Abide: Peace & Plan

Our hearts reveal how much the ailments of the age affect us. We want a fulfilling life—but many of us are surviving, not thriving. We want a strong sense of purpose—but many of us feel confused, not clear. We want to engage with something of lasting meaning—but many of us feel insignificant, not important. We want to feel a deep sense of belonging–but many of us feel lonely, not loved.

Our culture peddles endless answers to these ailments. More information and “solutions” are at our fingertips than ever before, but it isn’t helping. As a society, we are more anxious, depressed, confused, and lonely than ever before. So where do we go from here?

We go to Jesus! He has compassion for us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Are you ready to come in out of the wind for a rest from it all? Those who come to Jesus find peace, but also a plan.

John 15:4,9,11 (ESV) — Abide in me, and I in you …  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love … These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

The life you were created for can be yours in Jesus! The key is found in one simple word: Abide. Jesus calls himself the vine and means for us to be the branches. If we abide in him, as a branch remains connected to its vine, his life will flow through our veins! 

Sounds great doesn’t it? For “abide” to move from an inspiring idea to a way of life, we need to take action. Have you ever driven by vineyards and noticed how the grapevines stand in identical rows? Why is that? The answer is: a trellis. The job of a trellis is simple: bear the weight of the grapevine so it can grow and bear the most fruit possible.

Our spiritual life needs a trellis too. If you want to burst with life and joy, you need a support structure to bear the weight of that fruitfulness. This comes in the form of daily habits. How will you create a little margin for connecting with Jesus each day this year? Will you start your day with prayer and Bible reading? Will you schedule a daily walk-and-talk time with the Lord? The options are limitless! Have fun! Be creative! May the joy of the Lord be in you, and may your joy be full!

Learn to Linger (originally posted in 2023)

I don’t know about you, but I find that in my day-to-day life, I struggle to make space to just sit and linger. For instance, if I’m going on a hike on a beautiful day, I often find myself not thinking about the nature at all but rather the work I need to do after that hike, or if I’m eating dinner I’m not actually focusing on enjoying the food, but rather paying attention to the video or show I’m watching at the same time. 

We, in today’s culture, are so captivated by constantly keeping ourselves entertained and updated on the next thing that we hardly ever take time to simply linger in a moment. The question is, however, if we do this so constantly in our day-to-day lives, how often do we simply move on from a moment that God wants us to linger in? 

Recently at one of our weekly Thursday night prayer meetings, God confronted this mentality in me. While we were praying, He revealed to me a picture of Him tending plants as they grew into trees, but He highlighted that despite the season (whether dry, wet, sunny, or snowy), the trees remained planted where they were in His presence, and He remained to tend to them. The trees didn’t need to get up and walk to another place to be filled up and grow. They knew to dig their roots deep and linger in His presence, and that He was enough for them. 

The psalmist in Psalm 1 writes about this in a very similar picture, declaring that He who delights in the law of the Lord is “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:2-3 ESV). By intentionally choosing to meditate on the Lord and His word, we are filled like a fruitful tree.

In a world so consumed by the fast-paced life, God is calling us to slow down and spend time with Him. To choose to set aside time to welcome His presence and continue to linger with Him after welcoming Him. He wants to reside with us, be present in the routine of our lives, and continuously pour His love into us as we learn to remain in His presence, rather than just doing it for two minutes each day and then moving on. 

So let us learn to not simply move on, but rather learn to linger. To rein in our minds and hearts to spend just a few more minutes with Him & Him alone. When we remain, our roots dig deeper and our branches stretch higher, we develop intimacy with Him, and He tends to us as the Good Gardener He is.