Once in a while I will hear someone say "I get this abiding thing, I just don't do it!" I have heard this so many times that this statement has begun to trouble me. The statement seems to say "Abiding is for special, not so busy people." It seems to say, "One of these days when my life calms down I will abide, too."
Not so! Every single person is abiding right now. There are no exceptions. Every single person at this moment is being stimulated by some source that they are counting on as the best way to navigate the situation they are currently facing. Every human being must find an adequate stimulus to face what they must face.
Imagine you are in a canoe going down a river that is picking up speed and heading for rapids. You must go with the river. That choice is already made. Whether you paddle, pray or jump out and swim is your choice. Not going with the river is not your choice. Even if you decide to drown, you will still go with the river. As reality moves on we go with it. It is how we abide as it moves that makes the difference. We must all abide in the reality in which we move.
Jesus in us offers a new way to abide. It is a living, abundant way as opposed to our normal coping. Coping is our normal abiding way that has gotten us this far. We get to choose to abide in Jesus. We do not get to choose not to abide at all. Read Jesus' wonderful words to the woman at the well in John 4 and you will see how He offers her a new way to abide--a living way that will work.
Mike Wells says "Whatever gets your attention gets you." We are always paying attention to our best hope to get through every day. We all are seeking the greatest satisfaction and the best solution as we live and move and have our being. We all abide through the day.
In reality we all get this abiding, attention thing since we do it all the time as naturally as we find food and drink every day.
By the way, abiding is not for some special breed of non-busy people who have time to do it. Abiding is what we are all doing right now. The only question is if we want to abide in Jesus as our only option to do more than cope the way we always have.
You are abiding right now. You can be reading this blog with your eyes and your mind, but in your inner person you are tenaciously guarding your connection to your greatest hope for a satisfying life. As surely as you breathe while you do everything else, you hold on to your greatest hope as you do everything else. Let Jesus be that greatest hope that you treasure and you will bear the fruit of abiding in Him.
Abiding in Jesus is beyond coping. It is overcoming the world moment by moment for the glory of God. It is not the hardest way to live. It is the easiest and most joyful way to live.
Never think you are not abiding. You are. The question is "At the very center of my being as reality picks up speed who or what gets my attention?" Discover the answer to this question about you and you will find out why you react to reality as you do.
1 comment:
Hi,
This is Kris Knowles, missionary in Portugal. I met you a few months ago when you gave to speak to students, pastors in Lisbon. I work with Paulo Pascoal. Anyways, I've ended up writing on article on the need for the Christian church to reclaim the Sabbath as a way to help manage stress. In my article, I mention you by name as well as your book. I plan to translate the article into Portuguese but wanted to provided you the opportunity to give feedback (if you desire) since I mention you. Drop me an email at KKnowles (at) gemission (dot) com and I can send you the article via email. Thanks, Kris
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