Staying Connected With God #preaching

Staying Connected With GodGood morning, church. Let me open today with a little humor. A young boy was praying loudly in his room one night. His father walked by and overheard him saying, "God, if you give me a new bike, I promise to be good for a whole week." The father was about to correct him when he continued, "No, make it a month. No, I know what I'll do. If you give me a new bike, I'll go to church every Sunday for a year!" The father, stifling a chuckle, decided to intervene. He opened the door and said, "Son, God isn't deaf." The boy looked up, smiled, and said, "I know, Dad, but Grandma is, and she's in the next room."Isn't it funny, the ways we try to negotiate with God? We all do it, don't we? But our focus today is not on negotiation, but connection. Our scripture today is John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 
Consider for a moment, the image this verse paints. A vine and its branches are connected; they are part of the same organism. The life that flows in the vine flows also in the branches. The health and growth of the branches depend on their connection to the vine. Without the vine, branches cannot bear fruit.
What Jesus is saying here is simple yet profound: Stay connected to me. 
So, how do we stay connected to God?
First, through prayer. Prayer is not just a wish list we present to God. It's a conversation, a dialogue. It's spending time in His presence, listening as much as speaking. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." In other words, maintain an ongoing conversation with God. Don't just speak; listen. 
Second, through His Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." If we want to stay connected to God, we must engage with His Word. Read it, study it, meditate on it. 
Third, through obedience. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commands." Obedience is a tangible expression of our love for God. It demonstrates that we value His will above our own.
Fourth, through community. The early Christians in Acts 2:42 "devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Community keeps us grounded, encourages us, and helps us stay accountable. 
Finally, through worship. Worship realigns our heart with God's. It lifts our gaze from the temporary to the eternal, from the seen to the unseen. In worship, we declare God's worth, His majesty, His greatness.
Staying connected to God is not a one-time decision, but a daily commitment. It requires effort, yes, but the rewards are immeasurable. A branch connected to the vine is not just alive; it is thriving. It bears fruit. So too, when we stay connected to God, we will bear much fruit, fruit that will last.
Let us make that our aim, our prayer. To stay connected to God, so that we might bear fruit for His glory. God bless you all.