In the matter of determination. The Spirit of
Jesus is put into me by way of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. I
then have to build my thinking patiently to bring it into perfect
harmony with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus— I have to
do it myself. I have to bring “every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
“Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one
of the matters that make human life what it is. Our lives are not made
up of only one neatly confined area.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances by saying
that it will only serve to hinder my fellowship with Him? How irrelevant
and disrespectful that is! It does not matter what my circumstances
are. I can be as much assured of abiding in Jesus in any one of them as I
am in any prayer meeting. It is unnecessary to change and arrange my
circumstances myself. Our Lord’s inner abiding was pure and unblemished.
He was at home with God wherever His body was. He never chose His own
circumstances, but was meek, submitting to His Father’s plans and
directions for Him. Just think of how amazingly relaxed our Lord’s life
was! But we tend to keep God at a fever pitch in our lives. We have none
of the serenity of the life which is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
Think of the things that take you out of the position of abiding in
Christ. You say, “Yes, Lord, just a minute— I still have this to do.
Yes, I will abide as soon as this is finished, or as soon as this week
is over. It will be all right, Lord. I will abide then.” Get moving— begin to abide now.
In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as
you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will
abide in Him without any conscious effort. Make the determination to
abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the
future.
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