#109 ABIDE IN JESUS 9-9-26
There is so much that I cannot do. I cannot control everything that happens around me. I cannot change the hearts of other people. I cannot see tomorrow, and I cannot carry the burdens of yesterday. But there is something I can do. I can abide in Jesus. I can stay close to my Lord. I can seek Him with all my heart. I can build a relationship with Him in which He becomes the most important person in my life. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:4). He did not call us merely to know about Him. He called us to live in fellowship with Him, to walk with Him, to remain in Him, and to draw our very life from Him.
If I truly desire Jesus, I can make Him the first thought of my morning and the last thought of my night. I can talk with Him throughout the day. I can open His Word because I want to hear His voice. I can pray because I want to speak with Him. I can worship because my heart longs to honor Him. David said, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1). The psalmist also said, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). God is not hiding Himself from the person who sincerely seeks Him. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Jesus can become more than a part of our lives. He can become our life. Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). He could say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is the kind of relationship that is possible with Jesus. He can become the One whose approval matters most. Before we make a decision, we can ask, “What would please my Lord?” Before we speak, we can ask whether our words honor Him. Before we choose a direction, we can ask whether that direction will bring glory to His name. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
The closer we walk with Jesus, the stronger our desire becomes to obey Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Obedience is not a substitute for love. Obedience is one of the expressions of love. We will still listen to godly counsel from others, but Jesus will have the final word. His truth will be greater than our feelings. His will will be more important than our preferences. His approval will matter more than the applause of people. Paul said, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
When Jesus becomes the center of our lives, people begin to see the difference. They may not understand everything about us. They may disagree with us. Some may even think we have gone too far. But they should be able to see that we have been with Jesus. When the religious leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John, they recognized that these men were uneducated and untrained, yet they marveled because they realized that “they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). What a testimony! May that be written across our lives. May our words sound different because we have been with Jesus. May our actions look different because we have been with Jesus. May our love be different because we have been with Jesus.
Do not believe the lie that this kind of closeness with Christ is reserved for a special few. You can know Him. You can walk with Him. You can love Him deeply. You can grow in Him. Paul prayed that believers would “know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). He counted everything else as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). And he said, “That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). The more we seek Him, the more our hearts are drawn toward Him. The more we surrender to Him, the more completely He becomes the center of our lives. James gives us this wonderful promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
You will never exhaust the riches of knowing Jesus. There will always be more of His love to experience, more of His truth to discover, more of His character to imitate, and more of His grace to receive. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). So seek Him. Abide in Him. Walk with Him. Talk with Him. Obey Him. Love Him. Give Him your first thoughts and your final thoughts. Give Him your plans, your fears, your dreams, your failures, your victories, and your future. There is much that you cannot do, but you can draw near to Jesus. And if your heart truly desires Him, you can know Him more deeply tomorrow than you know Him today.
_________________
Lord Jesus, teach me to abide in You. Give me a heart that hungers for Your presence, loves Your Word, obeys Your voice, and seeks Your approval above everything else. Let my life so reflect You that people can see that I have been with Jesus. Help me to know You, love You, follow You, and walk with You all the days of my life. May You become my greatest treasure, my deepest joy, and the center of everything I am. Amen.
BDD
