Tag Archives: John 15:4

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.

 

 

Awake or asleep?

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We never know exactly when we fall asleep at night. At some point we close our eyes to the world. Our heart rate slows down and our body temperature decreases. Reality fades away as we enter a world of dreams. In a deep sleep we may even get out of bed and not be aware of our activities.

 

Falling asleep spiritually follows a similar pattern. We become tired of living with purpose and close our eyes to our true calling. Apathy sets in and compromising situations start to take on more appeal. We think to ourselves, “It can’t be bad if it makes me so happy.” If we don’t wake up to our senses we will find our spiritual temperature lowering. What used to be a burning passion for God’s ways cools to a lukewarm condition. And this dangerous coolness allows us to slip into a deeper trance-like sleep where reality blurs into a foggy road where we easily lose our way. Like Samson of old, we allow the Delilah’s of our age to lull us to sleep.  From an outsider’s perspective we may look the same, but inside we find ourselves drifting further and further from our purposed path.

 

The good news is that just as living in compromise makes us drowsy to God’s calling, so does His Spirit consistently urge us to wake up. There are numerous practical ways to stay spiritually ‘awake.’

  • Examine yourself as David did. “Search me O God. Know my heart.”
  • Be accountable to someone in whom you can trust to be honest about your struggles.
  • Stay grounded in God’s Word. Beyond rote memorization, earnestly seek to apply wisdom practically to your life.
  • Rest! Really rest. An effective method of not falling asleep at inappropriate times is to rest when you need to. Jesus is calling you: “Come to me all of you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  Cease striving. Be still. Know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) Remain intently in Jesus. Your accomplishments mean nothing without Him.  (John 15:4)

 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41