No Connection....

Last week, my 'Max' pedometer displayed a low battery warning. It seemed a bit strange considering I just replaced the battery about a month ago. An operative pedometer is essential for our health insurance wellness program. If Tracie and I walk and reach certain benchmarks daily, our insurance provider offers incentives. "Incentives" is a code word for money. If we demonstrate a healthy lifestyle, we can both earn up to $350 each year. Dead batteries in our devices leave one frustrated and in some cases a bit red faced.

I bought a two pack of batteries and removed the back on the 'Max' and dropped the dead battery out on the counter. When I replace batteries, I avoid touching them with my bare hands. I try to keep any contaminant on my hands off the batteries. This day, I sliced the package of batteries open and gently slid a new battery into the Max with the positve side up! Excellent!

With the battery cover back in place, I synced the unit with the website only to see the same warning, "Replace low battery soon." Hmmmmm.

Grumbling about stupid dead batteries coming directly from the store, I opened the back of the Max and pryed the new dead battery out onto the counter....

There in plain sight was the protective plastic cover on the new fresh battery. In my hasty perfection of not handling the battery with my bare hands I had not even seen the shield on the underside.

How often have we needed to renew our spiritual battery and sought to be connected to divine power and have inadvertantly missed subtle barriers that exist between us and God? What things prevent you from being charged with God's Spirit? Is there anger, bitterness, pride, impatience, doubt, fear, apathy? Perhaps removing the cover of our heart and inspecting the hardware is in order. Let's remove those barriers that shield us from God's grace and mercy. Get connected. Stay connected!

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.

Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “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. 6 If anyone does

not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up,

thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:4-6, NIV)