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Being out of power is never fun.

I was on the phone and working on my computer one evening when suddenly, the room went dark. I was in Africa, where frequent unexplained and unplanned power outages occur. Without electricity, I couldn’t do what I wanted.

Sometimes, we try to live the Christian life in our own power. We can witness in our own strength and even read the Bible out of a sense of obligation, rather than out of a sense of belonging to God. Unfortunately, people sometimes sap our energy, leaving us at our wit’s end about what to do. We scurry from place to place because we have been taught that we only live once (YOLO), but all we do for Him becomes drudgery.

Jesus reminded His disciples that apart from Him, they could do nothing because He was the vine, and they were the branches. Therefore, even good intentions would not make them more successful in ministry.

God does not need our abilities and giftedness, although He does use them to work through us. The one source of power the disciples would need entailed abiding in Him. Without that, they would be fruitless.

The same applies today. The secret of receiving God’s energy is being hooked up to the power source. Without that connection, our energy drains, we become frustrated and exhausted, and we wonder why we are ineffective in serving Him.

God wants to give us His rest, so we don’t continue operating in our strength. But we must lay aside our agendas, rest in Him, and let His Word nourish us. He wants us to meditate on His goodness and sovereignty.

Have you realized you can do nothing apart from Christ? Spend time with Him and His Word, then ask Him to guide you to His plans.

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)