Jump Start!

By Ilcias Vargas, Jr.

​It was a cold winter evening. My mother, brothers, and I were finished shopping and we hurried back to the parking lot where our van was. My mother put the car keys into the ignition, and — to our initial surprise — the car didn't start! Repeated attempts to start the car failed. The car's battery was dead. My mother immediately called my father, who was still at work. He arranged to leave as soon as possible to come and jump start the van. While my father was still on the road, someone else volunteered to jump start the van for us, but he didn't do it the right way — our van was still without power. My father soon arrived, connected the jump cable, and soon the rumbling of the van's engine was heard. It was like music to our ears!

​​Reflecting on that experience, I realized that sometimes we need to have a jumpstart in our Christian lives. Paul writes, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV). This verse describes our life without Christ as a dead state. We have no power because we're not connected to the Source of power. We need Christ. A car cannot jump start itself. No matter how hard we try, we cannot, by our own effort, revive ourselves. We must receive power from an external source, and that source is Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and can bring life to our spiritual experience. He promises that His Spirit will give us the power to live for Him (Acts 1:8).

Maybe you feel that it's time for a jump start in your Christian experience. I encourage you, then, to go to Jesus, the Source of all spiritual power, and receive the life and strength you need from Him.