Your Table Requires Spiritual Power

Have you ever read a Bible verse that just knocked your socks off? It could be a Scripture passage you’ve heard a hundred times, but all of a sudden it surprises you in a big way.

That happened to me with John 15:5: “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.”

It was that last word that caught me: nothing.

When you read all of John 15, you’ll see that Jesus was talking about alignment. When we are connected with Him and living in a way that is spiritually healthy, He says we will “bear much fruit”- meaning we will experience all the things we were designed to enjoy in our lives, including abundance, wellness, and freedom.

That makes sense. That feels right. But the second part of that verse feels like overkill. When we get out of alignment with God, I would have expected Jesus to say, “Apart from Me, you can do very little for My kingdom.” Or maybe, “Apart from Me, you will be ineffective in your community.”

But no. He said, “You can do nothing.”

This is a big problem for us as human beings, and I think it’s an especially big problem for us as Americans because most of us have been told we can do anything we put our minds to. Most of us are taught there are no limits to our success. Most of us have been promised the American Dream if we just work hard and make good decisions.

In other words, most of us genuinely believe we can build a pretty good table if we just put in the work. But we’re wrong.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to sit at a table made by people. I don’t want a life that is planned by people and powered by people – especially when I am one of those people! Instead, I want to sit at the table God built for me. I want my life to be filled with divine purpose and spiritual power.

For that to happen, I have to stop trying to make everything happen in my own strength. Think of it this way. If I’m building something out of wood – maybe a table, for example – I could use a screwdriver to hammer in some nails. I could find one of those big, long, heavy screwdrivers with a metal handle. I could grab it by the pointy end and whack the nails with the handle. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! It would take me a long time, but eventually I could get those nails hammered down pretty close to where they need to be.

But would that be good management of my resources? No. Because a screwdriver is not designed to hammer things. I would be taking something designed for one purpose and misusing it by forcing it to accomplish a totally different purpose. Which means the job will take a lot longer and won’t be completed at a high level of quality.

Not only that, but if I keep using my screwdriver to hammer in a bunch of nails, it won’t be too long before that screwdriver breaks. Maybe the handle will crack, or maybe the shaft will get bent at a weird angle. Then, when it comes time for me to drive some screws into the wood, I won’t have the right tool to accomplish that task either. The whole system gets messed up when we don’t use our tools the way they were designed to be used.

The same thing is true for the system God set up in our communities, in our culture, and throughout the world. Our Creator designed you and me for a specific function – for a specific purpose. Just like a hammer is designed to hammer nails, you and I were designed to accomplish important things.

This is our assignment in life – our purpose or calling – and God gives us our table so we can carry out that assignment well.

The problem comes when we decide our assignment isn’t good enough, or that we’re going to set it aside for a while to pursue something that feels more exciting to us – kind of like a screwdriver setting aside its design to hammer nails. Remember, God gave us our tables to equip us for carrying out His assignments for our lives. So when we use those resources to pursue our own purposes, we are misappropriating His gifts and messing up His plans.

Sometimes we even become proud about pursuing our own purposes. Sometimes we even brag to God! “Hey, God, look at everything I’m accomplishing here! Look at all this stuff I’ve done! Isn’t it cool how much I’m contributing to Your kingdom?” Jesus just shakes His head and reminds us what He’s already told us: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

Here’s my point: Your table is your life, and your life was given to you by God for a spiritual purpose. Therefore, you will waste everything you’ve been given if you fail to fill your table with spiritual power.

Where do you get that power? The Holy Spirit, for starters. That’s another truth Jesus told us in the Bible:

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:15–17)

Don’t overlook that incredible promise: you can invite the Holy Spirit to be part of your table. In fact, you must invite the Spirit to be part of your table! I recommend you invite Him every day. Ask Him to inform your decisions and guide your steps. Believe the truth that He is present with you and will empower your life to achieve your purpose.

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Adapted from Take Your Seat at the Table by Anthony O’Neal. Copyright © 2024 by Anthony O’Neal. Published by Thomas Nelson. Available wherever books are sold.