Welcome to 2011
01/05/11
My prayer for you this year is that you may have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is vibrant and growing. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”
Jesus lets us know that by abiding in Him our lives will be transformed and will produce good fruit. Abiding is not something that automatically happens in the life of a follower of Jesus. In a workbook entitled “Disciples Prayer Life the authors write “Abiding is an act of the will.”
The authors reference people in scripture who continually trusted in God. They stayed focused on their relationship with God even as they asked God to work in their lives. Zacharias and Elisabeth desperately wanted a child. From the time they first asked God for a child God had answered their prayer. But the timing of the birth of their son had to wait. This birth needed to occur right before the birth of Jesus. This couple was past child bearing age when Elisabeth delivered a baby boy. Luke tells us that this couple was righteous before God. No bitterness had crept into their lives towards God or other people because of the delay.
Your spiritual root system is developed by “much prayer, much attention to the biblical directives and much cleaving to the Lord Jesus.” Your trust in God grows each day as you make the effort to read God’s word and talk with Him each day. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth and maturity. The result of abiding is a deep, growing confidence in the Lord and trust in His ways and timing in your life, even when you must endure long periods of waiting.
Daniel was a mighty prophet of God. In Daniel 10:2-14 Daniel asks God to help him understand some horrifying visions that Daniel was given. The answer to Daniel’s request was given immediately. However, Daniel had to wait 3 weeks before getting the answer. God’s messenger had been delayed by the prince of the kingdom of Persia. Evil forces such as demonic powers can be the agents of delay. However, we learn that when evil attempts a delay, God intervenes.
How do you do this “abiding?” Is it difficult? No, it is not hard but it does require effort. To abide in Christ means you are growing in your relationship with Christ. To facilitate growth:
Right now I am trying to lose about 10-15 pounds. My doctor is sending me to a health coach to focus on lifestyle changes to facilitate losing weight. The Health Coach is my accountability partner. This coach will hold me responsible for regular exercise and eating wisely,. The coach will be an encourager to celebrate small victories and to exhort me when I need it.
Ask someone that you know, who is a mature Christian, to be your prayer partner. You could meet once a week on the phone, at a home, at church or even in a restaurant. The main idea is that you have someone who will encourage you and help you develop good habits of abiding in Christ. There is no better way to go through 2011 than with a strong dependence upon Jesus Christ.
Jesus lets us know that by abiding in Him our lives will be transformed and will produce good fruit. Abiding is not something that automatically happens in the life of a follower of Jesus. In a workbook entitled “Disciples Prayer Life the authors write “Abiding is an act of the will.”
The authors reference people in scripture who continually trusted in God. They stayed focused on their relationship with God even as they asked God to work in their lives. Zacharias and Elisabeth desperately wanted a child. From the time they first asked God for a child God had answered their prayer. But the timing of the birth of their son had to wait. This birth needed to occur right before the birth of Jesus. This couple was past child bearing age when Elisabeth delivered a baby boy. Luke tells us that this couple was righteous before God. No bitterness had crept into their lives towards God or other people because of the delay.
Your spiritual root system is developed by “much prayer, much attention to the biblical directives and much cleaving to the Lord Jesus.” Your trust in God grows each day as you make the effort to read God’s word and talk with Him each day. There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth and maturity. The result of abiding is a deep, growing confidence in the Lord and trust in His ways and timing in your life, even when you must endure long periods of waiting.
Daniel was a mighty prophet of God. In Daniel 10:2-14 Daniel asks God to help him understand some horrifying visions that Daniel was given. The answer to Daniel’s request was given immediately. However, Daniel had to wait 3 weeks before getting the answer. God’s messenger had been delayed by the prince of the kingdom of Persia. Evil forces such as demonic powers can be the agents of delay. However, we learn that when evil attempts a delay, God intervenes.
How do you do this “abiding?” Is it difficult? No, it is not hard but it does require effort. To abide in Christ means you are growing in your relationship with Christ. To facilitate growth:
- First, read God’s word each day. If you are not sure where to start let me recommend to you an online devotional that I use. Simply go to www.blackaby.org. On the right hand side of the homepage there is a scripture passage and short commentary. Use this to start reading God’s word and applying God’s truths to your life.
- Second, take time to be with God. Through Jesus Christ you have open and immediate access to the Father. He delights in you spending time in His presence.
- Find someone that will pray with you on a regular basis. You could ask this person to also be your accountability partner. They could help encourage and hold you accountable to read God’s word each day and spend time in prayer.
Right now I am trying to lose about 10-15 pounds. My doctor is sending me to a health coach to focus on lifestyle changes to facilitate losing weight. The Health Coach is my accountability partner. This coach will hold me responsible for regular exercise and eating wisely,. The coach will be an encourager to celebrate small victories and to exhort me when I need it.
Ask someone that you know, who is a mature Christian, to be your prayer partner. You could meet once a week on the phone, at a home, at church or even in a restaurant. The main idea is that you have someone who will encourage you and help you develop good habits of abiding in Christ. There is no better way to go through 2011 than with a strong dependence upon Jesus Christ.