To Abide

I was writing a letter the other day in response to one of my very dearest friends, and it got me thinking more and more about what it really is to ABIDE in Christ. While that wasn't the primary topic of our discussion, it was an important one. I was talking about the connection between the Promised Land, which is the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives for His glory, and our abiding in Christ as His words abide in us. This is all a give and take; it all flows together and works as a single unit by faith, but also by walking in LOVE to God, ourselves, and one another.

Part of what I wrote her said, 

"So, as Jesus said if His words abide in us and we abide in Him, we must remember this includes YES, commandments to LOVE GOD first, ourselves, then others, but others equally... it includes YES, being TEACHABLE as His true DISCIPLES, who follow in His footsteps and as "sheep," know His voice... but it ALSO includes His PROMISES, which are inherently CONTINGENT on following Him and trusting Him and loving Him....as long as we are doing all we can for Him in EXCELLENCE, there is NO SUCH THING as failure!!! If a dream comes to pass, then to God be the glory, but we must ALSO be willing to say, if it doesn't it wasn't that God didn't want it to happen, and it isn't because we failed, but that everyone involved... EVERYONE involved in any given promise has free will.... God makes Himself VULNERABLE to us, and in doing so, shows us His love all the more!!! He decided from the get-go to include humanity in co-creating the world, and one way we do so is with our SPOKEN words, but another is the words of our MINDS and HEARTS. Sometimes, God says one thing but the people involved don't all line up with what He said. I believe GOD ALWAYS sees the BEST END FROM THE BEGINNING when He gives us a word, and it is up to us to do our part, but it is also for us to forgive those who might not do THEIRS. And SOMETIMES it looks, sounds, or feels like someone isn't doing their part, and then as soon as we GIVE IT TO GOD because, in reality, we have been trying to PILOT THE DREAM OURSELVES into existence, He truly CAN take over and fulfill the promise He gave us in the beginning in spite of ourselves, and there we are, walking into the Promised Land!!"

Thank you to WeHeartIt.com for today's images.

 If we willingly follow Jesus' teachings and lifestyle, we do so in loving obedience. And to this we are called: to not only FOLLOW, but to ABIDE in and with Him. To abide is to last a long time; to endure. It is to continue on together without changing course, like a ship on a mission from one port to another. The storms may come, but He is to be our CAPTAIN!

In the storm, Jesus is not only our CAPTAIN, but our PEACE! We are called not to fear, doubts, and worries, but to FAITH, to love, to grace, to peace and to joy!

There is NO NEED to hold on to the baggage of worries and fears. There is a time to hold things, and a time to let go. And there is something Good to hold to, and something Harmful. A quote from Jan Glidewell reminds us, "You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present." How true is that? Pretty true! And more importantly, if we are holding onto the past, what about the future, and what about the Savior?

To abide in Christ is to CLING TO HIM instead of anything else. Nothing else compares to the LOVE HE has shed abroad in our hearts, and the love that He demonstrated through His life and death and resurrection, and continues to show in His eternal life as He sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us because He loves us that much!

And HOW are we to abide in Christ? What can I DO to embrace the Messiah? "I've tried; I've failed," you might say. "And sometimes, I've given up..."

Here is the secret... the MYSTERY of abiding and the FULFILLING OF IT is to allow the Holy Spirit in. Don't grieve Him or block Him from the role that He is to play in your heart and life. He is to be an interceder on our behalf, as well as our Comforter, and He is to be our GUIDE into ALL LOVE and TRUTH, and if Jesus Christ is TRUTH and LOVE HIMSELF, then doesn't it stand to reason that the Spirit's presence is necessary in order to commune with the Father and therefore glorify the SON?

Hakuna Matata! No worries. Just TRUST GOD and believe that He is doing His part. If you are reading this still, that's a good sigh, indeed. It means that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, even now, in your secret heart, and helping you along the way toward your ultimate destiny. There is a REASON you are reading this!

I hope this has been a blessing to you today, as much as I have been blessed mulling over it and meditating on it. We are to ABIDE with and in Christ, and He promises to abide in us in return. Isn't that a WONDERFUL challenge, and a graciously awesome gift?!

If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, why not give Him a shot? I tell you what... if you will make the decision to trust Him to be faithful through thick and thin, I can assure you He will always be there for you and do all He can and desires to bless you, in each area of your life. The MORE of your life you surrender to Him, the more He will be glorified through your life and bless you in return!

While we don't believe in Him BECAUSE of what He will do for us, it's a lovely thought to know that because He loves us SO MUCH, all we need is to step toward Him at any given point and He will be there, proving His love once more.