Snow Day Challenge | Chris Gross | Radiant Life Church

be better, safer, just to make it happen

right in our homes, right where we are.

And so, I just wanted to jump on and

just give a 5, 10 minute, 12 minute

maybe uh sermon this morning, just a

devotion to share about being plugged

into what Jesus has. There's nothing

quite like it. And so, I pray you feel

his presence even through this this

morning. Uh, I encourage you then when

we are done, get a song, spend some time

with Jesus. Turn something on. Just sit

with him. Get your Bible out. Let him

speak to you specifically this Sunday

morning. You're not driving here and not

doing those normal things. So, take some

of that time to just get in the presence

of Jesus. But this morning, I just want

to take a few moments and talk to you

about something that I am all of a

sudden really, really quickly passionate

about. Now, we have dogs. And our dogs,

they're wonderful, but they're both full

size or one's med a medium size, one's a

bit larger, and they need water all the

time. So, we used to have this awesome

uh little thing. You filled a three

gallon jug of water, you flipped it

upside down, and it would keep the water

bowl full for maybe a week, maybe a

little more, a little less, depending

how much they were drinking. And it was

great. But then it broke. And all of a

sudden, no longer was that good enough.

It wasn't working. It wasn't making it

happen. And so if you can believe it,

for the last little period of time,

we've tried to keep a little bowl full.

Uh I'm just going to be real. Sometimes

it didn't happen. In fact, later uh in

the the uh summer kind of I guess that

means it's been several months since

we've had this. But we would fill a like

a 50 gallon a 30 gallon bin with water

so the dogs could get water. Be sure

they always had it cuz we didn't want

them to run out. If we're going to be

gone or outside, we we we do this thing.

But inside like we have to figure out

what are we going to do? So we came

across when I was looking to buy that

same thing that we had before something

called the always full. And this always

full I think it's going to be

life-changing for us as a family.

Definitely Jordan, he's the one that

normally would get the water. It's

definitely life-changing for him. But

the always full is a thing that plugs

into the water source of your house and

it keeps the water full, right? The

always full in the bowl all the time.

And there's something as I was thinking

as actually I was installing it. I was

actually sitting on a 40 pack of water

from Costco and not the most comfortable

thing, but I wanted to see it in action.

Got my dogs came to to drink some water

to to spend some time there. And all of

a sudden, I'm there. I'm like, "Okay,

what is this going to look like?" And it

worked. It filled the bowl. It kept it

kept it in a good spot. Kept it in a

place where the dogs would be able to

drink. Now we're literally 48 hours, I

guess, Sunday. Uh we're about 36. uh

maybe a little bit or 48 a little more

than that 72 maybe now uh whatever

direction time goes but it's been full

it's been clean it's been as it should

be when I'm thinking about this always

full not in dogs and whatever that's

that's great but our spiritual walk are

we connected to the source Colossians

Colossians 2:6

2:6 and 7 says therefore as you receive

Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him

rooted and built up him and established

in the faith just as you were taught

abounding in thanksgiving. Right? Paul's

picture here is not a one-time moment.

It's ongoing. It is uh a connection that

continues and keeps us moving forward.

We're to be rooted. We're to be built

up. We're to be established. We're to be

abounding in the things of God.

And this always full thought of our life

of what we get to do when it comes to

maybe the spiritual things of life are

important. And maybe some things this

morning we could look at that. I think

the always full for my animals really

made me think, Jesus, am I doing that?

First abiding in Christ keeps us full.

This water bowl literally connects to

the water lines of the house. It's

always on and it's just waiting for

something to be consumed. And as it's

consumed, it refills it and puts it into

a good place. Psalm 11 1-3 says it this

way. He's like a tree planted by streams

of water that yields its fruit in its

season and its leaf does not wither. Why

doesn't it wither? It's by the stream.

It's ready. It's connected to the water.

And therefore, it is going to be ready.

It's been planted. It's been connected.

It has water. It has flow. And there's

something important when we walk in

Jesus. Not just receive sometimes, but

to be filled with the power of God on a

consistent basis. Abiding is staying

near the stream. Abiding is connecting.

Abiding is being with Jesus all the

time. Another thought is uh abiding in

Christ. It flushes out all the junk. And

now I just have to show you real fast

this super cool thing, right? The always

full. You've got it right here connects.

There's the water line. All of those

things that are happening. But there's

this special thing in the bottom.

There's a hole where it goes down to a

basket. And every hour they always full

literally like a toilet. The water goes

down into the bottom, collects the junk

so that the dogs don't have to drink

their saliva and don't have to have hair

and don't have to have all the things

and the dog food for some reason. They

always like to put in their bowl. It

flushes out the junk. And when we are

abiding in Jesus, when we're connected

to the source, when we are not just

coming every once in a while or coming

to a service or coming to a moment, in

fact, when we miss a Sunday morning and

we're not together as the family, I hate

it. I'm the pastor. I I want to be

together, but my spiritual life doesn't

take a hit because we're abiding in

Jesus. The word of God is powerful and

we're in the word. The dirt, the debris,

the sin, the junk, the things people

have said, they are given to the Lord.

And we can experience his power when we

abide in Jesus. The junk is fleshed out.

Romans 12:1 says, "Let us lay aside

Romans 12:1

every weight and sin which clings so

closely." And just like this always full

God wants to move in us that yeah, we

mess up. Yeah, we get some slobber in

the bowl. Yeah, man. There's some dog

food and that stuff just gets

disgusting.

But he's there and he welcomes us and he

gets to move in our life and we're not

walking in some place where we're just

drinking the same nasty stuff all the

time. No, because we're kept full and

the junk has been flush,

fresh flow. It creates clean space. It's

It creates a place to continue in the

Lord, to walk in the Lord, to be

empowered by the Lord, to let his

goodness and his life overflow us.

Thankfully, the bowl doesn't overflow.

But in us, his goodness overflows and

takes out all the things that should not

be. You know, when you think about being

full, when I think about being in a

place where the the spirit is moving and

the junk is gone, what's that mean? It

means I'm going to be spiritually

healthy. Abiding in Christ keeps us

healthy

because this bowl stays filled with

water, because it stays clean. because

it stays right. My dogs, they're loving

it just through what 72 hours or so, but

they're going to love it. And even not

even necessarily no, but more healthy.

It's better. It's better for them when

we stay connected to the Lord and we get

the junk out and we stay connected

because we're abiding in Jesus. We're

connected through the word and through

his spirit. And it's not even only my

prayer time, but no, all day long I'm

abiding. All day long, I'm asking him,

Lord, how do you want to move? All day

long, Jesus, you do something in my

life. And you know it's uh interesting

on this always full there's this page

that has all these lights and tells you

when they're blinking this this is it.

It's healthy. It's not healthy. And you

know what I found in my life that when

I'm abiding in the Lord all of a sudden

there's things there's lights warning

lights. I feel it. I experience the Lord

speaking and guiding. I I feel him

sharing something. I feel him just

showing me that's not right or you're

not plugged in or you didn't get with

me. But the longer I stay unconnected or

farther from disconnected from him, I

don't even realize. I don't realize the

things that I'm let in. I don't realize

the things that I'm not able to let the

Lord take when it comes to what people

say or do or the problems, the the

stresses of life. I'm not able to stay

healthy because I'm not abiding in

Jesus. I'm not in the word. I'm not in

prayer. I'm not giving him my life. When

the problem at work arises, I'm not

asking him, Lord, what would you have me

do? And I would ask you today, are you

abiding in Jesus? Are you staying full

because you're connected to the water

source? Is the junk getting removed

because you don't just do it yourself,

but he's getting rid of it. Flesh in the

bad. Flesh in the things we shouldn't

do. And are we letting him keep us

healthy because we're staying true?

Isaiah 58:11 says, "And the Lord will

Isaiah 58:11

guide you continually and satisfy your

desire in scorched places and make your

bones strong." Do you do you see that?

He will satisfy continually. He'll make

your bones strong. Even when it's crazy,

even when things are going wild around

us,

that's what it's like when we stay

connected to Jesus. Our faith becomes

steadier. Our reactions become slower

and more thoughtful. Anybody Anybody

need that? Our joy becomes deeper and

less dependent on circumstances.

We're not perfect, but we're healthy in

the Lord. Connected life produces a

resil resilient faith. And I pray that

we would be a church that we are

connected to the vine. That we're always

full in the Lord. That we've let the

power of God do something in our life.

And we are always ready. And the spirit

is there. And we're always full in him.

We're always full because we're

connected to the source. The only one

that can give us strength. Not more

striving, not more religious pressure,

not what we do, but deeper connection

with the father. Colossians 2:7. Rooted

Colossians 2:7

and built up in him. When we stay

connected, there's fresh gears. It keeps

on flowing. Old burdens are pushed out

and spiritual health begins to grow. And

I want to encourage you, radiant life.

Let's go after Jesus. This snowy, this

cold, cold morning. Stay warm. Let us

know if you need anything. But most

importantly, don't get out of the flow

of what God is doing. And be connected

to him. And if you have any need in your

life, I encourage you just to give it to

him. Offer it to him. I want to pray

over you this morning. So Lord, I pray

you would bless your church. Lord,

guide, direct, be with Lord. We are

thankful for how amazing you are. And

Lord, we would pray right now that every

person, every person that would hear

this, that they'll be impacted by your

word. And Lord, let us abide in you and

stay connected to the source. We're

thankful that we can always be full. We

can always be full because of you and

your word and your spirit being

activated in our life.

We love you. We thank you, Jesus. You

are so good. In your name we pray. Amen.

Well, Radiant Life, as I mentioned at

the beginning, I encourage you turn on

some music. Go to YouTube, uh, Spotify,

Apple Music, whatever it is. Go and let

let some godly moments happen right

where you are. Spend time and we put it

together in this way and our song. No,

you with the Lord abide in him. You with

the Lord, take some moments. you with

the Lord, spend in his presence. I also

just want to encourage you as we uh head

towards the close of this that go to

radiant.family, check out the events

that are happening next Sunday, water

baptisms, uh we're going to be

dedicating babies and if you have a

child that has not been dedicated to the

Lord, you want to be baptized, one of

your kids that's, you know, eightish or

older, you may be middle age, older in

life, it doesn't matter. You want to be

baptized to tell the world that you've

given your heart to Jesus. I encourage

you this next Sunday. It's going to be a

powerful day. Do not miss it February

1st. And uh be sure to look women's

event coming up, all of the exciting

things that are happening. Get on

radiant. Family or your church center

app, take a look. Also, thank you for

continuing to give even when it's a snow

day to support what God is doing. And we

believe and I pray all the time that God

will bless you as we cheerfully give

unto the Lord. And last thing this

morning, I just want to say I love you,

Raen Life. So thankful for you. And of

course, uh, may not be Sunday morning in

the sanctuary, but it's Sunday morning

and we're closing our service today. And

so, I just want to say, be careful what

you watch, be careful what you listen

to, be careful what you talk about.

Savor the presence of Jesus. Have a

great day. God bless.