quickly. Also, a lot can happen in 20 years that can make it hard to stay in contact with classmates. Life happens. We get married and have children. Jobs take us all over the country. When we go so long without seeing people, it is very easy to lose the connections we once had with them.

It’s also easy for that to take place with Jesus. We fill our schedules up with work and sports and school activities. We have family and community obligations. We take vacations and try to make the most of life and before we know it we are losing our connection with Jesus. This happens gradually just like it does with high school classmates over 20 years. But before we know it, we have not remained in Jesus.

Losing a connection to a high school friend is one thing. Losing our connection with Jesus is another thing altogether. Jesus makes it clear in John chapter 15 that without a connection to him we are in trouble: we can’t grow…we can’t produce fruit…we can’t be saved. Ultimately, no connection with Jesus means no getting into heaven. It means getting tossed out with the other dead branches into the eternal burn pile.

The good news is that Jesus will never sever his connection with those who are joined to him by faith. He is always ready and waiting in his Word to remind us of his love and to draw us closer to him.

Perhaps for you now is a good time to reconnect with Jesus and take steps to remain in Jesus. Recommit yourself to regularly attending worship. Join a Bible study. Expand your devotional life.

We may or may not want to attend a class reunion, but we never want to miss out on eternal life with Jesus!