Tag Archives: abide in me

Do you (really) love me?

In one scene from Fiddler On The Roof, Tevye ask his wife of 25 years, “Do you love me?” She exclaims, “Do I love you?!” She lists all the things she has done for him in the course of their marriage. Affirming this, Tevye asks again, “Yes, but do you love me?” She ponders 25 years of living with and taking care of this man, concluding with a sigh that she does indeed love him.

God asked this same question of you and me every day. Like Tevye’s wife we might answer in amazement, “Are you kidding? I go to church. I give money. I read the bible and pray …at least a few minutes every day.” And quietly, God replies, “Yes, but do you love me?”

We’re reminded of Peter’s experience with this same question. Three times Jesus asks Peter with increasing intensity. By the third time, I imagine Peter’s eyes were filled with tears, remembering how much indeed he did love Jesus, though his behaviors had contradicted that love. Jesus wasn’t looking to ‘beat up’ Peter for his mistakes. He was looking to renew Peter’s fellowship with Him. I think He is asking us the same questions:

Do you love me… enough to trust me?
Sometimes it’s hard to trust. Of all the rooms in our life, the waiting room is perhaps the most difficult. Presented with lots of pain and anxiety but few answers, we’re quickly tempted to try any door marked “exit!” We just want to escape. But the question rings in our ears: “Do you love me enough to trust me, your sovereign God, even while you wait?”

Do you love me… enough to obey me?
Here’s the truth: we obey what we love and really trust. A reporter once scoffed mother Teresa saying, “How can you expect to be successful ministering to all the poor and hurting people?! There are too many!” She responded with truth, “I’m not called to be successful, only faithful.” And the question burns in our ears, “Do you love me enough to obey in faith?”

Do you love me… enough to abide in me?
Marcia and I have always enjoyed spending time together, but the cancer journey further enhanced our appreciation of simply abiding together. God wants us to abide in Him wherever we go, whatever we do. It doesn’t matter if it’s doing the dishes or paying the bills. Abiding implies contentment and satisfaction. “Do you love me and find satisfaction when abiding in me?”
As we conclude this week of emphasis on the Go Light Our World missions, we invite you to partner with GLOW in regular times of prayer and through your tax-deductible gifts. Beyond that, we invite you to consider your relationship with Jesus. LOVE is the mark of a devoted Christian. Let your love be marked by your faith-in-action. Let your answer be always, “Yes Lord!” Because if it is not ‘yes’, to Him, then who is Lord in your life?

Abide in Me

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Do you remember singing your ABCs? As a child we learned a lot of things through song and verse. Some of them may have stuck with you as life lessons. In a world of constantly changing moral directions it behooves us to look to the source of wisdom that never changes, that always is true to course. With that in mind let’s take some time over the coming weeks to consider some ABCs worth memorizing and living well.

As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. John 15:4

Each day we make countless decisions, many of them unknown to our conscious mind. Some are trivial but many are essential to living as we were intended. The leader Joshua put a choice before his people: Don’t be wishy-washy. Either follow false gods or follow the one true God. Then, as if to drive a symbolic stake in the ground, he made his choice firmly known. “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Okay, so you’ve already made this choice before. But have you declared it today? It serves us well, before we start on our list of daily to-dos to declare, “Above all else today, I will serve the Lord.” It’s not a matter of “Look at me and see what I can do,” but rather a determination to acknowledge your real identity as a follower of Christ and to stand firm in that calling. Repeat this declaration throughout the day when you are tempted to act in ungodly ways.

Recognize that you are powerless to do this in your own strength. Jesus says, “Abide in me and I in you.” Jesus-in-me is my only hope. I can start out the day with great plans and strategies but ultimately my accomplishments, if they are to bear lasting goodness, depend on me remaining in Jesus. You’ll fail at this many times today. So will I. Our minds will wander. Our motives will fall prey to our self-seeking desires. But at any time you can (and must) return to the source of your real power. Guess what? He will be expecting you…with open arms!

Decide today whom you will serve and remain in the one who gives you strength and wisdom to live the day well.

A One in a Million Answer for You