Yep, still going on about that conference. I'm telling you--life changing. So this comes from one of the breakout sessions that I went to. It was nothing revolutionary in-an-of itself, but mixed with everything else that week, it hit me hard.
Chris Miller began by reminding us of something very important. Spending time with Jesus in prayer, scripture study, fasting, worship, etc. is first and foremost about intimacy. It should never be diluted into merely a "religious activity." Miller told us about a time in his life where he got so busy doing things for God that he began to stop spending time with God. He told us: Be very careful that you don't end up saying to God, "I'm too busy doing all this for you to meet with you." Oof. Yes. And once again the word "abide" rang in my head.
Jesus says, "remain in me and I will remain in you for apart from me, you can do nothing." I have discovered this to be completely true. The more we try to be "good Christians" by doing all the "right" things, the less we remember to remain in him. At least that has been my experience. Jesus invites us to walk with him. I've mentioned this before, but I used to think that the Spirit was a bit of a consolation prize. I mean Jesus was flesh and blood. He walked around and talked with people and did life with them. But then he left and sent the Spirit. It wasn't until a friend pointed out that not everyone had access to Jesus, and if he just stayed around there would never be enough time for everyone to fully know him. BUT, we have the Spirit--it's as if God is parceling Himself out to us (please do not take that as doctrine--it's merely a metaphor!) Jesus told his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Helper cannot come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."
If you're looking for a fun study--go though the book of John and see just how often Jesus refers to abiding/remaining/spending time with Him.
Miller said that the only thing we have to offer the world that has eternal value is Jesus--so we NEED intimacy with Him. He (His Kingdom/His Rule) is the pearl of great value. He is the hidden treasure. And abiding with Him is like a seed abiding in the soil. When we are saturated with Him the fruit of the Spirit will grow. And our perspective will shift, and we will begin to see rightly. (AKA see the truth of things.)
This is more than reading your bible at some point in the day. It's leaning to do life WITH Him. Inviting Him into all the moments. Waking up and game planning with him, and finishing off the day processing what went on with Him. And we can do this alone or together. It may take resetting some rhythms, but it's worth is. I promise! As Miller said, "The lie that 'I'm too busy' will ALWAYS be there, and we need to call it for what it is and turn to the Truth." We can abide--as we take our kids to school and as we go to work and the grocery story and the movies. We can intentionally invite Jesus into those spaces. We can find new rhythms of prayer and bible reading. I had a friend who said she laminates bible verses and puts them in the shower to memorize! Talk about taking the time back!
Point being, we need Him. We really can't do the life He has for us without Him. So whether you have two hours in the morning to do a deep dive into scripture, or ten minutes in the shower, abide. Whether you are a vocational Christian whose job it is to live for Christ or you work to find ways to pray for and serve your co-workers at the least "Christian" business ever, abide. Whether you go home to a couch and two cats or a spouse and ten kids, abide. Because apart from Him, we can do nothing.
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