{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"454. You\u2019ve Got One Job: Stay Connected to Jesus","description":"You\u2019ve Got One Job: Stay Connected to Jesus There are a thousand things competing for your attention every day. Your career. Your marriage. Your kids. Your health. Your finances. Your goals. Your phone. Even your ministry. But according to Jesus, there's one thing you absolutely cannot neglect: Your connection with him. In John 15, Jesus gives one of the simplest and most powerful pictures of the Christian life: \u201cI am the vine; you are the branches.\u201d In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob explores why successful people can be especially vulnerable to spiritual self-reliance, why God sometimes prunes the people he loves, and how someone can look spiritually alive on the outside while slowly drying up inside. And it all comes down to one simple phrase: You've got one job: remain. Are You Plugged In? Rob rents out his former home in Tucson, Arizona. Every so often, a guest sends him a message: \u201cThe hot tub isn't working.\u201d \u201cThe jets won't turn on.\u201d \u201cIt's not getting hot.\u201d \u201cWe've pushed every button.\u201d Rob usually responds with one question: \u201cIs it plugged in?\u201d A few minutes of silence. Then: \u201cNever mind.\u201d Nothing was wrong with the hot tub. Nothing was wrong with the heater. Nothing was wrong with the jets. It simply wasn't connected to its source of power. And that can describe our spiritual lives. We push buttons. We try harder. Work more. Make more money. Improve our marriages. Fix our kids. Grow our ministries. Accomplish another goal. But Jesus asks a more fundamental question: Are you connected to me? You can be incredibly busy and spiritually disconnected. You can even be busy doing things for Jesus while becoming disconnected from Jesus. 1. Let the Gardener Prune You Jesus says: \u201cI am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.\u201d \u2014 John 15:1 Then he says something surprising: Every branch that bears fruit, God prunes so that it can become even more fruitful. God prunes fruitful people. We sometimes assume that if we're following God, everything should start going our way. Jesus says otherwise. Sometimes following God means getting cut. A door closes. A relationship doesn't work out. Something you desperately wanted doesn't happen. God's Word exposes pride, selfishness, greed, impurity or your need for control. But there's a huge difference between destruction and pruning. Destruction has no future in mind. Pruning is all about the future. Instead of immediately asking, \u201cWhat's gone wrong?\u201d try asking: \u201cGod, what are you trying to cut out of me?\u201d And: \u201cWhat are you trying to grow in me?\u201d Don't waste your pruning. Let the Gardener work. 2. You've Got One Job: Remain This is the heart of John 15. Jesus repeatedly says: Remain. Stay connected. Stay close. Make your home in me. Don't drift away. A branch doesn't wake up thinking: \u201cHow am I going to manufacture grapes today?\u201d It doesn't hustle. It doesn't compare itself with the branch next to it. It doesn't create a five-step productivity plan. It remains connected to the vine. Life flows from the vine into the branch. Eventually, fruit appears. Sometimes we make Christianity far more complicated than Jesus did: Try harder. Do more. Be better. Achieve more. Jesus says: Remain in me. Christianity isn't merely believing facts about Jesus. It's Christ living in you and through you. It's dependence. Relationship. Connection. You Can Look Alive While Drying Up Inside Here's the sobering part. When you cut a branch off a tree, it doesn't immediately look dead. For a while, the leaves remain green. Put it beside a connected branch and you may not even see a difference. But something fundamental has already happened. It has been disconnected from its source of life. The same thing can happen spiritually. You can still: Go to church. Sing the songs. Know your Bible. Lead a small group. Preach sermons. Have decades of Christian experience. You can look green on the outside while slowly drying up inside. Jesus isn't asking: \u201cWere you connected to me once?\u201d He's asking: \u201cAre you remaining in me now?\u201d Don't live off your baptism. Don't live off what you did ten years ago. Don't live off last year's faith. Ask: How is my relationship with Jesus today? 3. Connected People Bear Fruit Jesus says: \u201cIf you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.\u201d Notice the order. Jesus doesn't say: \u201cProduce enough fruit, then I'll accept you.\u201d He says: Remain\u2014and fruit will come. Connection comes before production. Roots come before fruit. What does that fruit look like? Changed character. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Repentance. Real connection produces real change. Obedience. Jesus changes how we handle our marriages, money, time, sexuality, forgiveness, service and gifts. And finally: Spiritual impact. Fruit reproduces. Spiritually fruitful people help other people find Jesus. We share our faith. Love people. Serve. Study the Bible with people. Help people become disciples. Multiply disciples, leaders and churches. And ultimately, the fruit points back to the vine. It isn't: \u201cLook how impressive I am.\u201d It's: \u201cLook what God can do.\u201d So, Are You Plugged In? Your marriage matters. Your family matters. Your career matters. Your finances matter. Your health matters. Your ministry matters. Your goals matter. But there's one thing you cannot neglect: Your connection with Jesus. So ask yourself: Am I plugged in? Remember the three lessons of John 15: 1. Let the Gardener prune you. 2. You've got one job: remain. 3. Connected people bear fruit. When you're successful\u2014remain. When you're struggling\u2014remain. When God is pruning you\u2014remain. When life gets busy\u2014remain. When you're discouraged\u2014remain. When everything is going wonderfully\u2014remain. The branch has one job. Remain. And Jesus promises: \u201cIf you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.\u201d Make this life count. \ud83d\ude4f Support the Podcast If this episode challenged or encouraged you: Share it with someone you care about Buy and leave a review on one of my books on Amazon Donate here. Subscribe for more faith-building content ","author_name":"The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count","author_url":"https:\/\/robskinner.com\/","html":"