"Abide in me, and I in you."
~ John 15:4
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever
abides in me and I in him, it is he that bears much fruit, for
apart from you you can do nothing."
~ John 15:5
"If you abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By
this my Father is glorified."
~ John 15:7-8
" Abide in my love."
~ John 15:9
Abide. Abide. Abide. What does it mean?
According to Dictionary.com, abide
means:
- “to remain; continue; stay”
- “to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.”
- “to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting”
- “to have one's abode; dwell; reside”
- “to accept without opposition or question”
- “to pay the price or penalty of; suffer for”
That last one really grabbed my
attention, but the definitions I want to focus on right now are other
ones listed. It's the idea of persistence, perseverance, and bold
commitment. A constant communion with. An unswerving, intentional
relationship. All directly used in the context of our relationship
with God in John 15. This has been resonating in my heart and soul
over the last month on outreach.
I want to share with you a portion of a
prayer from my journal a few weeks ago:
“God! This is the cry
of my heart! I come to you completely satisfied, yet desperately
hungry for more of you. You never end. Show me your true face in
greater measure than ever before! ... It is that beautiful thought
that you are closer than the air I breathe and still you beckon me
further into your embrace... Make my eyes to see your face. Let my
spirit never slumber. Let my soul never sleep. You are true. Let your
presence be my only reality... This is the cry of my heart.”
(December 17th, 2014)
Matthew 11:28-29 says that God's yoke
is easy and his burden is light. When we come to him, he promises
rest for our souls. Even in the midst of leading a team by myself and
all the responsibilities and stresses it presents, I have found
myself unexplainably free of the weight of it all because of the
goodness and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is faithful to
respond when we earnestly seek him and ask him to strip everything
else away. It has been a painful and joy-filled process and it
continues to present new obstacles to overcome with the help of my
Father.
It can be a frightening prospect,
asking the Lord to show you what it means to abide. Because the Lord
is holy and perfect. And we are not. But he sees us as a saints and
calls us to perfection:
“You therefore must
be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
~ Matthew 5:48
The process of
purification will undoubtedly be painful at times, because it is a
purging of human nature and everything that is not pleasing to the
Lord. It will test your limits and challenge your very mindset. But
the Lord promises that nothing is impossible with him and that we can
do all things through the strength of Christ. The all-powerful Lord
is more than able to carry us through anything that presents itself
in our lives, especially if it is a result of our pursuit of him. He
is faithful. And his desire is to ABIDE with his children.
That's the whole
gospel. God loves his kids and because he didn't want us to be
robots, mindlessly obeying his every whim. He created us with brains
to discover, hearts that long for love, personalities that are
creative and unique, and the will and passion to live life to the
fullest. He didn't create us because he was lonely. He is in constant
and perfect communion with the three parts of himself. The Father,
Son and Spirit are consistently and forever in a perfect, selfless
union that cannot be broken. God cannot be separated from himself. He
created humankind to be a reflection of the his relationship with the
glorious trinity. Everything that is, in its original, intended
state, is a direct reflection of the beautiful Creator. And the thing
that blows my mind is that he absolutely desires my heart. My mind.
My thoughts. My concerns. My hopes. My dreams. My talents. My life.
I am discovering
what it means to abide with the King of Kings. My Creator. My
Saviour. My Father. My Counsellor. My Friend.
He is beckoning you
further into his embrace. Will you respond? Will you allow him to
take you on a journey of purging and refining that will shake your
foundation and rebuild it on the truth of who He is and who you are?
Will you ask the Father to show you what it means to be satisfied and
desperate at the same time? This is why we are alive. It's ultimately
up to you.
These are the
musings I have had that hopefully have made it on to paper in words
that make sense. It is the last day of 2014. I am STOKED to begin the
new year with a revelation of what it means to abide with my God. And
I am excited that this journey of discovery never ends. God is way to
big for anyone to say they have grasped it all and there is nothing
left to learn. I just really love my Lord!!
We have 18 days
left in the Philippines and we are looking forward to all that the
Lord will continue to do in and through us here and when we go home.
Click HERE to watch a video that will brighten your day!
As always, thank
you (Salamat Po!) for your love, prayer and support!
Thank you to the
Lord for his grace and faithfulness!
Lots and lots and
lots of love!
Moira
xoxo