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ABIDING IN GOD
Jul 22, 2019
“Growing closer to God is not the result of "trying harder" but of surrendering more! Surrender to the Lord and you will be greatly blessed!”
I came across this quote a while back, but I have no idea who to give the credit to – because I want to honour the wisdom of that person. God wants us to surrender to Him – He’s not interested in how hard we try, but how quickly we surrender.
One of the ways that I want to suggest making surrendering to God easy is by learning to abide in Him.
John 15 is so clear about the benefits of abiding in Jesus – and the consequences of not abiding. Verse 4 (AMPC) tells us “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”
One night I couldn’t sleep, so instead of tossing and turning, I got up, made myself a warm drink and sat in the lounge contemplating this thing of ABIDING.
The next thing I knew, I was writing down a revelation from God. He was showing me how we should abide in Him
A – Adoration. Praising and worshiping Him. Praying and listening to Him. Focus on Him FIRST.
B – Being. Choosing to spend time with God. Stop the doing, and BE. There is a time and a place for the doing, but first BE.
I – Intimacy. Seeking after Him. Developing relationship with God. Getting to know God for WHO He is, and not for what He can do for us.
D – Devotion. Loving Him and receiving His love in return. Not just knowing about it, but EXPERIENCING that Love.
E – Expectant. Expecting that as we come to God we will hear, receive, grow, deepen our relationship with Him, connect with Him. Expecting that something good will happen.
Unfortunately, as humans, our default is to limit God because of our past experiences, especially when they’ve been bad or negative experiences. What is the attitude of our heart? Is our heart a heart of stone or flesh? I believe that abiding in God can change all these things and we can start having great experiences of Him, and have our hearts changed.
Augustine wrote – “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”
“There is no more life-giving pursuit you can embark on than the pursuit of God's presence. Spending time resting in him is meant to be the satisfaction that lays a foundation for you to live the life of abundance made available to you through Jesus. Your role in encountering God is simply seeking him. If you will make time to encounter him, open your heart, and have faith in his word, then you will discover the wellspring of life, joy, love, and transformation that is the presence of our heavenly Father.” (First 15 Devotional)
1 John 4:16 (ESV) “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever ABIDES in love ABIDES in God, and God ABIDES in him.” [Emphasis mine].
Today, I bless you to abide in God. I bless you to experience His love in greater measure. I bless you to know His peace surrounding you and for you to understand His vast and overwhelming affection for you. I bless you to respond to the presence of God as you abide in Him. I bless you to ADORE Him, to BE, to develop INTIMACY in a greater way than ever before. I bless your DEVOTION for God to grow and to be EXPECTANT of the goodness and greatness of God manifesting in your life. I bless you to not just see fruit in your life, but to be fruit-bearers. I bless you to find surrendering to God easy, and to find your rest in Him.
I bless you in the name of Jesus.
Jean
One of the ways that I want to suggest making surrendering to God easy is by learning to abide in Him.
John 15 is so clear about the benefits of abiding in Jesus – and the consequences of not abiding. Verse 4 (AMPC) tells us “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”
One night I couldn’t sleep, so instead of tossing and turning, I got up, made myself a warm drink and sat in the lounge contemplating this thing of ABIDING.
The next thing I knew, I was writing down a revelation from God. He was showing me how we should abide in Him
A – Adoration. Praising and worshiping Him. Praying and listening to Him. Focus on Him FIRST.
B – Being. Choosing to spend time with God. Stop the doing, and BE. There is a time and a place for the doing, but first BE.
I – Intimacy. Seeking after Him. Developing relationship with God. Getting to know God for WHO He is, and not for what He can do for us.
D – Devotion. Loving Him and receiving His love in return. Not just knowing about it, but EXPERIENCING that Love.
E – Expectant. Expecting that as we come to God we will hear, receive, grow, deepen our relationship with Him, connect with Him. Expecting that something good will happen.
Unfortunately, as humans, our default is to limit God because of our past experiences, especially when they’ve been bad or negative experiences. What is the attitude of our heart? Is our heart a heart of stone or flesh? I believe that abiding in God can change all these things and we can start having great experiences of Him, and have our hearts changed.
Augustine wrote – “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”
“There is no more life-giving pursuit you can embark on than the pursuit of God's presence. Spending time resting in him is meant to be the satisfaction that lays a foundation for you to live the life of abundance made available to you through Jesus. Your role in encountering God is simply seeking him. If you will make time to encounter him, open your heart, and have faith in his word, then you will discover the wellspring of life, joy, love, and transformation that is the presence of our heavenly Father.” (First 15 Devotional)
1 John 4:16 (ESV) “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever ABIDES in love ABIDES in God, and God ABIDES in him.” [Emphasis mine].
Today, I bless you to abide in God. I bless you to experience His love in greater measure. I bless you to know His peace surrounding you and for you to understand His vast and overwhelming affection for you. I bless you to respond to the presence of God as you abide in Him. I bless you to ADORE Him, to BE, to develop INTIMACY in a greater way than ever before. I bless your DEVOTION for God to grow and to be EXPECTANT of the goodness and greatness of God manifesting in your life. I bless you to not just see fruit in your life, but to be fruit-bearers. I bless you to find surrendering to God easy, and to find your rest in Him.
I bless you in the name of Jesus.
Jean