Connecting is Crucial

I began tonight's devotional time with Meredith Andrews' "Not for a Moment." She sings: "After all, You are constant. After all, You are only good. After all, You are sovereign. Not for a moment, will You forsake me!" Scripture backs up these lyrics. "'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.'" (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV, emphasis added)

The central Scripture for tonight comes from Luke 5:4, 10-11: "When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'...Then Jesus said to Simon, 'Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men.' So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him." (NIV)

Jesus made a connection with His disciples. Connection is critical. To be an effective leader, you have to connect with your followers. Find common ground. Establish relationships. Make sure they know that you care about them and want them to succeed.

Maxwell notes that you must first figure out where your followers are. Next, you have to go toward them, so as to make contact. Then you can connect with them.

Jesus put these into practice as He called His disciples. He still does so today as He calls us. He knows where we are. Psalm 139 reflects this. (The psalm below is in the NIV translation.)

"O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in--behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,'
even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your Name.
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against You?
I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Not only does He know where we are, He moves toward us. Even further, He actually connects with us! The Parable of the Prodigal Son gives us information about that.

"Jesus continued: 'There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went ot his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." (Luke 15:11-20, NIV)

The reflection question tonight asks, "How do you connect with others?" Figure out a way that works well for you and follow it. Ask God to guide you and help you to connect with others. Bear in mind that you cannot effectively connect (in a Godly manner) unless you are first connected with the Lord. Take one step toward Him, and He will run to you!

God bless you!