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Aug 05, 2026 06:00am

Plugged Into the Power

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I don’t know if there’s anything that makes my mouth water more than the smell of pot roast cooking in the crockpot.
Sundays often feel rushed, so to make lunch easier, I had decided to put a roast in the crockpot that morning. I cut up the potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery and put those in. I seasoned the roast and placed it on top. And I like to use a beef soup packet to add flavor, so I stirred that with a little water and dumped it in too. I put the lid on and turned the knob to high so it would be ready once we got in from church.
Even just thinking about it now makes me hungry.
As we returned from church, I unlocked the front door and pushed it in. I fully expected to be hit with the delicious aroma of roast beef when I walked in.
But when I took a breath in,
I didn’t smell a thing.
Had something happened? Had the power gone off? I turned on the light switch and the lights came on, so that wasn’t it.
And then, it hit me. My stomach sank. I walked over to the slow cooker and everything looked just as it should, but then I saw it.
I had forgotten to plug it in.
😣

Ugh! Not only was I missing out on one of my favorite meals, but now I would have to find something else to whip up for lunch for the family. And, not to mention, meat prices are so high and I just felt sick about it.

How could I have made that mistake?
The slow cooker, as good as it is, is worthless without the power.

1 Thessalonians 1:5
“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”
Paul was writing a letter to the Thessalonians. Then, Thessalonica was part of the Roman Empire and was a wealthy and flourishing trade center due to its location on the Aegean Sea. This was a place full of various cultures and traditions because of the trade, which also meant the people brought with them their different religions. Planting a church in an area like this would have been difficult due to the pagan influence, but Paul was obedient to the Lord and knew these people needed the gospel.
This letter wasn’t written to rebuke the church there. Instead, Paul was praising them for their faith. He knew their faith was real because of one thing:
The power of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 5, Paul said the gospel didn’t come to them in word only, but with the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s how they were changed. That’s how true transformation takes place. It cannot happen without the power of the Spirit.
It’s like that slow cooker. You can do your best, feel like you’ve got all the right ingredients, but without plugging into the power, there’s no transformation. It’s worthless.

Salvation is only possible by the power of the Spirit. No matter how many things we do, our best is still worthless.
What are you trusting in? Is it your own merit, your works? Or have you put your faith in Jesus alone to save you and trusted in His power to transform you?