Glimpses of Gods heart~ Abiding

 

Abiding

The word Abide, has become my favourite word, and quite my favourite thing to do.

For me it means just to sit at the feet of Jesus and just savour each moment with Him.

It reminds me of the beautiful hymn,

Moment by moment I'm kept in His love,

Moment by moment I've life from above,

Looking to Jesus til glory doth shine,

Moment by moment, Oh Lord, I am thine.

D W Whittle

Jesus said in John 15 v 4 -5;

 Remain in me,

 " Remain in me as I also remain in you. 

No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. 

Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine and you are the branches. 

If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit, 

apart from me you can do nothing. "

The key to fruitfulness is abiding.

Jesus abides continually, and what He gives abides continually too.

But how do we remain in Him?

For me this is best illustrated in 1 Thessalonians 5 v 16

"Rejoice always, pray continually, 

give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus."

Rejoice Always, 

The abiding life overflows!

Overflow with praise!

Check out 2 Chronicles 29 v 17 and Nehemiah Chapter 9!

Get your praise on, and leave the battles to the Lord.

Christians should turn their frequency towards praise.

Praise and the enemy flees, he just can't stand it you know!

We could not praise God enough, if we started now and continued throughout eternity.

Praise the Lord my soul, let every atom and cell in my entire being, praise the name of Jesus!

 " Every second is an opportunity to praise.

There is a choosing to be made, a choosing in each moment!

This is the praise habit,

 finding God in moment by every revelatory moment, 

in the sacred and the mundane.

 In the valley and on the hill, 

in triumph and tragedy,

 and living praise erupts from it.

That is what we are made for, 

Then we will become an Alleluia from head to toe.......... " 

David Crowder 

Give thanks in all circumstances

As we praise we give Him thanks.

Did you just breath in and out? 

Did that have anything to do with you?

Give thanks and praise His Holy name. Give thanks to the life giver and King of Kings.

Always remember God's goodness to you and give Him the glory.

I love what John Piper calls Christian hedonism, to just delight in the Lord!

 " Fill me with joy in your presence Lord, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. "

 Psalm 16 v 11

To long for His presence as, " The deer pants for the water. " Psalm 42 v 1

To live a life that is outwardly simple but inwardly so rich.

Isaiah 35 v 10

 " And those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter zion singing,

Everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

And sorrow and sighing will flee away. "

"Earthly joy is perishable but heavenly joy is everlasting"     John Piper

Pray continually

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?

Tell Him everything, for me, that is the essence of abiding.

Not living two lives, spending a few moments in prayer and then forgetting all about our Awesome Father.

You wouldn't drive a car with out fuel!

It's walking with Him, 

Remaining close to Him,

Walking alongside Him,

Jesus spent time with His disciples before He ever sent them out!

For me the hardest is, learning to go at His pace.

Abiding is continuous,

Living in His grace,

Resting in Him.

It is carrying that sense of His presence with you all day long.

I love that the Jewish people say 100 blessings a day, just to remember Him, to keep Him in their minds and His name on their lips.

 "To be able at a moments notice to pour our hearts out to God and speak to our maker more intimately than we would with any human being. " Tzvi Freeman

I believe that was Davids secret, he poured his heart out before God, always, in good times and bad!

It was a relationship, and that is all our Father ever wanted!

Your power in prayer, will flow from the certainty, that the God who made you longs for you.

Our prayers and everything we do should begin and end in the knowledge of God's love.

 " But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, 

whose confidence is in Him. 

They will be like a tree planted by the water,

 that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes,

 its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought,

and never fails to bear fruit. "

Jeremiah 17 v 7- 8

But I am like an olive tree,

 flourishing in the house of God.

I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 52 v 8

There is a choosing in every moment, as 2 Corinthians 10 v 5 says , a taking each thought captive. We must choose the very thoughts we think, moment by moment.

Don't let the enemies lies steal your joy.

 Don't let fear, worrying, negative self talk, and complaining break your communion with the Holy Spirit. 

Living without His beautiful presence, is like living in a dry desert without rain!

Let the Holy Spirit refresh you every day, every day put a love song for Jesus in your heart!

Choose to meditate on scripture, choose the precious promises of our faithful God.

Then you will notice a shift, and slowly and gently the Holy Spirit  renews your mind!

And your faith will take wings and fly!