To Be or Not To Be
Hi Friends!
I hope y'all are doing great, feeling hopeful, and staying the course for whatever goals you have set for yourself this year! If not, no worries, every day is a new day and a good time to start again!
All of January passed, and I had to give myself grace for not writing. My mind was a bit scattered, with so many thoughts and no direction. Maybe it was the cabin fever from the Christmas snow, followed by the extended covid quarantine in January, that had me drifting. Anyway, I'm feeling much more focused now.
I have been on this journey of establishing new disciplines and seeking more of God. The journey has had its ups and downs. Some days I feel like I'm on it, and others, I wonder if this is something I could actually do long term. The difference between the two are day and night. There is no doubt that in the ups I feel like a conqueror. And on the downs, I feel like I can't get my priorities in order. I can be hard on myself, but I'm learning to really embrace the concept of abiding in Christ as a state of being and not of doing.
I have been thinking a lot about this topic, and I wanted to share my insight, as I believe it is something we struggle with from time to time. For many of us, pursuing this bond in God seems nearly impossible. So many things rob us from abiding with Christ, from circumstance to bad experiences, or maybe it's not feeling capable of following through (like me). But abiding in Christ is only possible because of Christ, not because of something we do.
Galatians 2:20 says:
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
When I read this I know that it is not about me, it's not about what I can/should do, but all about what Christ is in doing in me. Our part is to surrender. If you're thinking, that sounds great, but how? Well, I'm glad you asked! :)
For one, it's a journey, and two, it's walking closely with God. Things don't all change overnight. You aren't going to get a long list of things that need change (imagine…. we'd give up pretty quick). But little by little, as you seek God daily, you will begin to feel that tug inside of you of the thing that needs to change, the thing that keeps you from drawing closer to God. It's something that starts on the inside and works its way out. It's the work of God in you.
John 15:4&5 says:
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.
Abiding in Christ bears fruit; the evidence of His work will show itself. So my big revelation is to dwell in Jesus through anything & everything. If I'm seeking Him, He is doing something within me that no one else could do. He is going deep in my heart. He wants my heart before anything else. Jesus wants your heart!
Proverbs 4:23 says:
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Your heart is where life begins; it's the first thing formed in us before we are born. It's also the one thing the enemy will work overtime to take. It's impossible to have a close relationship with God if He doesn't have full access to our hearts, and we are willing to surrender our fleshly desires to the will of Christ. Virtues and vices cannot grow together; something will always overtake the other.
Ephesians 4:17-24 says:
With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.
They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn't what you learned about Christ.
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
I started reading this great book called Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. I'm only three chapters in, but I highly recommend it! There is also a 15-day devotional on the Bible app on the topic, called Becoming Christlike through Renovation of the Heart. I highly recommend it too!