Abiding in Him
1 John 2:24-29 24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.
I love the word “abiding” and what it means in the context of our relationship with Christ. According to the Bible, abiding means to stay connected, dwell, or remain in a continuous, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
In the 21st century it is easier than ever to stay connected. Texting, emailing, and calling can all be done on cell phones, tablets, and even watches. I know it is hard to believe but many of us grew up without these devices. As a child we had an operator direct our calls, and there were party lines which means we shared one line among multiple households.
If we were away from home, it was not so simple to reach another person. We had to find a phone booth (think Superman’s changing room) or sometimes ask a business owner for the use of his phone. But have any of our modern conveniences made it any easier to draw closer to God?
I would say our cell phones have made accessibility easier, but they have also provided more distractions. What a shame.
May we understand that to draw closer to God, our focus should be on Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A promise for old age
Isaiah 46:4 4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:9-11 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.
As I am now advanced in age, I am more aware of promises in the scriptures to those of us whose bloom may have faded. My prayer is that I may be of use to the kingdom until I take my last breath.
But how can I be assured that God hears me and will answer my prayer? Because He says He will sustain me. In other words, God has promised He will comfort me in my trials, and He will carry me when I cannot walk.
I recall a sermon I did extolling the attributes of God. I listed some of the many things God can do, but then I said, “Did you know there is something God cannot do?”
A little girl in the first row answered very loudly. “God can do anything!” I said, “That’s right. God can do anything, except lie. Numbers 23:19 says, “who am I that I should lie?”
So how do I know God will answer my prayers? Because He said so and He has done so.
May we wait upon the Lord, knowing and believing that God is faithful and He is true, and when He says it, it is already done.
And by the way, the little girl who spoke up during my sermon was the last person I baptized before I retired. So rest in Him.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And He set my feet on Solid Rock
Psalms 40:1-3 (NIV) 1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Have you ever been stuck in a bog? A few years ago, I was playing golf and while trying to retrieve an errant ball I stepped into a place that was much wetter than I realized. Suddenly I was thigh deep in a thick, glue-like substance. Memories of old Tarzan movies flashed through my head as I wondered how many deaths due to quicksand had occurred in Arkansas.
Well, Larry finally noticed I was missing and with much effort he extracted me from the place of my captivity. I could not help but think of the song we sang so many years ago and I recognized the parallel between this physical quagmire and the way sin can pull us down, down, down with little hope of salvation.
Oh, but there is hope, and that hope is found in Jesus alone. When we are seemingly lost, stuck in our sins, just say Jesus.When we have friends or loved ones who are on a merry go round of destruction, just say Jesus. In that moment you will find power, you will find peace and you will release.
May we quit struggling and begin resting in God’s unfailing love.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen..
He Brought Me Out
1. My heart was distressed ’neath Jehovah’s dread frown,
And low in the pit where my sins dragged me down;
I cried to the Lord from the deep miry clay,
Who tenderly brought me out to golden day.
Refrain:
He brought me out of the miry clay,
He set my feet on the Rock to stay;
He puts a song in my soul today,
A song of praise, halleluja!
2. He placed me upon the strong Rock by His side,
My steps were established and here I’ll abide;
No danger of falling while here I remain,
But stand by His grace until the crown I gain.
Jesus, our Savior and Lord
1 John 2:12-17 12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
because you have conquered the evil one.
14 I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young people,
because you are strong
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.
In reading today’s Scripture, I find it interesting that John does not limit his teaching to a select group but instead writes to multiple generations. And what does he want them to know? He essentially is reminding them of who God is and who they are in God. He says that craving the things of this world only separates us from God. And he reinforces the idea that if we love Jesus our actions will reflect that love.
Have you ever wondered why we who have surrendered to Christ, do not always act like Christ followers? Perhaps the answer lies in the idea of surrender. It is one thing to accept Jesus as our Savior, but quite another to accept Him as our Lord.
What is the difference? Jesus our Savior bought our salvation and restored us to a right relationship with God our Father. Oh, but Jesus our Lord is our Master. And that is what defines us as Christ followers and what separates us from those who know who Jesus is but do not serve Him.
May we determine that when we choose to accept salvation, we will likewise choose to follow and to obey.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Communion with the Father
1 John 1:1-3 (MSG) 1-2 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
3-4 We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
Because we are so far removed from the resurrection side of the Cross, we sometimes forget that Christianity was under attack almost from its inception. We can be thankful that people like John were there to speak out against error and to illuminate our understanding.
I sometimes use The Message paraphrase because it can clarify the Scripture, but in this instance I can see where it could be misunderstood. Doesn’t the following verse sound somewhat magical? “The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen!”
But the incarnation of Jesus was in no way magical. Instead, it was supernatural! And John, an eyewitness to these incredible events, relates them to us. Why? So that we, too, can take part in the wonderful gift of salvation and all of its benefits.
What are the benefits of salvation? Forgiveness, redemption and restoration, of course, along with a closeness with our Heavenly Father that we would miss otherwise.
May we spend at least a portion of each day soaking up His Word and listening for His voice.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 