Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Reason #23 - He Invites Me to Abide in Him

My poor blog.

If blogs had feelings, this one's feelings would be hurt.

Thankfully, they don't. And my 3 faithful readers of this blog probably haven't even noticed that I haven't posted updates in a while. :) So the repercussions of my slowness in posting are relatively small.

*smile*

Actually, the only repercussion I can think of is one that affects me only. I have missed these updates. Finding "reasons" focuses me more intently on the Lord and on my love for Him. Heaven knows I need refocusing. Does it not seem ironic that the ONE important thing in life - the only thing that matters at all - is the ONE thing that I find easy to let slip by?

I am reminded of the simple, yet profound lesson that Christ taught in Luke 10:38-42. At Mary and Martha's house in Bethel, Martha scurried about, trying to fix the perfect meal for Jesus. The stove just wouldn't work right, and the dishwasher leaked water all over the floor (ok, maybe not) and everything was taking twice as long as it should have.

And all the while, her dreamy sister - Mary - sat idly with Jesus. Verse 39 - "And...Mary...sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His Word." The nerve!

In utter frustration, Martha came to Jesus with these words, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? (!) Bid her therefore that she help me."


And what did Jesus say? His answer just about knocked me over when I read it the other day.

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things...

...But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Only one thing? In the midst of daily to-do lists that exceed the length of a regular sheet of paper - in the midst of dozens of ideas and dreams and plans for the next semester - in the midst of an impossible mountain of changes to make in my spiritual life -

One thing?

What is this one thing? It is simply this: to enjoy the presence of my Lord and Savior. To rest in His love. To hear His voice. It is to abide in Him.

I have only had brief glimpses of what this looks like. It looks like waking up with Christ as my first thought. It looks like talking to Him all throughout the day. It looks like pondering His words (Scripture verses) as I go about my work. It looks like seeing Him in every instance that happens in my life. Yes, I've only had brief glimpses of what this looks like. And I want it more.

Oh, how can I possibly stay focused on Him when the glitter of this world surrounds me on all sides? How can I possibly rest in Him when a thousand distracting thoughts go screaming through my mind every minute? If only I could see the "riches" of this world for what they really were. Cheap. Flimsy. Dishonest. Shallow. Vague. Unsatisfying. Trashy. Worthless.

The only thing I know to do is to pray for new eyes. To pray for a new heart. I know that when I seek the Lord with all my heart, I will find Him. When I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me.


I cannot do it - at all - on my own, but as I abide in Him, He will do it through me (John 15).

I love my Lord, because He invites me to abide in Him.