A Good Death

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  John 15:12-13

Friendshhip is a beautiful form of love.  Friendship is so powerfujl as love it can even create a good death.

As friendships develop in this hostile world life expands into more and more beautiful moments and possibiliites.  At the same time life is expanding threats to that life expansion appear.  Great friendships will arouse the attention of evil.  Evil hates love.

When evil comes against great friendships hard choices among friends must be made.  To move evil’s attention and power away from  friendship a willingness to die must appear.

There comes a time in love and friendship where not everyone can continue on.

When that moment comes great love will inspire one of the friends to say  “Keep going on expanding our love and friendship.  I will stop here because I love seeing your love keep expanding.”

A good death is one that keeps love expanding.  A good death is unforgettable among friends.  The friend who dies so we can love is never forgotten.

Bud McCord

Abide International

I Am

God is one.  God is Trinity.  So simple. So profound. So wonderful.  

The Father, the Son and Holy Spirit are together the One great I AM.

The Father is the One who Intends.

The Son is One who Acts.

The Spirit is the One who Moves.

As One they are the three who together Intend, Act and Move .

When holy Intention,  holy Action and  holy Movement are One then Love exists forever.

Now  in Jesus the great I AM has made human lives the sanctuary of Divine life and Oneness.

So simple.

So profound.

So Wonderful.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[e] believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, arein Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” John 17:20-23

Bud McCord

Abide International

The Life of Jesus Then and Now

Has there ever been a better life lived than the life lived by Jesus? Has any greater demonstration of giving been offered? Has any greater teaching been heard? Is there another story of forgiveness that comes close to his forgiveness? Who on our planet today even comes close to Jesus? If every person took seriously the entire story of Jesus during one year could they dismiss him as irrelevant? Could they easily move on to someone better for next year's study? Would living all of Jesus' commands reveal that they still fit in every human situation today as they did when he first taught? Is loving better ever irrelevant? Would seeing his commands lived inspire the kind of behavior we long to see in our neighbor and in ourselves? Is his call to love our enemies still revolutionary now as it was then? Do his words still move us to be more human, more loving? Does anyone today offer anything more than Jesus? Some say Christianity has had its day and it belongs to the past. Can the same be said of Jesus? Jesus is the humanity and divinity we all hope exists. Believing in him is affirming humanity and divinity do exist. Living Jesus now is inviting others to meet humanity and divinity with us today. There is no better life than Jesus' life lived right now in every believer. Jesus' life is still here. Every disciple is so close to Jesus they can still live His life right now. Live the Jesus from back then right now. "Christ in you the hope of glory." "For to me to live is Christ." "It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me" "Christ is all and is in all." Bud McCord Abide International

A Christ Centered Life

“For to me to live is Christ…” Phil. 1:21

What constitutes the center of a Christian life well lived?

Is the center accumulated Biblical knowledge?

Is the center disciplined Chrisitan thinking about life?

Is the center cultivated Christian discipline?

Is the center obeying Christian principles that match the design of the universe?

Is the center passion for social justice in the world?

Is the center a retreat from the outer world?

Is the center death to self?

Is the center action for the cause of Jesus?

Is the center the church I attend?

The center of the Christian life is a living Person.

The center of a Christian life well lived is continuous cooperation with Christ who is the Christian life within every believer. The center of a Christian life well lived is Christ in us.  He is the source and hope of all Christian living.

As disciples we lose our way when anything or anyone else except Christ is our center.   We lose our way, the circumference of our love shrinks and God’s glory is not seen when Christ is not our life.

The Christian life well lived is living Jesus well.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Jesus He is or He is not

We live in a time when many people prefer not to take things to a universal conclusion.  People prefer to preach tolerance of all conclusions in the hope that tolerance will become the universal conclusion.  Their hope is we will all finally get along when all conclusions are equally valid. Even though tolerance has become one of the few cherished virtues left in western cultures, tolerance cannot save humanity from reality. Reality comes to conclusions and so must we. If there is a hope for all of humanity it will take finding the right conclusion about reality.  Tolerance should be a part of this human search, but tolerance cannot be the goal of this search. Reality must be taken seriously by all.   Reality has the final word. Jesus clearly said that He is the revelation of all the reality that saves humanity.  He said he was, is and always will be truth spoken in love for humanity. He claimed to be the final word. Jesus declared Himself to be the universal conclusion.  Jesus as the universal conclusion is what historic Christianity has always affirmed. Jesus as the universal reality is what Christians have tried to live. It is arriving at Jesus as our conclusion which has allowed Christians to be tolerant of others who still search for the conclusion.  Christians risk their lives in many cultures calling people to come to a universal conclusion about Jesus because some cultures allow no search for conclusions beyond what they affirm.  The most tolerant cultures on earth have developed out of Christian conclusions about Jesus. Jesus gave people time and space to come to Him as the conclusion.  He still does  through his disciples. The logical conclusion about Jesus is he either was or was not all he claimed to be. Christians believe Jesus is the loving conclusion concerning everything. Not everyone believes He is.  Some violently affirm He is not. Jesus never asked that people would tolerate Him. Reality is not to be simply tolerated.  Jesus clearly called people to come to a believing conclusion about Him.  By what He said and by what He did He continues to allow humanity to come to a conclusion about Him and then live Him as that conclusion. Where Christians live Jesus as the loving universal conclusion, tolerance will be present. Where tolerance is made the universal conclusion expect to see people become intolerant of those who insist that conclusions do matter. Jesus remains humanity’s best hope for a satisfying conclusion to reality and the best hope for tolerance among the searchers. Bud McCord Abide International

A Relationship With Jesus - Deep, Light and Generous

A  relationship with Jesus, the true Vine, is deep. 

In the beginning the branch receives from the Vine without knowing the true depth of the Vine's capacity to give of its wealth. As the branch receives  and releases all that comes freely from the Vine a knowledge of the Vine's depth begins to grow. The branch dives into this depth more and more.  No matter how much the branch draws from Jesus there is always more. What a discovery!

A relationship with Jesus, the true Vine, is light.

Receiving repeatedly from the depths of generosity found in Jesus the branch discovers a great mystery. The deeper the branch dives into Jesus' depths the lighter becomes the task of simply being a branch. Deeper in Jesus means a lightness in being me!  Being a simple, Jesus supported branch makes me the person I enjoy being. 

What a relief!

A relationship with Jesus, the true Vine, is generous.

Finally from depth and lightness in Jesus comes a growing generosity. Releasing love threatens the branch no more.  What threatens the branch is to not release generously.  How can I not love when I have leaned into the depths of Jesus and found Him making my life so much lighter? What an opportunity!

I dive into the depths of Jesus’ love. I am lifted to a life of less weight.  I am inspired to lovingly and generously give. Jesus, the true Vine, promised abundant life and He is that life abiding in me.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Orientation

The list of personal orientations seems to be expanding exponentially.

My political orientation is….

My sexual orientation is…

My religious orientation is….

My gender orientation is….

My life orientation is…

My environmental orientation is…

My moral oriention is….

My financial orientation is…

As the list of possible human orientations grows, respect for each person’s orientations has now become one of society’s most passionately defended values. Intolerance of other’s orientations is fast becoming society’s new scarlet letter.  Instead of an “A” for adultery, we may soon see a big public “O” put on people for failing to repect orientations.

The idea that each person should be allowed to freely live their orientations has suddenly become the test of whether a society is progressive and free.  Failure to respect another person’s orientation has now become the new universal sin in many parts of the world.

Where such a concept of progressive orientational freedom will lead a culture will not take  long to come to maturity.  Freedom of orientation is on a roll and won’t take long to reveal its wisdom or lack thereof.   Most orientations have a shelf life of no longer than the human will and then they end.  It would really help if the government put validity dates on our orientations to help us choose!

The idea of giving people freedom of orientation is not new to humanity.  The Bible opens with the story of two humans  and two trees (orientations) in a garden. God told them they could choose their orientation but not control the orientational consequences and validity dates.

Apparently freedom of orientation is at its root a Divine idea.  One might say God created freedom of orientation and He still gives people up to their chosen orientations.

What God did not create was freedom from consequence.  Not all orientations work out well.  Even the most ardent of orientation defenders choke on some orientations!

Following Jesus is an orientation.  So much so, that the true goal of discipleship is to take people to Jesus and leave them there until Jesus becomes their complete orientation.

Jesus is God’s chosen human orientation.  Because He is God’s choice for humans,   Jesus has no expiration date.  No matter how progressive and free we may appear, seems like we just can’t get away from the two trees of  life and death.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “ Jesus (John 10:10)

Bud McCord

Abide International

Crutches

There is a time and place for crutches in our lives.  When we have been injured  and we need support to begin on the path to recovery there is no shame in using crutches.   Crutches may fit the moment but In most cases they are to be temporary not permanent.

Some people get so used to some kind of daily support that it takes a good friend who comes along and takes away the crutches.  With a word or a action the friend sends a clear message that it is time to walk without the crutches. Good friends don’t let crutches become permanent when they do not need to be.

Jesus called us His friends.  As our friend Jesus will come to us and take away our crutches when the time is right.  He can see that we have become too dependent on the support and sympathy we receive from an injury we have experienced.  Sometimes we have stopped moving toward full recovery because we like the attention we get from our pain.

Professional beggars are seen sitting on the same street corners day after day asking for support.  At the end of the day some of them quietly stand up and make their way to their car which is parked a few blocks away.  They have made their weakness permanent so they can always keep the support of others.  How sad for them!  They truly need an honest friend to come and take away their crutches.

As hard as it may be to perceive, we all have a tendency to elicit sympathy and support from our past injuries and the injustices we have suffered.  We often spend our time on our own street corners wanting people to notice our pain and pay attention to us.

Our good friend Jesus will not let us do this forever.   Sooner or later He will come and take away our crutches.  He loves us too much to leave us on our crutches when He knows we can walk with Him.

Real friends know when crutches need to go or stay.   Ask Jesus if it is time for you to walk with Him without the attention or sympathy of others.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.  John15:15-17

Bud McCord

Abide International

From There to Here

How far away from here is the kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God?  Is it far away?  Is it so far away it is unknown to us?

Perhaps  three other questions can help us move toward an answer.

Do you have someone you deeply love who has passed away and you believe they are in heaven?   Do you feel they are far away from you as you think of them in heaven?  Has the distance to heaven closed for you since they are there?

Distances change when you know someone who is alive in another place.  It seems they cannot be too far away if you can still sense they are there, they are fine and you, too, could someday go there.

Jesus taught us to pray about the Kingdom as if it could come here.  He makes it sound like the question is not one of geography or distance but one of behavior and cooperation with God.

Read again the Lord’s prayer and notice the idea of there and here.  See if the distance between there and here closes in this prayer.

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power 

and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13

The key to understanding much of Jesus’ teaching is to remember He came from the Kingdom of God where the will of God is always done.  In a very real sense, because of His obedience to the Father while here,  He is the Kingdom coming from there to here. He is the answer to the prayer “You Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Jesus obeying His Father here as He always had obeyed Him there brought the Kingdom close and closed the distance forever for those who believe.

In a very real sense Jesus is the Way from “There” to “Here” and back again.

“For I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father, except through me.”  John 14:6

Jesus with us means the distance has closed between “here” and “there” forever.  The more we cooperate with Jesus, the closer the Kingdom comes to here.

Every obedient Christian is the Kingdom coming here.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Cause and Consequence?

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:1-4 It is perfectly clear in the Scriptures that the Creator is the cause and consequence of everything and everyone.  The Creator is the pure and eternal truth.  We need not concern ourselves with the question of whether there is a cause and a consequence that governs all of us. Cause and  consequence is the reality of every human being that exists. God sent his only Son to call us all back to the original cause and consequence.  He did not send Jesus to judge us and condemn us.  He sent Him to call us back home to the true light. The question for disciples of Jesus in these days of ever changing morality and behavior is if we are called and sent to be the cause of change in others lives and the consequence if they do not change.  Should we as Jesus’ followers in the world assume the role of judge and jury?  Should we work  as the cause and the consequence of God in the world?  Should we evaluate and punish in Jesus’ name? Another way to ask this question is this.  Is there a Christian “jihad”?   Is there a Christian “crusade”?  Are we called to impose our will in God’s name on others? Are we called to become a punishment? There does not exist either a legitimate Christian “jihad” our “crusade”.  There is, however, a call to be salt and light.   There is, however, a generosity and revelation that we are called to be in a world that grows darker by the day. Jesus never became a negative force or consequence in the life of any human being.  The Pharisees wanted Him to be the cause and consequence in the lives of others in God’s name, but he refused.  In the process of refusing to condemn those on the the Pharisee’s list,  Jesus lost their support and gained their hate. Jesus did not use His power to coerce  change and He did not use his perfect judgment to create consequences.  By His presence He became an invitation to live a new life that would cooperate with the original cause and consequece the Creator is  and will always be. As disciples of Jesus we are an invitation to repentance which is a rethinking of everything we do and defend.  As disciples we are an invitation to rethink.  We are not a forced change but a call to a new birth where all things are becoming new. Force and judgment cannot produce this kind of repentance.  Only  goodness, tolerance and patience over time and rooted in God who is the cause and consequence  can lead a human back to the original cause and consequence. Bud McCord Abide International

With Or Without Support

Jesus prepared his first followers to succeed in their mission in the world without political, cultural, moral or military support.  They did.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” Jesus

Every word Jesus spoke and every day He lived led His disciples to the conclusion that His life could be lived and His commandments obeyed even in the face of open cultural hostility.  The needed support for such a  quality of Christan life would come from within where the continuous support of the Trinity remains constant in a person of faith.  The first disciples knew that those willing to cooperate fully with Christ formed in them would have all the daily support they needed to carry Jesus’ presence forward with power in the world.

For Christians now living in western civilization which was heavily influenced by Christian thought, morality, culture and even military might are experiencing an enormous adjustment to a new reality that is quickly forming around them. External support for anything Christian is diminishing across the west.  In other parts of the world this external support has never existed or ceased to exist over time.  The time for the normal Christian life of inner rest, food, water, happiness found in Jesus abiding within is for such a time as this in the west.

“Without Me you can do nothing.”  Jesus

A generation of western believers is being spiritually born into an environment where they will need to hear Jesus’ teaching in a fresh, new way. They are our children and grandchildren.  They will need to personally hear Jesus’  voice again about the normal Christian way to live in a time and a place where they will come to expect no external support for success in their endeavor to see, hear, love and live Jesus one day at a time. 

These new believers and even older cultural Chrstians will need to experience being empowered from within by the Spirit of Christ and nurtured to full spiritual formation in Jesus by communities of believers who know how to abide in Christ alone. Old formulas based on a mix of cultural support and accumulated Bible knowledge will not weather the storm that is to come.  In these days we will be driven within to live in Jesus moment by moment to find the strength to move forward unafraid and living out Jesus through the storm one day at a time.

For those of us who have lived our faith with cultural support of all kinds, our frustration and tears of loss will need to be very brief.  Those being born again right now still need us to form communities of faith, hope and love that manifest true Christianity’s ability to adapt to want or plenty, support or no support.  With or without external support from the culture that surrounds us,  Jesus’ mission will  powerfully move on and on in abiding believers. Nothing on earth can or will stop the fruit of such an inner supported life received from Jesus one day at a time.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Paul. Apostle and Martyr

Bud McCord

Abide International

The Door

Not all thoughts and paradigms that come knocking on the door of our inner life deserve to come inside.  What some thoughts and paradigms carry within do not mix with the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that now lives in us.

According to Jesus the Trinity has taken up residence in the inner life of every believer.  This perfect presence within must be valued above all other thoughts and paradigms that might want to find a place to abide.  Whatever does not match the Divine presence must never be allowed to move in with us.

We cannot avoid the thoughts and paradigms that come knocking on the door of our inner life, but we can deny them entry and housing.  We are responsible to determine if a thought or a paradigm harmonizes with the Life that now dwells within us. Whatever does not match with who we now are in Christ cannot stay.

Yes, it is true we are in the world and all kinds of thought and paradigms can come to the door of our inner life and knock.  Even so, we do not have to let the world in.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  II Cor. 10:5.

Bud McCord

Abide International

The Way-LIght

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

A simple walk through one’s own home can turn into a painful experience when the lights go out.  What should be easy movement through our pleasant surroundings can suddenly become intense pain to numerous parts of our body that are very sensistive to pain. The human toes come to mind!

Anyone who has awakened in the dark and has tried to move through a room trying not to awaken someone we love has felt the explosion of pain of stubbing one’s toes while walking in the dark can create.  It  seems that darkness and pain make pain even more painful and impossible to ignore.

Nothing can substitute for light.  We were made to move with light’s continuous help.  Those who have no light to help them maneuver through their own familiar surrondings can certainly adapt and live, but light still remains the friend we all need to move through life with grace.

When Jesus says He is the light of the world, He sets Himself apart as the friend and ally of every single human being on the planet.  He is telling us He is essential to our successful movement on earth.  He knows we often awaken in darkness so He is cotininously with us to light the way.

No matter the depth of darkness that we may awaken to  in this world, Jesus is already awake and lighting the way.  When we try to walk without Him we will most certainly become acquainted with sudden, intence explosions of pain which will also awaken all those we love and involve them in our pain.

To walk in the light is to let others around us rest.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Confusion

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.                    I Cor. 14:33.

Confusion drains life and energy from love.  An unfocused, confused mind exhausts good intentions.  Just these two thoughts about confusion make it clear that God is not their author.

If not God, then who is the author?  Sometimes me.  Sometimes you.  Sometimes us.  Sometimes the Evil one.  Whoever it is, they must be resisted and we must submit ourselves and our confusion to God.

How much of life, love and good intentions are lost each day while we are confused?  How many people go unloved because we are confused.

Oh Jesus, deliver me from confusion and bring to me your light!.

Noise or Voice?

“My personal world is noisier than it has ever been.” 

Is this statement true of your personal world?   Have you lived long enough in this world to perceive an increase in noise?  This statement is true in my world.

If we define noise as anything that gets our attention and forces us to consider what it means for us, then the world is noisier than it has ever been for all of us.  More attempts are made to get us to pay attention to messages and thoughts today than at any time in human history.  Noise is everywhere.

To survive and flourish in a world where noise is everywhere and becoming impossible to ignore, we will need to define and discipline our listening.  We will need to choose what noise deserves our attention.  We cannot simply listen to all the noise and stay sane.

To define and discipline the noise in your world, choose which voice is the defining voice in your life.  Choose carefully.  Make sure this voice gets your attention at any time and in any situation.  Put this voice on your list as your favorite voice.  If you are a disciple of Jesus this voice should be His voice.

Next, make a list of the voices of those who genuinely have your best interest at heart.  Add them to your favorites list.  When they call, listen to their voice.  This list may not be long, but it can grow over time.

When the voices of those who have your best interest are in order in your life, give them your attention.  Do not make them compete with this noisy world to speak to you.  Give them access to you.

Be careful who you add to your favorites list and block all enemies of the way to authentic life and love. 

The world may be noisier than ever but we can still define and discipline our listening by only accepting voices of those who have our best interest at heart.

Bud McCord

Abide International

The Circumference of Love

The chief aim of discipleship is the perfecting of our love for God and others. Discipleship expands the circumference of our love.

All of us have a circumference problem when it comes to love.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God’s circumference of love. (Romans 3:23) We all reach the limit of our love and love stops.

When we listen to the Sermon on the Mount for the first time, we get an idea of a kind love that is far beyond the current circumference of our love.  To be anywhere near Jesus is to feel just how far beyond our love Jesus extends his love.  To follow Him over time is to be taken little by little to a new circumference of love.

When Christ is formed in us His perfect love within us pushes against the outer limits of our love.  This inner stretching of the circumference of our love hurts us like growing hurts the body of a child who is headed for full maturity. This inner stretching of our love feels like carrying a cross.

Just when we think the circumference of our love is where it should be, God brings even more difficult people into our life.  We are tempted to say, “Stop! Isn’t loving like this far enough?”

With Christ within us, the stretching continues until the racists become missionaries, the bigots become servants, the haters become lovers and the fearful become forgivers. This expanding of love is the miracle of Jesus’ presence in us.  All who were once afraid and unwilling to love become unwilling and afraid to stop growing in Jesus’ love.  They would rather die than stop loving.  Finally, we are like Jesus.

When the circumference of our love becomes one with Jesus then we discover a new reality.  There is no circumference to love with Jesus.  This continuous growth in love is our permanent destiny just as it has been His permanent reality.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Life’s Classroom

“O God, you teach us the way through Christ and Catastrophe.”   E. Stanley Jones

Our day to day experience in this world is “Life’s  classroom” where we discover the way and not the way.  Every moment of every day is an opportunity to see what cooperates with God’s original plan for mankind and what does not. 

If we will open our eyes to God as we move through every day we will see clearly what produces life and love and what produces fear and death.  We will see that our decisions and behaviors have predictable results.  None of us can say we saw nothing of the true way.  The way is written into our DNA by God and we are all enrolled at birth in class 101-The way and not the way.

To be absolutely sure we can see the way and what is not the way, God sent Jesus who is the way made flesh and dwelling among us.  To see Jesus is to see God’s original intention for human life and love.  Jesus was not and never will be the cause of human catastrophe, He is and will ever be the way out of human catastrophe.

When Jesus makes a permanent connection by His Spirit with any human being “Life’s Classroom” moves into our inner life where Jesus begins to live and teach by His Spirit.  This inner teaching about the way becomes much more intense and personal.  We begin to see catastrophes and their impact more clearly and the pain we feel seeing so clearly would overwhelm us if it were not for Jesus revealing to us moment by moment God’s forgiveness and love.

It is within our inner life with Jesus that our love is being perfected.  It is within our inner life with Jesus that the Way  becomes our Way  It is in our inner life that Jesus is the true teacher.

Jesus does not take us out of the catastrophes.  He takes the catastrophes out of us.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."  Col. 3:15

"These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. 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."  I John 2:26-27

Bud McCord

Abide International

Jesus, You Are Welcome Here!

For the last 20 years it has been my practice to awaken every morning  finding the presence of Jesus in me, acknowledging His presence and welcoming His presence.  These words from C.S. Lewis taken from his book  “Mere Christianity” certainly played a central part in this wonderful spiritual discipline that has so blessed me and many others:

"The real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.

We can only do it for moments at first. But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our system: because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us. It is the difference between paint, which is merely laid on the surface, and a dye or stain which soaks right through.

He never talked vague, idealistic gas. When He said, ‘Be perfect,’ He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder—in fact, it is impossible.

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." From Mere Christianity

Never start any day in which you wish to be the kind of human being you were meant to be without first focusing on Jesus and finding Him to be all He is for you and in you.  I find that starting every day with the simple phrase “Jesus, you are welcome here”  while placing my hand over my heart gives me the right starting point for every day.  It is time to fly!

Bud McCord

Abide International

Holy Spirit Come!

One of the most common prayers heard during modern worship is “Holy Spirit Come!”  As with many prayers the intention is great, but this request is off center.If the Holy Spirit has not taken up permanence in us at the center we are not of Christ.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  Romans 8:9-11

When we fail to begin with all we need already living in us, we begin to seek what we lack to live elsewhere.  With the Trinity living in us there is no need for looking elsewhere.  We are truly the Temple of God.  All the Christian life we will ever need or ever lives already abides in us.

Perhaps a better, more centered prayer is  “Holy Spirit inspire!”  or “Holy Spirit fill!”.  To keep asking someone to come who is already present seems off  and close to offensive.

Bud McCord

Abide International

Fight, Flight or Fearless?

Think of the three words fight, flight or fearless.  Which one describes Jesus as He walked among us in this very dangerous and faithless world?  Easy question if you know Jesus’ story. Jesus was, is and always will be fearless.

Now think of Jesus abiding in you as you right now. If  you are sensing the desire to fight or flee because of the circumstances that surround you, can you see you are taking Him with you as you respond?   Are you sure your response is what He wants?  Is your response what you really want?

Can Jesus’ fearlessness be yours?  Can Jesus eliminate your normal reaction to what you fear so much that all you can think of is to fight or flee? Yes, He can but you will  have to move beyond simply imitating Jesus and begin to live Jesus as your life.

Imitation of Jesus still leaves you in control of your reactions.   Living Jesus puts Him in control of your reactions.   Imitating gives you an excuse since you have your limits.  Living Jesus makes His ability the limit of your ability.

The next time your fight or flight desire is moving you to act, ask Jesus is He wants to fight or flee with you.  He will clearly give you an answer if you are willing to obey His answer.

Fear torments and inspires the worst in you. Jesus empowers you to fearlessly love.

Somehow you know that fearless love is what you were made to live.  Jesus in you is what you were made to live.  Live Jesus fearlessly!

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”  I John 4:17-18