Are You Connected?

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV).

Aristotle was a great philosopher, however he was not a physician. He mistakenly believed that thinking took place in the heart and that the brain functioned like a radiator, cooling the blood. It makes me wonder what he recommended for a headache!

Today, of course, we know better. Without a brain, you or I would be worse off than the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. The brain is the command center, connected to every part of the body through a complex nerve system. When something goes wrong with the connections, either through breakage or through a chemical abnormality, the results are apparent. Paralysis occurs when the spinal cord is severed. Other times the symptoms may be a varying degree of loss of muscle control, or a problem with our speech. Although the brain may be perfect, the body will not respond perfectly if the connections are faulty.

There is a wonderful spiritual lesson found in this physical truth. Paul says that Jesus is the Head of the Body. He is perfect, and He wants us to be perfectly connected to Him. Since that’s true, then what we ought to do and say according to His design and purposes. That’s the perfect scenario. Sometimes, however, the connections in the body of Christ become diseased and parts lose communication with the Head. The results are just as predictable in the spiritual dimension as they are in the physical. When the body stops making connections with the brain we simply cannot function optimally. In the spiritual dimension the lack of connection results in errors of belief and action. This is the truth Jesus taught in terms of the branches on a vine (cf. John 15). We must be living with and for Christ if we expect to produce the fruit of godliness.

This connection is maintained through worship and prayer. The daily activity of staying in touch with Jesus is essential to our well being. Are you connected? If not, reestablish yourself in Him now.