The yellow light blinked slowly, alerting me that there was a problem. I asked Alexa for help, and she told me plainly, “I’m having problems connecting to the internet.” So I called the help desk to get the wireless router back online, but when the technician told me to cycle the power on the modem, the call dropped unexpectedly—I had forgotten that the phone also required an internet connection!
Since you’re reading this, you know that I eventually did get back online— no need to alert the authorities! But this recent episode served as a reminder of how much my life depends on being connected to the internet.
As I reflected on this, I realized that my life in Christ is no different. Jesus told us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). As believers, we want to bring glory to God by the fruit of our everyday lives. But what does that look like, practically speaking? Mark Greene’s book “Fruitfulness on the Frontline” provides a really useful framework for fruitfulness, which is called the “6M’s”:
- Modeling godly character
- Making good work
- Ministering grace and love
- Molding culture
- being a Mouthpiece for truth and justice
- being a Messenger of the gospel
I find it encouraging to know that there are many ways I can be fruitful for God in the various locations I spend my day. At the same time, it’s important to recognize that if we want to bear fruit for Christ on our Frontlines, it’s absolutely essential that we stay connected to Jesus on a daily basis—even a minute-by-minute basis! Like the episode with my wireless router, as soon as the yellow light starts to blink, we know we have an urgent problem to address.
What are the “blinking yellow lights” in our lives? For me, one of them is when I haven’t started the day reflecting on Scripture and praying. If I want to be fruitful for Christ during the day, it’s critical to begin by connecting to Him at the outset. If something happens and I don’t do that, however, all is not lost. Once I realize I’m disconnected, I can always call on the ultimate spiritual “Help Desk” by pausing to say a quick prayer to get back “online.” God’s number is never busy, and we don’t have to wait on hold listening to elevator music either!
My prayer is that each of us would pay attention to the “blinking yellow lights” in our lives, so that when they start to flash we will quickly re-connect with Him and get back to bearing fruit on our Frontlines.
Chris Lake co-founded the Vere Institute (Oct 2014 – May 2021) to empower Christians to integrate their faith into everyday life, their “frontlines.” Chris continues to serve pastors through offering transitional coaching. You can find him on LinkedIn. The Vere Institute’s legacy lives on through our Vere Library, a republishing of many of their written works.
Check out Cornerstone’s sermon series on Fruitfulness on the Frontline.