Tag Archives: Joshua 24:15

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.

 

 

Fresh squeezed

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One of the small joys of summer is Marci’s home-made, fresh squeezed lemonade. It’s a hit around here and knowing it was lovingly made seems to add to the flavor.

 

Our family is big on another type of fresh squeeze; hugs of course. Hugs on seeing each other and hugs when leaving. My mom considers herself a bit of a hug therapist and reckons each of us needs 2 hugs a day just to stay healthy, more to grow happy. 🙂

 

But not all squeezing is welcomed. There’s the financial squeeze, the temperamental squeeze, the relational squeeze, the health squeeze, and so many other life squeezes. In fact there it seems we find ourselves frequently squeezed by the undesired circumstances in life. A flat tire in the rain, a hurtful word come our way, daily pain and disappointment, too much work, or no work at all. Every day we find ourselves squeezed in some way. The pressures brought on by leukemia squeezed both of us quite a bit. The loss of a loved one, or the stress caused by conflict also squeezes us.

 

The important question is, how do we respond when we are squeezed? When you squeeze a fruit, the juice of the fruit comes out. But when we are squeezed, what escapes might not be so sweet. What comes out when you are squeezed? Do even the small disruptions and disappointment bring out anger, disgust, fear, doubt, perhaps even vengeance? Or are you learning to respond with a degree of patience, knowing that this circumstance does not control you, that this too shall pass?

 

The late Steven Covey said one thing that separates man from other animals is the ability to create a reflective gap between a stimulus that provokes us and our reaction to it. In this gap we can train and discipline ourselves to turn to God for His direction. Imagine how things might have been different when Adam was squeezed by the temptation of eating from the forbidden tree, if he would have created a gap and asked his daddy for His advice. Our God-given ability to create a gap when we are squeezed allows us to take a breath, consult the Holy Spirit for His counsel and to choose to follow His nature in us.

 

Ugliness is a choice and so is beauty. The lack of planning how we will respond when squeezed is a plan to choose poorly under pressure. Better to choose and discipline yourself NOW regarding how you will react when squeezed. Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Can you see how deciding ahead of time helped him to choose well when he was squeezed? The same gift is yours. You don’t have to be a squeeze victim. Choose now to let God’s sweetness come out when you are squeezed.