In John 15, Jesus says:
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
4. When you abide, you ask and God moves.
James 4:3 (NASB) says:
3You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
I was looking up verse 2 which says, "You do not have because you do not ask." And this is a problem with me, for sure. I don't ask...until it's really, really big. And often, when I do ask, it's because I have the wrong motives. Either way, I don't have. And this right here, this issue, this promise is where I get hung up over and over. God is good. I want what God has for me. I ask for His direction.
But...I hold something back. I want the good things for sure. But do I really want to take the steps to get there? Especially when they are unclear?
Today I'm saying I do. Father, I want your will for my life. I want to abide in you, to be close to you, to fulfill my purpose in you. Help me abide in you daily, to see where you are working and understand my part and then give me the courage to pursue it. Help me to ask with the right motives for the blessings that I know that you have for me and to maintain the right heart so that I can be used by you.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Abide: His word
3. To abide, you have to know what Jesus says. His words also abide in you.
Psalm 119:11 (New International Version)
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
The more I study, the clearer it becomes the less I know. You know? As I read what Jesus says about abiding, it's clear to me that one of my problems is not knowing His words well enough. In John 15, Jesus says that I should abide in him and his words in me. I have the kind of memory that will sometimes allow me to get the broad idea, but not the word-for-word...and that's probably not so good either. And any test better be on the New Testament because the OT can get a little fuzzy. So, uh, here's a sticking point...I see something to change and it's pretty clear on where I need to go...more words, more OT words, more study period.
So, now what am I going to do about it?
Psalm 119:11 (New International Version)
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
The more I study, the clearer it becomes the less I know. You know? As I read what Jesus says about abiding, it's clear to me that one of my problems is not knowing His words well enough. In John 15, Jesus says that I should abide in him and his words in me. I have the kind of memory that will sometimes allow me to get the broad idea, but not the word-for-word...and that's probably not so good either. And any test better be on the New Testament because the OT can get a little fuzzy. So, uh, here's a sticking point...I see something to change and it's pretty clear on where I need to go...more words, more OT words, more study period.
So, now what am I going to do about it?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Abide: what sorta fruit are you bearing?
2. To abide means that you will bear fruit.
Am I bearing fruit? I'm not sure. I do know what the fruits should be though.
Remember what Paul says about the fruit in Galatians 5? And we're all supposed to have the fruit.
Form the NIV:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Here's how the Message says it,
22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
As I've always thought about this, bearing fruit seems like an on again, off again thing in my life. One time I get it right, the next time I get it wrong...sometimes minutes apart. So maybe the test on abiding is a minute-by-minute kinda thing. Am I bearing fruit now? How about now? Now? And then practice makes perfect? Even this I think is tied to seeing others the way that God sees them, looking through His eyes. It makes all the difference.
Am I bearing fruit? I'm not sure. I do know what the fruits should be though.
Remember what Paul says about the fruit in Galatians 5? And we're all supposed to have the fruit.
Form the NIV:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Here's how the Message says it,
22-23But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
As I've always thought about this, bearing fruit seems like an on again, off again thing in my life. One time I get it right, the next time I get it wrong...sometimes minutes apart. So maybe the test on abiding is a minute-by-minute kinda thing. Am I bearing fruit now? How about now? Now? And then practice makes perfect? Even this I think is tied to seeing others the way that God sees them, looking through His eyes. It makes all the difference.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Abide: What's love got to do with it?
So we know the basic, critical, gotta-have commandment to abide: Love one another.
Here's what Paul says about love, Message-style, in 1 Corinthians 13:
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
And I'm so glad I looked this up in the Message just for the last 2 sentences. Now, the definition of love is tough. Puts up with anything? Doesn't want what it doesn't have? I am in SO MUCH TROUBLE! I think I'm going to have to meditate on this one a while to recover.
Here's what Paul says about love, Message-style, in 1 Corinthians 13:
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
And I'm so glad I looked this up in the Message just for the last 2 sentences. Now, the definition of love is tough. Puts up with anything? Doesn't want what it doesn't have? I am in SO MUCH TROUBLE! I think I'm going to have to meditate on this one a while to recover.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Abide: The commandments
So as I'm reading this, I'm looking for parts of the definition of "abide" according to Jesus. From John 15, I know:
1. To abide, keep my commandments.
Easy enough, right? So what are the commandments? Further in John 15, jesus says this, Message-style:
--
I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
But remember the root command: Love one another.
--
So, it's just as simple and as difficult as that to keep His commandments: Love one another.
This one's going to take some work. People aren't easy to love most of the time. It is easy to love some people, of course. But then, there are the rest of us. OK, like me, if you're one of the easily lovable. Obviously, the key to loving the unlovable is to see them the way Jesus sees them. He's managed to love me that way so I know it works. I just have to figure out how to adjust my vision and make it stick that way.
1. To abide, keep my commandments.
Easy enough, right? So what are the commandments? Further in John 15, jesus says this, Message-style:
--
I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.
I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father.
You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
But remember the root command: Love one another.
--
So, it's just as simple and as difficult as that to keep His commandments: Love one another.
This one's going to take some work. People aren't easy to love most of the time. It is easy to love some people, of course. But then, there are the rest of us. OK, like me, if you're one of the easily lovable. Obviously, the key to loving the unlovable is to see them the way Jesus sees them. He's managed to love me that way so I know it works. I just have to figure out how to adjust my vision and make it stick that way.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Abide: Jesus in John 15
John 15 (the only place I find "abide" right now), Jesus says:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
As I mentioned yesterday, this comes from the New American Standard translation because that's were I could find "abide" used instead of "remain" and I think the key to what God is saying to me is tied to abiding, not remaining. I do think it's interesting that this section also contains one of the biggest faith challenges I've ever faced: the promise about asking whatever you wish and it will be done for you. The only way that can be true is that it's tied to the condition of abiding in Christ. It just really sounds so simple, doesn't it? Just do it. Just abide in my love and you'll bear fruit and have joy.
Why is it so hard?
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
As I mentioned yesterday, this comes from the New American Standard translation because that's were I could find "abide" used instead of "remain" and I think the key to what God is saying to me is tied to abiding, not remaining. I do think it's interesting that this section also contains one of the biggest faith challenges I've ever faced: the promise about asking whatever you wish and it will be done for you. The only way that can be true is that it's tied to the condition of abiding in Christ. It just really sounds so simple, doesn't it? Just do it. Just abide in my love and you'll bear fruit and have joy.
Why is it so hard?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Abide: John 15:4
New International Version (NIV)
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
The Message (MSG)
4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
When I began looking for more information on what it means to "abide" in the Bible, the only verse I could sort of remember was from John 15. And my Bible didn't have a reference for abide because it's NIV. In the NIV, the word is remain. Do you think abide and remain are the same thing?
I love Biblegateway.com. It's never been easier to search for the words you can sort of remember or to compare translations. NIV is my usual, but I like to also check the NASB and the Message, just to see the difference. And the Message is always different! But I like it because it's usually just a different way of looking at things I've heard all my life. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective.
So are abide and remain and live the same thing? Here are the definitions from dictionary.com.
Abide
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2. to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
4. to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can't abide dishonesty!
5. to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.
6. to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.
Remain:
1. to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified: to remain at peace.
2. to stay behind or in the same place: to remain at home; I'll remain here when you go to the airport.
Live:
1. to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions: all things that live.
2. to continue to have life; remain alive: to live to a ripe old age.
3. to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last: a book that lives in my memory.
4. to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself: to live on one's income.
5. to feed or subsist (usually fol. by on or upon): to live on rice and bananas.
6. to dwell or reside (usually fol. by in, at, etc.): to live in a cottage.
7. to pass life in a specified manner: They lived happily ever after.
8. to direct or regulate one's life: to live by the golden rule.
9. to experience or enjoy life to the full
As I look at the defnitions, they are very close, even connected. What I want to know is more about what it means to abide. I don't think it means to remain in the same place, so I'm going to take a look at more of this chapter. Maybe that will give me a better picture.
4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
The Message (MSG)
4"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
When I began looking for more information on what it means to "abide" in the Bible, the only verse I could sort of remember was from John 15. And my Bible didn't have a reference for abide because it's NIV. In the NIV, the word is remain. Do you think abide and remain are the same thing?
I love Biblegateway.com. It's never been easier to search for the words you can sort of remember or to compare translations. NIV is my usual, but I like to also check the NASB and the Message, just to see the difference. And the Message is always different! But I like it because it's usually just a different way of looking at things I've heard all my life. Sometimes you just need a fresh perspective.
So are abide and remain and live the same thing? Here are the definitions from dictionary.com.
Abide
1. to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2. to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.
3. to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
4. to put up with; tolerate; stand: I can't abide dishonesty!
5. to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting: to abide a vigorous onslaught.
6. to wait for; await: to abide the coming of the Lord.
Remain:
1. to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified: to remain at peace.
2. to stay behind or in the same place: to remain at home; I'll remain here when you go to the airport.
Live:
1. to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions: all things that live.
2. to continue to have life; remain alive: to live to a ripe old age.
3. to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last: a book that lives in my memory.
4. to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself: to live on one's income.
5. to feed or subsist (usually fol. by on or upon): to live on rice and bananas.
6. to dwell or reside (usually fol. by in, at, etc.): to live in a cottage.
7. to pass life in a specified manner: They lived happily ever after.
8. to direct or regulate one's life: to live by the golden rule.
9. to experience or enjoy life to the full
As I look at the defnitions, they are very close, even connected. What I want to know is more about what it means to abide. I don't think it means to remain in the same place, so I'm going to take a look at more of this chapter. Maybe that will give me a better picture.
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