Who Pulled The Plug?

While in college I worked as a custodian at the Shriner’s Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Quite often while running the vacuum cleaner (or the floor buffing machine) it would suddenly quit working. It wouldn’t take long, however, to notice the reason was due to no electricity. Someone had “pulled the plug!” This was an enjoyable prank we frequently pulled on one another or other hospital staff would pull on us.

Though the above example may be indicative of a lighter side of life, there are other circumstances under which the expression “pulling the plug” is understood to be a very serious thing to consider. I have been with families in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital as they wrestled with the decision whether it was now time to pull the plug on the machine that was actually doing the breathing the body could no longer do on its own. Such is a very difficult time for families surrounding a loved one whose life has drawn to an end. Praise God for the comfort of hope beyond this life.

There is another serious context in which “pulling the plug” should be considered as being even more consequential. This is a matter of not merely a physical, but a spiritual nature. Mankind disconnected or “unplugged” from God, is dead.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he stated the following regarding their former life prior to having become Christians.
“(12) remember that you were at that time SEPARATED FROM CHRIST, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having NO HOPE and WITHOUT GOD in the world.” ( Ephesians 2:12 ESV)

Note the expressions emphasized: “separated from Christ” and therefore “having no hope” and also being “without God.” That is not a very encouraging picture. Left in that state it is one of hopelessness! “Unplugged” we cannot have THE LIFE JESUS CAME TO PROVIDE. ( John 10:10) Later in John’s first short letter he would emphatically write “whoever does NOT HAVE THE SON OF GOD DOES NOT HAVE LIFE.” ( 1 John 5:12 ESV)

Praise God it does not have to be that way! Through being united with Christ in baptism we become connected to God and receive the SUSTAINING POWER OUR LIFE NEEDS. Paul noted this as we wrote to the church at Colossae where we read. . .

“(11) In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (12) having been BURIED WITH HIM IN BAPTISM, in which you were also RAISED WITH HIM THROUGH FAITH in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (13) And you, who WERE DEAD in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, GOD MADE ALIVE TOGETHER WITH HIM, having forgiven us all our trespasses,” ( Colossians 2:11-13 ESV)

Plugged into God, HE IS ABLE TO BRING LIFE to that which was formerly dead! However, just as a vacuum cleaner cord will come unplugged from the power source if it is moved too far from it, so with our life we cannot expect to remain plugged in if we move away from LIFE’S TRUE POWER SOURCE! If we find our life becoming “unplugged”, let us be encouraged it is possible to get plugged back in. Perhaps we might view Christ as the “conduit” by which our connection (or reconnection) to God is made possible. Every day, may we continually seek to remain plugged into God, the GIVER, AUTHOR, AND SUSTAINER OF LIFE that will stretch on into a glorious forever!

Have a great day CONNECTED TO THE SOURCE OF LIFE FOR NOW AND ETERNITY!
Carl

See other teEn-MAIL on Life