Let It Never Be Said of Us

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  Matthew 7:21-23 People who truly know Jesus and are known by Jesus never say "Lord, look what we did for you!" Once  disciples come to really know Jesus the idea of independent human action and results worthy of pride vanishes from their vocabulary. People who know Jesus are heard saying words like  "It was not us but the grace of God at work in us."   People in whom Christ is formed clearly understand Jesus' words in John 15 "Without Me you can do nothing." Humans were created for receptivity and cooperation with the source of every good work.  Humans were created to receive from God, rejoice in what is received from God and release everything with God as continuous love. The true Christian experience is called "oneness" and there is no room in oneness for independent action for which we expect to be rewarded. A failure to see all we are and all we do as being one with God is lawlessness.  Let it never be said of us that we did it alone.  "In your name"  is not enough.   Abiding in Him is the way.   Bud McCord Abide International

Looking For Jesus

"Christ in you the hope of glory." Col. 1: 27b Where did you look for Jesus this morning?   Did you search for HIm in the pages of your Bible?  Did you search for Him in the annointing of some preacher?  Did you search for Him in a daily devotional?  Did you search for Him in you? Jesus lives in you right now.  He is never far from you.  He is never far from any believer. He lives in you so you can live His life.  He wants far more than your best attempt to imitate Him.  He wants nothing less than your willingness to live Him. When Jesus said in John 15 "Without Me you can do nothing" He was calling you to abandon imitation and embrace incarnation.  Living Him right now is the goal not imitating Him right now. Living Him begins the moment you awaken each day.  How you decide to look for Him defines whether you can or will live Him.  Looking for Him anywhere else except in you will mean you will be at best an imitation of Jesus. The world needs to see Him alive today in you.  Even our best imitation of Jesus is never enough for the glory of God to appear among men.   Bud McCord Abide International

Having Begun

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?  Galatians 3.3 Every true believer in Christ has begun in the Spirit. They have begun in the discovery of God's continuous generosity in Jesus. They have begun by simple receptivity. They have begun by faith. All any believer has ever done for forgiveness and salvation is believe. All that came to them from God came to them as they simply opened their spirit to God's Spirit and received. When believers begin in pure receptivity no matter how little they understand about receiving from God they find the true spiritual nature of all things. They find that God is the source of all that is perfect and all that perfects and He is generous to those who simply receive. It is easy to believe there must be more than receptivity. As is common among all believers the Spiritual beginning is so wonderful, but the journey into continuous spiritual receptivity is a battle to unlearn and put off the stubborn habits of the flesh.  The flesh is the opposite of receptivity. The flesh is human activity inspired by Satan who is the spirit of negativity to God's' activity. The flesh (human activity) lusts against the Spirit (God's activity ). This is the battle every Christian faces each day: Our daily question is: Will I receive moment by moment from God's activity the perfection I need to love perfectly or will I make another attempt to perfect myself and my love with my own mental, emotional and volitional activity? Jesus told the famous woman at the well in John 4 that she could be done with her iiresome drawing of daily water with a bucket and rope.  She could be done, but she would have to learn to drink from a fountain of living water instead of a bucket she controlled. Bucket and rope is work. Drinking from a fountain is receiving. Bucket and rope is flesh. Fountain is Spirit. Learning to drink from moving, bubbling abundant water is a new skill for all humans who come to Christ. The truth is, the continously generous fountain of God in Christ by the Spirit has made its home in every believer. Even so, many believers refuse to let go of their bucket and rope in their search for satisfaction and perfection in their own efforts. It is time to throw the bucket and rope out and learn to drink deeply of the living water which is Christ in you the hope of glory.  And when those bucket and rope salesmen come back to your door, just smile and tell them your satisfied with the fountain you have in Jesus   Bud McCord Abide International