Abide Today

A few years ago, I was studying the concept of abiding as described in John Chapter 15 as Jesus describes the vine and the branches. Of course, being a person of little consistent discipline in a lot of areas of my life, I struggled with what I was learning.

I got mad at God - "I can abide in You for a little while; a week or two, maybe a month, certainly not year upon year; I always fall away!!! I can't do this!! It's too hard!" (paraphrased from a distant memory)

Almost immediately after this tantrum, God answered me and I wrote this thought:

Abide Today
Just trust Him and abide in Him today.
Tomorrow is His.
Start in the morning and give your heart to Him and allow Him to give His heart to you.
Receive His heart and allow Him to get your heart ~
     as much of your heart you are willing to give Him today,
     He will receive and handle with love and care.
Trust Him with more of your heart this morning than yesterday.
"Abide Today" (c)by Cindy, September 2007

I've learned through this and by looking back at the day by days that have strung together to form years that: Abiding is a trust that God will lead you through the circumstances of your day. Abiding is a boldness of knowing our heavenly Father has provided a direct relationship between us and Him. Abiding is allowing Him to work in us, through us and many times in spite of us. Abiding is surrendering our need to be God in our life. Abiding is putting God first in everything we do, think, believe.

Abiding takes practice...a day by day, moment by moment acknowledgement and reflection on the previous day/moment and evaluting honestly, with the prayer of 'create in me a clean heart, oh God...' and bringing the previous day/moment to Him if not spent abiding in Him and asking Him to redeem it and refocus your heart on Himself for the next day/moment. He loves us...the relationship between is what He wants - not perfection.

God reminded me, He doesn't expect me to abide in Him for a lifetime... He desires to walk with me ~ step by step. He meets me in the moment by moment.

What better time than today to start practicing seeking Him in the moment by moment. Sometimes with a cry out for help, sometimes with frustration because the reality of what the world and what God is seemingly asking us is very different than what we expect, sometimes in tears of shear exhaustion, sometimes with laughter of being painfully human trying to relate to Holy God, sometimes with comfort of Him showing how He forgives and loves in spite of us.  That's the Love of our Savior and Lord!

I can do anything for a moment, even trust God at His Word, even if I can't see His reasoning or purpose right now.

"Trust Him with more of your heart this morning than yesterday."