Superwoman or Abiding Woman?

Abiding in Christ - day 31 - The Glorified One

I finally am writing my last post on this wonderful little book, Abiding in Christ, by Andrew Murray.  You can find the original online here.  I can tell you that reading and pondering this book and its principles has helped me to remember that I am IN CHRIST, that I am kept there by His power, and that I can live continually with a sense of His presence.  He promised never to leave or forsake those who have been called out of darkness.  Not even for a millisecond.


Abundant life belongs to those who Abide in Christ.  



If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, E

phesians 2:4-6

Jesus is seated in the heavenly places, in perfect victory and rest.  He triumphed over evil, and lives in the unclouded light of His Father's presence.  Everything is holy there.  Everything is in perfect harmony.  


As we abide in Christ, we get a taste of this glory.  As we die to self and surrender to the will of God, Jesus' glorious life streams through us in works of love and goodness.  Christ, seated on His throne, lovingly dispenses His gifts and watches and works for His people.


Loving Goodness & Activity


Just as a fruit tree bears fruit, and a branch in the vine produces grapes, so a Christian abiding in Christ cannot do so without feeling himself stirred and strengthened to work.  

"The Spirit and the love of Jesus breathe into him the will and the power to be a blessing to others."~p. 187, Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray

Wondrous Expectation & Hope


Jesus waits in expectation until that Great and Terrible day, when all of His enemies are crushed, His glory revealed to all, and His beloved people with Him forever in glory.  He looks forward to that day as a Bridegroom longing for His bride.  The believer who abides in Christ will share in that spirit of expectation.  He will continually hope for the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Do you long to see Him?


So, the question at the beginning of the book was this:


Can a frail child of dust really dwell in fellowship with the King of Glory?


The answer is YES!


Just as it is Christ's work to save, it is His work to keep.  All the believer has to do is to trust, to rest, to yield, to surrender.  In faith, the soul must abandon itself entirely to the keeping of Christ's almighty power and the merits of His eternal life. 


The Christian life is not a list of rules to keep or things to do.  It is not a burden or an effort, but rather it is the increasing abandonment of self to the Lord, and the increasing faith that God is working, in all circumstances, to conform us to the image of His Son, and to glorify His name.  

And now, 

little children,

abide in Him,

 so that when he appears we may have confidence

 and not shrink from him in shame

 at his coming.

1 John 2:28 

Abiding in Christ - Day 30 - The Guarantee

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. ~Hebrews 7:22

The Old Covenant did not secure its objective - to unite Israel and God.  The New Covenant would need to secure God's faithfulness to His people, and His people's faithfulness to God.

 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,  when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel  and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant,  and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel  after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds,  and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God,  and they shall be my people. ~Hebrews 8:7-10  

JESUS IS THE GUARANTOR!

To man,

 " He became the guarantee that God would faithfully fulfill His part, so that man could confidently depend on God to pardon, accept , and never again forsake them." (p. 181)

To God, 

"He likewise became the guarantee that man would faithfully fulfill his part, so that God would bestow on him the blessing of the covenant."

Jeremiah 32:40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and YOU WILL KEEP My judgments and do them (Ezekiel 36:27)

It is God Who keeps the covenant! God stands for Good for both parts!

Jesus is our Melchizedek (He ever lives to make intercession for His people)!  He takes no breaks.  There is never a moment's interruption.  Jesus lives to pray for us and to bless us.  He cannot be unfaithful!

To abide moment by moment is easy, even simple.

"Each moment of CONSCIOUS COMMUNION with Him let us say, "Jesus, our guarantor, keeper, ever-living Saviour, in whose life I live, I abide in You."

"Each moment of need, darkness, or fear, we still say, Great High Priest, in the power of an endless, unchangeable life, I abide in You.

"And for the moments when direct and distinct communion with Him must give way to necessary earthly activities, we can TRUST HIM to be our GUARANTEE!" (p.185)

Lord Jesus, my Great High Priest, what joy and awe is mine when I consider that Your work in heaven is to continually intercede for Your people. You cannot be unfaithful, yet You love and pray for and bless a fickle lot. We ought to be strong and courageous, to never waver, to go forth boldly and to serve You without fear all the days of our lives - yet we 

     mumble and grumble     we are lazy and apathetic     we are self-indulgent and greedy     and we want our own way. 

We are fearful and worried
          and we refuse to open our mouths to sing Your praises, to shout it to the housetops
          that You are the Covenant Keeper - that You never fail. 

Thank You for keeping me
     for praying for me     for blessing me with good things     for blessing me with trials. 

Thank You for ordering my steps           and giving me work to do that matters, in time and for eternity.

Keep me, O Guarantor!
Keep me safe      and pure     and holy.

I am Yours, and I am grateful.

Abiding in Christ - Day 29 - It is not in Ourselves

In me, (that is, in my flesh), 

NOTHING GOOD DWELLS.

 ~ Romans 7:18

It is hard for us humans to really get that.  To really understand that in us, there is nothing good.  

We like to think of ourselves as accomplished, talented, brilliant, capable, organized, lovely and loving people.  We like to think of ourselves as spiritually-minded, moral, and good.  

There is nothing farther from the truth.

The truth is that everything we do, everything we say, and everything we think is TAINTED.  We do a lot of bad things, and it's fairly easy for us to acknowledge that.  We think bad thoughts.  We are selfish (did you ever try to beat someone to the empty checkout line at the grocery store?), proud (did you ever think you are better, more talented, more accomplished at _____________ than someone else?).  We do not honour our parents or anyone above us in rank or position.  We do bad things, we think bad things, every single day.

But here's the rub: EVEN OUR GOOD THINGS are tainted.

Even our prayers are not as fervent or God-centered as they should be.  Even our service to others is not as pure and other-centered as it ought to be.  Even our worship and praise to God fails to measure up to His holiness.  ALL OF OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE AS FILTHY RAGS.

So how do sinful, God-loving, elect human beings ever hope to Abide in Christ, and to do so continually?

The only path to true life is to follow the path our Lord took before us:  DEATH.

Do you long to abide in Christ?  To be kept from sinning?  To be in the closest possible fellowship with the Beautiful One?  

Then know this: Your greatest enemy is SELF.  Your greatest enemy is self-will, doing it in your own power, living the Christian life by your own flesh.  

You cannot do it.

SELF must DIE.

Andrew Murray has a question for you to ask yourself:

Am I prepared to say that my old self will no longer have a word to say; that it will not be allowed to have a single thought, however natural, not a single feeling, however gratifying, not a single wish or work, however right?

Are you prepared to  DIE?  


I can hear you asking, "What about our natural talents?  Can't I use my God-given talents for the glory of God?"


YES, but...


Our natural powers, our God-given abilities, our talents and accomplishments CAN be sanctified and used of God, but only if they are taken out from under the power of self and brought under the power of the life of Christ.


Yield yourself.


Yield your talents, your gifts, your possessions. 

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:13 ESV

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ~Romans 12:1 ESV

Through complete surrender, offer EVERYTHING to be used by Him.


Allow Jesus to live in you
                      to inspire all your thinking
                      to control every action.


HE IS READY TO TAKE CHARGE!


Realize - you are dead to self, but alive to Christ.


Self is still strong and alive, but it has no power over you.  The only time it has any power at all is when you carelessly or faithlessly consent to yield to self's usurped authority.


Realize: you were ransomed from a tyrant and made a conqueror.  Self was nailed to the cross, but struggles to be free.  It seeks to allure you into giving it some little liberty, or to deceive you by professing to do some service for Christ.  It is a dangerous, defeated enemy.  It seeks to 'serve' and look 'good' and BE SOMEONE, but nothing good dwells in it.  Do not give self any quarter.  


Hide in Christ!


Bring to Jesus:

• every interest
• every power
• every thought
• every will
• every feeling

Hide in Jesus! 

Abiding in Christ - Day 28 - He is Your Strength

Okay.  We know.  We're weak.

It's very easy for us to fall into sin.  It's very easy for us to be tempted.  Linda writes about it here.

We acknowledge we are utterly weak, but we often try to forget it.  God wants us to remember our weakness, and to feel it deeply.

We tend to mourn over it, believing our weakness is a hindrance to all-out service to the God we love.  Yet Christ teaches us to be content with the truth that we are very weak.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

Here's a secret:

Our weakness is actually the secret of strength and success.

The Christian's life work is to testify concerning Jesus, either by living a holy life or by speaking in His name. But how are we to do this?  By abiding in Christ, and by yielding to Him as His power works through us.

Christ gives His power in us by giving His life to us.  He does not take our frail lives and impart a little strength to help us in our frailty.  He goes the WHOLE WAY.  He gives His own life to us, and gives us His own power.

Instead of taking away our sense of weakness and giving in its place a feeling of strength, our Saviour leaves and even increases the sense we have of utter impotence.  At the same time, He increases our consciousness of strength in HIM.

"The weakness and the strength are side by side; as the one grows, the other does, too, until his disciples understand the saying, "when I am weak, then am I strong; I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." ~ p. 172, Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ

Believer, look to Christ.  Look to His beauty, His power, His ability to always do the right thing in every situation.   Remember that He is never tempted to sin, and never without strength to accomplish what His Father has willed.  Look to Jesus.

The believer who longs for holiness and power to do the Heavenly Father's work confidently remembers the power of Christ in him.

"He lives a truly joyous and blessed life, not because he is no longer weak, but because, being utterly helpless, he consents and expects to have the mighty Saviour work in him."~p. 173

Practical Lessons

1. All our strength is in Christ.  He has all authority in heaven and on earth and is able to meet every need.  
2. The power of Christ flows into us as we abide in close union with Him.  "When the union is weak, undervalued, or undercultivated, the inflow of strength will be weak."  But when we abide in Him, His power works through us.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Our one care is to abide in Christ as our strength.

Our one duty is to be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS MIGHT.  

The Lord is my strength and my song.  Isaiah 12:2

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Phil 4:13

Abiding in Christ - Day 27 - That You Might Not Sin

In Him there is no sin.  Whoever abides in Him does not sin. ~1 John 3:5-6

Jesus took away our sin by His work on the cross.  He is the propitiation for our sin - meaning He satisfied every requirement for justice by paying the full penalty in our place.  He is our Saviour Who by His life, suffering and death made atonement for our sins and allowed us to be reconciled to God.  Clearly, that is cause for rejoicing and praise!

But wait, there's more!  (I feel like one of those TV salespersons)... But there truly is MORE:

Christ also has delivered us from the power of sin, so that the believer does not practice sin any more.

In Him there is no sin.

Whoever abides in Him does not sin.

Believer, if you remain rooted and grounded in Christ, abiding in Him moment by moment, you will not sin, because you are rooted in Perfection.

If the root is holy, so are the branches.  ~Romans 11:16

How is this consistent with what the Bible teaches about our sin nature?

We have a sin nature.  We have sinned.

• having sin - If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.1 John 1:8
• practicing sin - If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. v10

The holiest believer must admit these truths - he has sin within; his sin has broken out into sinful practices.

"The deepest confession of sin in the past, and the deepest consciousness of still having a vile and corrupt nature in the present may coexist with humble but joyful praise to Him Who keeps us from stumbling as we abide in Him."~Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, p.164

Look at Paul.  He acknowledged he'd been a persecutor of the church.  He was deeply conscious of being the Chief of Sinners.  Yet for him, to live was Christ; to die was gain.  He walked through life abiding in Christ in close and unbroken fellowship.

In Him there is no sin.   Whoever abides in Him does not sin.


There are degrees of abiding, my friends.  When the abiding in Christ is weak and intermittent, sin continually rears its ugly head and defeats the soul.

Yet the Bible promises...

Sin shall not have dominion over you.~Romans 6:14

And the Bible commands...

Do not let sin reign in your mortal body.~Romans 6:12

A believer who claims the promise and obeys the command, walking by faith in the Son of God and in His power to keep him, trusts Jesus to keep sin from overpowering him.  But weak believers who are ignorant of the promise or careless about sin's power if they do not remain abiding in Christ live a life of continual stumbling and constant sorrow and regret.  Satan wants to keep you defeated. But Jesus will keep you from yielding to your sinful nature, as you abide in Him.

Andrew Murray illustrates this with the story of a lion tamer who was in control of a young lion.  When the keeper was near, the lion would crouch and tremble at his master's feet, no matter who approached.  But if anyone approached the lion when the keeper was not present, it was instant death!

"In the same way, we can have sin and yet not practice sin.  The evil nature, the flesh, is unchanged in its rebellion against God, but the abiding presence of Jesus keeps it under control.  In faith the believer can entrust himself to the keeping, the indwelling, of the Son of God; as he abides in Him, he can count on Jesus to be there for him.  It is union and fellowship with the Sinless One that is the secret of a holy life:  "In Him there is no sin.  Whoever abides in Him does not sin."" ~Andrew Murray p.166, Abiding in Christ.

Do not despair or fall into the pattern of thinking that it is not possible for you to have this kind of life.  You can abide in your Saviour, Jesus.  He never changes.  His promises never fail.  As you rest in Him, acknowledging that you cannot keep yourself, but He can keep you, you remain IN HIM.  The key is to remain humble and helpless before Him.


Glory to God

"By keeping us on a daily basis humble and helpless in our consciousness of our evil nature, watchful and active in the knowledge of its terrible power, dependent and trustful in the remembrance that only His presence can keep the lion down-- this gives all glory to Him and not to ourselves.  O let us believe that when Jesus said, ":Abide in Me, and I in you, " He meant that, while we were not to be freed from the world and its tribulation, from the sinful nature and its temptations, we were at least to have this blessing fully secured to us-- the grace to abide wholly; only, in our Lord.  Abiding in Jesus makes it possible to keep from actual sinning; and Jesus Himself makes it possible to abide in Him."

Faith only has to deal with the present moment.

Can Jesus, right now, as you abide in Him, keep you from sinning and doing those things that have stained and wearied you?  Surely He can.

In the moments between your activities, in the middle of your busy day, can you stop and say, "Jesus, keep me now.  Jesus, save me now.  Help me to resist temptation and yield to Your will for my life, right now."?

Let failure drive you to Him.

Regard it as HIS WORK to keep you abiding in Him, and His work to keep you from sinning.  He is the Vine, you are merely the branch.  He must bear and hold you and keep you in His love and power.  All you have to do is surrender.  He will keep you from sin, but even better, He will purify you and use you as a channel of blessing to others, to demonstrate His power and His glory on the earth.

In Him there is no sin.

Whoever abides in Him does not sin.

Abiding in Christ - Day 26 - Showing Love to Fellow Believers

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ~John 15:12
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ~John 15:9 

THE LOVE THAT FILLS HEAVEN AND ETERNITY

IS TO BE SEEN DAILY HERE

IN THE LIFE OF EARTH AND TIME.

~Andrew Murray

Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment, the great evidence of the reality of the new covenant, the one convincing and indisputable token of discipleship:  LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~John 13:34;:35

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ~John 17:21-23 

Jesus lived this life of love perfectly.  Look at His life.  It was one of

• self-abasement
• self-sacrifice
• love to the unworthy
• love to the ungrateful
• humble Servanthood
• giving Himself to death on a cross

Believers who gaze at Christ and live in Him are witnesses to the incredible Love that gave itself to die.  He is our example, and He wants us to love like He did.

"Christians are to prove that love has made them members of one body and of one another, and has taught them each to forget and to sacrifice self for the sake of the other."                          ~Andrew Murray, p. 159, Abiding in Christ

God brings into our lives the exact people that we are to love.  Do you have a difficult husband, and impossible child, an immoral relative, a nasty neighbour?  God has placed that person within your sphere of influence for His good purposes.

If you love God, you'll love others.

"Love to fellow believers is the flower and fruit of the root, unseen in the heart, of love to God."

We are in the School of Love

We live with a bunch of self-centered sinners if we live in an ordinary family.  This is where the Lord teaches us how to love the unlovable.  In interaction with a demanding toddler or hormonal youth, we are being trained to love.  This training expands to our being strengthened to love those who are as yet outside of Christ, not just with things you can agree on (like the weather or politics), but with a holy love that bears with the most disagreeable for Jesus' sake.

Study Jesus.  How did He love?

• forgiveness 70 times 7; He even forgave those who crucified Him.
• unwearied patience; He taught His disciples by example and word.
• infinite humility; He left His exalted position to be a Humble Servant.

How do you feel about this glorious calling to love like Christ?

Does your heart leap at this unspeakable privilege of showing the likeness of eternal love to others?  Or do you sigh at the thought that you will never be able to demonstrate love the way our Saviour did?

The truth is, you can't do it.  Not in your own strength.  

Yet you are commanded to love like Christ.

The only way to do so is to fully abide in Him.  As you do so, you will love others with a love that is not your own.  Jesus' love will shine through you.  He can make you gentle and patient.  He can keep a watch over your lips so that every word that proceeds from your mouth is uplifting and kind.  He can give you a gentle spirit that refuses to take offense and is always willing to believe the best of others.

"Let the love that seeks not its own, but is always ready to wash others' feet, or even to give its life for them, be our aim as we abide in Jesus.  Let our life be one of self-sacrifice, always studying the welfare of others, finding our highest joy in blessing others.  And let us, in studying the divine art of doing good, yield ourselves as obedient learners to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  By His grace, the most commonplace life can be transformed with the brightness of heavenly beauty, as the infinite love of the divine nature shines out through our frail humanity."~Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, p. 161

Love one another, as I have loved you. 

Abiding in Christ - Day 25 - That Your Joy May Be Full

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.~John 15:11 

There is exquisite and overflowing happiness to be found in Christ.  Is this your experience?

. . . for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” ~Nehemiah 8:10

This is the daily, hourly, moment-by-moment experience of a believer who is truly abiding in Christ.

His Own Joy

"that My joy may remain in you..."

Because of the resurrection we have never-ceasing joy - the joy of a work fully completed by our Saviour, so that we can rejoice in the Father's presence, and rejoice in the souls redeemed by the grace of our God.  We are now partakers of the Joy of Christ.


But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in *triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.~2 Corinthians 2:14

* a reference to the lavish victory parades celebrated in Rome after great battles. God is depicted as the sovereign victor, with Christ as the general, leading the victory procession, and Paul as “captured” by Christ but now joyfully following him.

We are in a triumphal procession!  Look backward, and see the work He has done!  Look upward, and see the reward He has for us!  We are partakers in His joy, in His work, in His glory!

"With our feet on Calvary, our eyes on the Father's face, and our hands helping sinners home, we have His joy as our own." ~Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, p. 153

Abiding Joy

"that My joy may remain in you..."

This abiding joy remains, never to cease, never interrupted.

If you think the Christian life is a succession of changes, sometimes joy, sometimes sorrow, you do not understand the unceasing joy that is yours in Christ.  Paul understood this.  The Christian life is a paradox - the combination at one and the same moment of all the bitterness of earth and all the joy of heaven!

Paul writes,

through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:8-10

Andrew Murray explains,

These precious words teach us how the joy of Christ can overrule the sorrow of the world, can make us sing even while we weep, and can maintain in the heart, even when cast down by disappointment or difficulties, a deep consciousness of a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.~ Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, p.153.

The presence of Jesus cannot help but bring JOY!

Full Joy

Answered prayer is a token

• of fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
• of  God's delight in us as beloved children
• of God's care and concern for us

Look with eyes of faith, and see Jesus, the Great High Priest, entering the Father's presence for us, praying for us, working in us.

John 15 - shows the full joy of abiding in Christ
John 16 - shows the full joy of prevailing prayer
John 17 - shows the full joy of knowing that LOVE pleads for me

Life in Christ

This life is not a life of self-denial and sadness - that is a result of NOT abiding.  No, life in Christ is full of JOY.  The difficulties all arise from our refusal to surrender.

To those who finally yield themselves unreservedly to abide in Christ for a bright and blessed life, their faith comes true - the joy of the Lord is theirs.~Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, p. 155.

Are you experiencing joy in the midst of sorrow?  Are you experiencing joy in the midst of pain?  This life of joy can be yours, as you learn to fully abide in Christ, surrendering to His will and resting in His care.

. . .that your joy may be full!

Abiding in Christ - Day 24 - Obeying His Commandments

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.~John 15:10 ESV

Works are an interesting thing.  The human condition is that we take pride in our good works, and we love to be praised for the things we do well, and acknowledged as someone who DOES.   Yet the Bible tells us that all of our works are useless - our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.~ John 3:19

When the sinner contemplates his life, he often thinks..."Look at what I've done.  I'm a good person.  I don't lie or cheat.  I've never murdered anyone.  I'm a great parent, a loving child, a good boss, a great employee."  Yet the gospel states clearly, NOT BY WORKS.

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. ~Galatians 2:16


For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” ~Galatians 3:10

. . . he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ~Titus 3:5

Sinners are without hope, because they cannot keep the commandments.  The Bible teaches us that we must obey God in all things, and it also teaches us that we cannot do so in our own strength.  But this is precisely what the sinner attempts to do.  "I'll live a clean life.  I'll do all sorts of good things."  Just a simple contemplation of one's thought life (never mind one's deeds) reveals that he cannot keep the commandments.

So, works are a great hindrance to the sinner.  He must come to Christ, who did live a perfect life and die the death he deserved, paying the price for sin and opening the way to the Father.  That is the gospel.

Conversely, to the Believer, works are a blessing and a strength.  By works, faith is made perfect.  By works, the union with Christ is cemented, and the soul is established and more deeply rooted in the love of God. (see James 2).   

When a believer learns what it is to abide in Christ, he begins to think, to feel, to will what Jesus thought, felt and willed.  His desire is to be holy like Jesus.  

"To live the life of Christ means to him to be delivered from the life of self; the will of Christ is to him the only path of liberty from the slavery of his own self-will." ~p.146, Abiding in Christ, Chapter 24. (Go here to read online.)

There is no true fellowship with God without delight in His will.  As a believer matures and grows in grace, he begins to see the commandments of God as just as precious as His promises.  Oh, how love I thy law... it is my meditation all the day!

Not Just a Fire Escape

If salvation is just a way of personal safety, an escape from future judgment and the everlasting fire of hell, a sinner can be nonchalant about obedience.  "I'm saved...so I can live the way I want to."  If he has that attitude, he ought to examine his "salvation" more closely, because he is in great danger.

True Salvation is Restoration

The true meaning of salvation is a restoration to communion with GOD.  The God who created the universe and walked with our first parents in the Garden desires to walk with His children, even today.  That communion is restored by saving faith in the Son.  True salvation also means the conformity of the sinner to Christ... we are made Christ-like as we abide in His love.

Christ was Obedient

Christ Himself, in order to abide in His Father's love, was obedient.  In the life He led on earth, obedience was a solemn reality.

"The dark and awful power that led humankind to revolt from God tempted Him too.  To Him, as with all men, its offers of self-gratification were not matters of indifference; to refuse them, He had to fast and pray.  He suffered, being tempted.  He spoke very distinctly of not seeking to do His own will.  This was a surrender He had to make continually.  He made the keeping of the Father's commandments the distinct object of His life, and so did He abide in His love.  He plainly tells us, "I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." (John 8:28-29)." ~Abiding in Christ, p.147

Sign of a Spiritual Life

Keeping His commandments is a sure sign of the life He inspires.  If we love God and abide in Him, we'll be obedient.

Keep His Commandments

• Study the Word to understand the Lord's will
• Meditate on His precepts
• Pray fervently to discover every sin
• Mortify the flesh - yield yourself in complete surrender to obey all that the Lord has said

Be careful about disobedience, even in the little things.

Disobedience

• dulls the conscience
• darkens the soul
• deadens our spiritual energies

You are a soldier of Christ.  Ask for nothing but the orders of your Commander.  Each new surrender and sacrifice will lead you to a deeper union with your Saviour.  If you keep His commandments, you will abide in Him, just as He kept the Father's commandments and lived abiding in His love.

Abide as Christ Abides in the Father - Day 23

As the Father has loved me, so have I 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.(John 15:9-10 ESV)

Imagine how confused the disciples of Christ must have been as they thought about abiding in Him, then began  to take in His statement that He was going to die.  How would they be able to abide in Him if He were gone away?  He gave them His life as an example - the example of His abiding in the Father.

Jesus' life in the Father is the law of their life in Him!

As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.(John 6:57 ESV)

  that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:21; John 17:22-26 ESV)

Jesus' abiding in the Father was possible because they were ONE - one in life, and one in love.

"Though dwelling here on earth, He knew that He was one with the Father, that the Father's life was in Him, and His love on Him.  Without this knowledge, abiding in the Father and His love would have been utterly impossible for Christ."~ Abiding in Christ, Andrew Murray p.140

We, too, must keep this knowledge at the forefront of our minds.

"Know that you are one with Him-one in the unity of nature. By His birth He became man and took on your nature so that He might be one with you. By your new birth you become one with Him and are made partaker of His divine nature."~ Abiding in Christ, Andrew Murray p.140

THIS IS THE UNION OF A DIVINE LIFE.

"In His life of humiliation on earth He tasted the blessing and strength of knowing Himself to be the object of an infinite love, and He dwelt in it all through His days."~  Andrew Murray p.140

IN THIS THE SECRET OF REST AND JOY IS FOUND.

Believer, you are One with Him. Yield yourself to be loved by Jesus. Abide in His love.

"I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." -John 15:10

Jesus lived a life of subjection and dependence, yet was most blessed!

Dependence, subjection, and self-sacrifice are the blessed path of life. Jesus was not afraid of losing anything by giving up all to the Father. He knows the Father loves Him and has His best interest at heart. As He completely depends on the Father and submits to His will, He knows the Father will share all He possesses with His beloved Son.

This is the pattern of a life in Christ.

Without Me you can do nothing.~ John 15:5 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:15

We learn to glory in weakness, to delight in hardships, for

"When I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10

"The apostle Paul rises above the ordinary tone in which so many Christians speak of their weakness.  They are seemingly content to merely tolerate their state, while Paul sees much more; he has learned from Christ that in the life of divine love the emptying of self and the sacrifice of our will is the surest way to have all we could wish or want." ~Abiding in Christ, Andrew Murray, p. 141

DEPENDENCE, SUBJECTION AND SELF-SACRIFICE 

THIS IS THE BLESSED PATH OF 

LIFE IN CHRIST.

Glory.

Jesus gave Himself wholly to the Father's will, and the Father crowned Him with glory and honour.

In the same way, as we trust ourselves and out interests to His love, caring only for His will and honour, exercising absolute dependence on Him in all things, He will do for us what His Father did for Him!

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Thessalonians 1:11, 12 ESV)

By His grace, He  

• acknowledges us as His representatives
• entrusts us with His power 
• admits us to His counsels
• allows our intercession to influence His church and world
• makes us the vehicles of His authority

How can you really understand and appropriate into your life the fact that you will abide in the love of Christ in the same way Christ lived in His Father?

Be quiet before God. Gaze upon Christ's life in the Father.  Be still and listen.

Christ was the revelation of the Father on earth.

Believers are the revelation of Christ on earth. 

Amen!

  

Abiding in Christ - Day 22 - Continue in His Love

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;continue in My love. ~ John 15:9

Think about this for a moment.  Read Chapter 22 for yourself.

Jesus loves the redeemed sinner in the same way the Father loves Him.


Love needs an OBJECT

• to give itself away to
• in whom it can lose itself
• with whom it can make itself one

Because God is love, there must be a Father and a Son.  The Father's love to the Son is that divine passion that finds delight in the Son, and declares

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased. ~Matthew 3:17

Divine Love is a burning fire, with one object and one joy:  the only begotten Son!  The astounding thing for me as a believer is that the Father's love for His Son mirrors the love of Christ for me.

As one of His redeemed ones you are His delight,
and all His desire is to you,
with the longing of a love that is stronger than death,
and which many waters cannot quench.
His heart yearns for you,
seeking your fellowship and your love.
If it were needed, He would die again to possess you.
As the Father loved the Son,
and could not live without Him -
this is how Jesus loves you.
His life is bound up in yours;
you are to Him inexpressibly more indispensable and precious
than you can ever know.
You are one with Him.
"As the Father loved Me, I have also loved you."
What love! ~ Abiding in Christ, Andrew Murray, p.134

This love of Jesus is

• an eternal love
• a perfect love
• a gentle and most tender love
• an unchangeable love

With tender compassion, He bows to our weakness.

With inconceivable patience, He bears with our slowness;

With the gentlest loving-kindness, He meets our fears and failures.

Because of this love, we yield ourselves wholly to abide in Him.

God's love supplies the motive.  Just look at Jesus, the Crucified Love who proved the reality of His affection by giving His life for you.

God's love supplies the measure.  Just look at the unspeakable privilege of being loved with such love that passes knowledge.  (Ephesians 3:18-19)

God's love supplies the means.  Just look at the intense and burning passion of divine love. We love Him because He first loved us.  We abide in Him because of this amazing love. 

"Surely all my unworthiness and frailty can be no hindrance to such love."

• It is stronger than my weakness.
• It will hold me in its arms.
• It will allow me to wander no more.

Divine love has given me faith - that faith by which

• UTTER SINFULNESS casts itself into the Arms of Love to be saved

and 

• UTTER WEAKNESS entrusts itself to be kept and made strong.

What Infinite Love!

Love with which the Father loved the Son.

Love with which the Son loves me.

Abiding in Christ - Day 21 - So you Will Have Power in Prayer

If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ~John 15:7

Prayer - a means of union with Christ.
Prayer - a fruit of union with Christ.

A believer who takes the time in secret prayer to wait on God, to pour out his heart to the Lord, will grow strong in Christ.  This is a means, a way that God causes His children to grow in grace.

SHUT THE DOOR

It is as impossible to live and prosper spiritually without prayer — as it is to live and prosper physically without food. Those who enjoy a close walk with God and have power with him — are those who pray. Natural abilities and intellect can never supply any lack in spirituality. Unless you are spiritual — you are of but little use to God; and to be spiritual — you must live much in prayer.

It is not those who are on their knees the oftenest or the longest — who do the most praying. Some may pray more real prayer in one hour — than others in two or three hours. Too many people leave the door open. Prayer that feeds the soul, must be offered with the door shut. "But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret." Matthew 6:6. God is in secret. He is hidden from the world. The world does not see him, neither knows him. You can never reach God in your prayers — unless you shut out the world. Shutting the door means something more than closing the door of your literal closet. People may enter the literal closet and close the door — and yet have the world in their hearts and thoughts. Such have not closed the door in the true sense.

In the public assembly you must enter your closet when you pray, and shut the door — or your prayers avail not with God. You must talk from your heart — to the heart of God. Those assembled may hear your words — but they do not know the secret. The secret is between your heart and the heart of God. You scarcely hear your words. You know and hear more of the speaking of your heart. There is a blessing in such praying; there is a joy that cannot be told. Such prayer feeds the soul upon the divine life, and lifts us in realms of holiness and happiness. Thank God for the sweet privilege of secret fellowship with him. O beloved, when you pray, enter into your closet — and be sure to close the door!

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/murray/5f00.0562/5f00.0562.21.htm

~ From How to Live a Holy Life by Charles Orr

Prayer is one of the primary channels of influence by which, through us as workers together with God, the blessings of Christ's redemption are dispensed to the world.  It is a fruit of the Spirit.

He who truly abides in Christ knows what it is to pray fervently.  He also knows his prayer is effectual.  He knows his prayers are accepted and heard, because of his life's union with his Saviour.  Our prayers ascend as the prayers of Jesus; the Spirit groans within.


As we abide in Christ, we pray according to His will.

• our self-will is kept down.
• our thoughts are brought into captivity.
• we become like-minded with Christ
• we search our hearts deeply, making sure our surrender is complete

As we abide in Christ, we pray only to seek the glory of God.

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

(John 14:13 ESV)

Christ's one thought, one desire and plea, one intercession - that He would glorify the Father!

Father, glorify Your name! ~John 12:28

As we abide in Christ, we pray in Jesus' name.

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Colossians 3:17

As we abide in Christ, our faith in answered prayer grows stronger.

• fast and pray
• be humble; have a spiritual mind
• obey whole-heartedly
• wait on God

The secret of the prayer of faith

is the life of faith -

the life that abides in Christ alone.

Abiding in Christ - Day 20 - That You Bear Much Fruit

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.
                                  ~John 15:5, 8

"As surely as the branch abiding in a fruitful vine bears fruit, so surely, much more surely, will a soul abiding in Christ with His fullness of blessing be made a blessing."                                                                  ~p. 122, Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray

Christ, the Heavenly Vine, has taken me as His branch, and He supplies everything I need to bear fruit.  As I abide in Him, I will grow in Love and Compassion toward sinners.

This is not my natural state.  By nature, the heart is selfish.  Look at a baby that has just come into the world.  "Feed me!  Change me!  Look at me!  Aren't I adorable?'  The natural state of man is self-centered.


In the spiritual realm, we're much the same as a baby.  At the beginning we're little children, and we are naturally concerned about our walk with Christ, our growth in grace, our holiness.  We mature to become young men, who are who are more aware of the needs of others and the demands of a Holy God.  But as we grow and mature in Christ, we become more focused on God, and less concerned about self.

The two great commandments are to Love God and to Love our Neighbour.

When we abide in Christ, it makes us feel the wretched condition of sinners still in darkness , and what dishonour is done to God by their alienation from Him. It is our joy to be used to reach others for Christ!

Souls are not saved because of man's efforts.  It is the work of the Spirit.  Abiding in Christ gives new courage and strength for the work.  He uses weak instruments like me; He works through me with His hidden, glorious power.

"The great secret of abiding in Christ is the deep conviction that we are nothing, and He is everything. ~p.124

He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ~John 14:12

THE MOST HEAVILY LADEN BRANCHES

BOW DOWN THE LOWEST!

Two lessons:

Lesson One:  If we are abiding in Jesus, let us begin to work.

• First influence those around us in our daily life.  Where has God placed you?
• accept joyfully our holy calling to serve.  How can you serve Him?
• purpose to make the holiness and gentleness of Jesus shine.  How can you reflect His image?
• offer ourselves to Him for practical expressions of mercy. How can you demonstrate His love?

THERE IS WORK IN A HUNDRED DIFFERENT PATHS

 THAT THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST OPENS UP 

THROUGH THOSE WHO ALLOW THEMSELVES 

TO BE LED BY HIM. ~p. 125.

An elderly gentleman spoke on Sunday, describing the Christian as a lamp that shines forth the light of Jesus. We say, "turn on the light", because it is the light we want.  The lamp is just the instrument that delivers the light.  In the same way, we are simply to be available for Jesus to shine through us.  

Lesson Two:  If you work, abide in Christ.

• depend on His strength - You can do nothing apart from Him.
• pray more; pray constantly - It is the Lifeline.
• be watchful that you do not work in your own strength
• offer every part of your nature unreservedly to Him to sanctify it for Himself

IF JESUS CHRIST IS REALLY TO WORK THROUGH US,

 IT WILL REQUIRE AN ENTIRE CONSECRATION OF OURSELVES TO HIM

 THAT IS RENEWED DAILY.~p.126

The same elderly gentleman was sharing that as he grows in grace, he understands more of what it means to be crucified with Christ.  (Galatians 2:20) Christ lives in me.  That means He does what He wills through me, and all I have to do is submit.  The gentleman was telling about an encounter he recently had in a motel pool. He was getting a bit of exercise, and got chatting to two young women, one of whom was to be married.  He chatted with the women for a bit, telling them that marriage is a good thing, designed by God.  He told them more of God, and shared the gospel, then asked them if he could pray for them.  He stood there, in the pool, praying for these women.  

But get this:  He didn't really want to do it!  He didn't want to embarrass himself.   He didn't know what they'd think or what they'd say.  Yet he was compelled to speak, and he offered himself to be used as an instrument of grace in the lives of two young women in a motel pool.  God alone knows what fruit will come of it.  All the gentleman had to do was to depend on His strength, and offer himself unreservedly to Him.

To be a branch bearing much fruit-nothing less, nothing more-

may this be our only joy!

Abiding in Christ - Day 19 - In Affliction & Trial

Every branch that bears fruit He prunes,that it may bear more fruit. ~ John 15:2

Now we come to the chapter that is perhaps the hardest to understand for a new Christian.  I do remember that when the Lord opened my eyes and brought me out of darkness, I was delighted with the fact that I was a child of God.  My heavenly Father was in control.  He made the world, and everything in it.  He would let nothing bad happen to me, or so I thought.

Very soon, bad things started to happen.  Our car broke down.  My husband was injured at work.  He lost his job.  We had to move to a new town, where we knew nobody.  If God were so good, why were all of these things happening?  These trials shook me to the core.

God did not leave me wallowing in self-pity, however.  He gently and patiently taught me this truth:  I was a branch in the Vine, and every branch that would bear fruit MUST BE pruned, in order to bear more fruit.

Andrew Murray explains that of all the plants that grow on the earth, the grape vine is the perfect picture of the image of man in his relationship to God.

No other plant

• has such fruit and juice (full of spirit, alive, stimulating, sweet)
• has such a natural tendency to evil (growth that gets woody and worthless)
• needs pruning unsparingly and unceasingly
• is dependent on cultivation and training
• yields a richer reward

"In this dark world, often so full  of suffering and sorrow for believers, we can take comfort in His words about pruning, knowing that He means it for our good."~p.116, Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray

When pain comes, what do we do?  Run away.  Flee.  Avoid the pain.  Escape the trial.  Yet the Father's purpose is to teach us through the trial to Abide In Christ.

"Through suffering, the Father leads us to enter more deeply into the love of Christ."

Our hearts are prone to wander.  Prosperity and enjoyment too easily satisfy.  They dull our spiritual perception.  They make us unfit for communion with God.

So what does God do?  In His mercy, He afflicts us. He makes the world seem dark and unattractive.  He leads us to see more deeply the depth of our depravity.

What should we do in response to affliction?  Pray.  Pray for grace to see the Father pointing us to His beloved Son.  In every trial, great or small, pray for grace to see.

Pray for grace  to see
He means the best for me.
The trials He doth send,
Will bless me in the end.
He points me to His Son,
The Only, Holy One,
And makes me to Him flee -
My Hope is found in Thee! ~ J.Billson

God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. ~Hebrews 12:10

A BELIEVER MAY PASS THROUGH A LOT OF AFFLICTION
AND RECEIVE LITTLE BLESSING FROM IT ALL.

Instead of responding well, the carnal Christian may become

• impatient
• angry
• self-centered
• frustrated
• exasperated
• hopeless
• whiny, disappointed, discouraged
• faithless 

John Piper wrote an article called, "Don't Waste Your Cancer".  He wisely outlines ways to use this terrible affliction as a means to become more Christlike.  That's God's purpose in any trial - to produce in us more Christlikeness.  This doesn't mean He leaves us comfortless.  On the contrary, there is no Comforter like our Beautiful God, Who comforts us in all of our afflictions.

• He shows us His heart.
• He reveals His love.
• He comforts us with tenderness and compassion, like an attentive mother with a distraught child.

What I have discovered in my own life is that it isn't the huge trials that wear me down.  The car accidents, the cancer diagnosis, the child-out-of-wedlock, the $7,000 repair bills, coming close to death in labour.  Those big things are obviously out of my control, and what can I do but throw myself on the mercy of God?  The Big Trials have been times when I have had a deepening of my relationship with Christ.  I've learned confidence in Him, and I've experienced close fellowship with the God Who satisfies.  

What is harder by for for me are the little trials, the everyday troubles that wear me down bit by bit.  Difficulties with relationships, misunderstandings.  Physical pain that never leaves.  Worry about finances that seems to never end.  Living in the same old house with the same old mice (or their grandchildren) gnawing in the same old walls.  The little things - the little foxes - spoil the vines.

It's in the day to day little afflictions that I must learn to abide.  That's where I can become impatient, angry, self-centered and whiny.  That's where I need to renew my mind.

Rest in Christ in times of affliction, whether the trial is great or small.  God will produce good things in your life, if you trust Him in this.

• You'll bear more fruit.
• You'll desire to live more for His glory.
• You'll sympathize more with the misery of others.
• You'll yield yourself more to His will.
• You'll desire ONE THING: to make Him known to others.

IN AFFLICTION, YOUR FIRST AND ONLY CALLING IS

TO ABIDE IN CHRIST. 

Abiding in Christ - In Stillness of Soul - Day 18

In repentance and rest in your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength. ~Isaiah 30:15

JUST BE.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. ~Psalm 37:7


Truly my soul silently waits for God. ~Psalm 62:1

There is a false sort of thinking that many fall prey to:
         
        Man must do his utmost;
              Only then can he expect God to do His part.

But the Scriptures say,

• Be still.
• Do nothing.
• Rest.
• Wait.

The only true co-operation between a believer and the Lord Jesus Christ is based on SUBORDINATION.

We must cultivate stillness of soul.  We must learn to have a teachable spirit.

Like three quiet women of the Word, named Mary:

In her whose only answer to the most wonderful revelation ever made to human being was, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy word"; and of whom, as mysteries multiplied around her, it is written: "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."

And in her who "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word," and who showed, in the anointing Him for His burial, how she had entered more deeply into the mystery of His death than even the beloved disciple.

And in her, too, who sought her Lord in the house of the Pharisee, with tears that spake more than words. Abiding in Christ, by Andrew Murray. Chapter 18.

It is a soul that is silent before God that is best prepared for knowing Jesus.

How do you learn to be silent before God?

• acknowledge your ignorance - you have no idea what God is doing.
• agree that you are impotent - you are powerless to effect change.
• open your ears, and listen - sit at the feet of the Saviour, reading, waiting.
• bring your thoughts into subjection - take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
• prepare your heart to wait on God - Be still.  Know.  He is God.

Hindrances to Having the Stillness of Soul

• entering too deeply into the interests of this world.  Be heavenly minded.  Lay up your treasure there!  Live your life like you are passing through.  This world is NOT your home!
• not being self-controlled in regard to things not absolutely imposed on us by God.  What does it matter to you if the founder of Apple died?  What is it to you that there are disasters abounding, injustices aplenty, sicknesses and sorrows in abundance?  Take care of the little things that God has given you to care for.  They are enough.
• needless entertainment.  Computer games; the internet; television; videos.  Don't waste your life!
• being too busy to stop, to rest, to wait.  Slow down.  
• worrying about earthly things - what you will wear, etc. Your Father knows.
• having a spirit of fear.  Be still and know that I am God.

The heart occupied with its own plans and efforts for doing God's will and securing the blessing of abiding in Jesus will fail continually. ~p.114, Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray.

You can't make yourself do God's will.  You can't "buck up and do better".  You cannot pull yourself up by your bootstraps and live the Christian life on your own steam.  The only way to grow in grace, to learn to abide in Christ, to be filled with the Holy Spirit... the only way is to wait.

Pause.

Wait.

Hush your soul in the Presence of the Eternal Majesty.