THE PARABLE OF THE WAFFLE IRON

In a past message I used a waffle iron to briefly illustrate the principle of abiding in Christ, the True Vine.  God often uses the simplest of everyday things to speak His truth to us so that we can easily understand His ways.  The more that I have thought about this particular illustration, the more I have seen the powerful lessons and applications that it holds for simple-minded believers like me.  To God be the glory!

The first U.S. patent for a waffle iron was issued on August 24, 1869 by Cornelius Swarthout.  Waffles had been around since the 14th century, but were just two plates of metal hinged together and mounted on long poles so that they could be held over a fire.  It was Mr. Swarthout, though, who invented an improved design that could be used on a wood or gas stovetop.  In 1911, General Electric introduced the first electric waffle iron.

 

Every inventor/designer has a very specific purpose in mind for what they create.  In the case of the waffle iron, the intent was simple: a pancake-like batter is poured onto the heated metal plate and the second plate is lowered on top of the first, making it possible to cook both sides of the batter at the same time.  The plates are designed to produce impressions in the finished waffle so that butter and syrup does not run off like it does on a pancake.  After the batter heats just a few minutes in the waffle iron, you have waffles.  Ingenious!  If you like waffles that is. 

 

The thing about an electric waffle iron is that it must be plugged into a live electrical outlet.  For all the beauty of its design, without being plugged into a power source, it cannot complete the function for which it was designed.  When a waffle iron is not plugged in, it still looks like a waffle iron, but it is completely useless as far as its intended purpose is concerned.  You can mix up the best batter in the world and pour it in your waffle iron, but if it isn't plugged in, you won't get waffles.  For all of its great design features, it is really about an invisible force called electricity that allows the iron to fulfill the designer's purpose.

 

Hopefully, you have guessed by now that I am not talking about waffle irons only.  There are so many ways in which we are like the waffle iron.  We have been created by the Grand Designer Himself, and there is plan and purpose in what He has made.  We have been blessed with life so that we can fulfill His purpose on earth.  People get hung up on what the will of God is, but working God's will in our lives is simply a matter of being "plugged in" to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  You see, there is an invisible force that we must be connected to if we want to experience God and be successful spiritually.  This invisible force is the very life of Jesus Christ.  In the first century, St. John wrote of Jesus and said, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).  Jesus spoke of Himself and said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), and also, "I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 10:25).  Outside of Christ, man is disconnected from God.  He/she may still look like a functioning human being, but without this connection to God he/she becomes useless.  The Jews in Jesus' day appeared to be godly people on the outside, but Jesus described them as "whitened sepulchers" who looked beautiful outwardly, but were inwardly full of dead bones.  St. Paul described them in this way, "For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:3, 4 NKJV).  It doesn't matter what kind of batter we use - if we aren't plugged in, we aren't making waffles!  We can read the Bible, we can pray, we can do good works, we can go to church; but without a continual connection to Jesus, there is no LIFE.  ALL of man's works are dead works until he becomes attached to the Source of Life.

 

Jesus used a different analogy to explain this same principle.  He said, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser...I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:1, 5 NKJV).  All of the life and nourishment of the grapevine travels from the ground through the main vine and into the branches.  The branches bear the fruit, but if they are cut off from the vine, they dry up and become useless except for firewood.  Jesus said without Him we can do nothing.  The trouble is we think we can do a lot of things, but outside of Christ there is no life in any of those things that we do.  Good or bad, they are all lifeless without Jesus.  If we want to bear fruit for God, we must be connected through the Lord.  "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  …by this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:4, 6, 8 NKJV). 

 

Colossians 2:6, 7 tells us, "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith."  There are many Christians who start out on the right foot trusting in the grace of Christ for their redemption, and rejoicing in the new life that flows into them upon conversion; but then at some point they take the reins back and start ordering their own lives, as if they no longer need God's grace and direction.  They no longer rely on Christ as the source of their power and life.  What a tragedy to see Christians who are "going through the motions" but lack the life and power that would make their efforts effectual.  If we would just learn to stay attached, connected, plugged in, to Jesus, we would discover that we are fulfilling God's purpose for our lives without even thinking about it.  The Spirit Himself would guide our actions as opportunities are presented to us.  If we encounter the hungry, and we are attached, we will feed them.  If we encounter the lost, and we are connected, we will share the Gospel.  If we encounter a broken heart, and we are plugged in, we will speak comfort.  We will bear fruit and minister life as a natural expression of being in Christ Jesus our Lord.  So, Beloved, may I just say this in closing: stay plugged in to the Lord, and start making waffles!