Monday, January 14, 2008

Where Do You Live?




"But he who keeps (treasures) His Word
[who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety],
truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected
(completed, reached maturity).
By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure)
that we are in Him:
Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt]
to walk and conduct himself
in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself....
Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother
[born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now.
Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light,
and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin."
1 John 2:5-6, 9-10 Amplified Bible

A little while ago, I did a post about abiding in the Lord.
It was a topic that resonated within me, and it continues to this day.
At the time of the post, the question came to my heart....

"Where do you live?"

I knew then I would be posting on this topic again,
because this was a question we all need...
where do you live?
Before you think about your residential address, Ya'll,
you need to know that is NOT the living quarters I am talking about! :)

But you knew that!

What we care about is not if you live in a cozy bungalow,
a doublewide, or Fort Knox.

I am talking about are we living in HIM?


"HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty
[Whose power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God;
on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
[Then] He will cover you with His pinions,
and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge;
His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night,
nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,"
Psalm 91:1-5

When we start our day, is HE there, first thing,
before our feet hit the floor?

When we go about the crazy, sometimes vigorously challenging, day to day life,
is HE with us?
When we close the book on the day, is HE there, is HE our abode?
IS HE our home?

I know that HE never leaves us or forsakes us...

but, we can choose to ignore Him...
We can be so focused or distracted, whichever way you want to look at it,
that He is not first priority.

He comes a distant, 8th, 9th, 12th...
because; the tire is low, we need brakes,
a family member is in a bad way, or has a bad attitude,
worse, we have the bad attitude!
Junior needs supplies for a project at school that is due tomorrow,
and we didn't know until we got home tonight.
How can we know that we are not abiding in Him?
For me, it is when my mind is worrying more than praying,
and when I have MUCH less love for others!


Photobucket


If we are abiding, we will bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit!
We will look like this:

"But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit is
[the work which His presence within accomplishes]
love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance),
kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
Gentleness (meekness, humility),
self-control (self-restraint, continence). "
Galatians 5:22-23.

We pretty much have all heard, studied, memorized,
quoted, taught, and or meditated
these scriptures at one time or another.
But, what I bet most of us do not notice so much,
is how the preceeeding verses
are about how fellow members
of the Body of Christ should treat each other.
And what it looked like when they did not "walk in the Spirit,
(or abide in the Vine).
What that means for me,
is when I find myself less tolerant of my family's foibles,
wanting to answer a harsh or grumpy friend or family member
back in the same sort of tone. And when I find myself to be more than willing to tell the people in the parking lot of Wal-mart,
just what I think of them parking in the middle of the driving aisle,
so you can't go around them, so that they can wait,
for ever how long it takes,
so they can get the perfect parking spot!
Or when I have less thanksgiving on my lips and in my heart,
and frown lines are etching my mouth,
then I know I am not thanking and praising as I go about my day,
I am worrying and grousing instead.
When, I ask myself,
can I look back and ever see that He has let me down?
Not once!
When I rest in Him, there is no hole in my roof,
meaning He has me covered, from A-Z!
My needs, my cares are NO SURPRISE to Him.
Neither are YOURS! :)
My abode, is 1-888-JESUS!
You can recognize it by the feathers out front!
How about you?

6 comments:

luvmy4sons said...

Amen dear sister. Your words reflect my heart as of late, my resolution at the New Year to do just that-abide in Him, with Him...if my actinos do not reflect peace and joy and a clam serenity, then one has to wonder if I am truly abiding. Of course we will always have our moments being the wretches that we are, but overall- I want to ask myself-do people see me abiding in Him. Thanks for this post. It touched my heart!

Melissa in Mel's World said...

That's right! Very well said...our address has nothing do to with how often or how we choose to address our heavenly Father.

Every day, all day...at some point I am sure God must be thinking..."is she EVER going to STOP talking?", now I know he wouldn't because HE is God (and I am not), but man, I would. All day, every day...

Sharon Brumfield said...

This past year has been a time of real "working it out for me". It was a dark-dry place.
When those times come--my life shows it. Just like you talk about in your post.
I don't really know yet all of what I learned during the year. I know it was long and lonely as I longed for sight of His face. I missed Him but the longer I stood in the dark (not necessarily rebellion)the less I was capable on my own to get back.
RYC--during those time I was really afraid to touch His word in regard to posting about it. I would never want to speak a lie in regards to my relationship with Him. I think this is often done.
Now I have seen His face again as the darkness has lifted. It is beautiful! I am not a fluffy person although I have tried at times to give them what I thought they wanted to hear. That is not me.
I have to be who He called me to be. And if they decided that that is not for them--that is fine. Some do not come to blogdom looking for
the deep things of Him.And that is fine-as long as they are getting it somewhere.
That was really why I first started blogging. To find others who NEEDED to talk about Him. Who were compelled with something so strong on the inside that they just had to get it out. Not that they wanted a teaching ministry in blogdom--but that they wanted to work it out with others.
Thank you for your words. They are truth. Keep speaking.
I would say forgive me for the long comment-but I needed to get that out there. :)

She Rose Up said...

Thanks, Leslie! Yes, the overall is what gives me hope. I would say that in the last 8 months or so I had more of the "old man" popping up than I would like to see! But, to borrow a phrase from you, Me & God, we are working it out! I am pressing in! :) I CHOOSE to abide!

Mel! We would be LOST without joy-filled, faith-talking cheerleaders like you! I am sure what He says is more like "That's my Girl! Love to hear her go!" Don't change!

Sharon, Guuurrrll, let me just say that you NEVER have to apologize for long comments here! I am the queen of long comments! I figure that's why we all do this! We are hungry to share thoughts & life experiences in a way that will encourage & inspire ourselves and others...to me blogging is the kitchen table or front porch of yester year! It fills a much needed outlet to connect! & lift up! And sometimes even to be silly!

Thanks, Ya'll! For coming to my front porch!

Ally said...

I absolutely oved this post. I feel it echos something in me.. and I loved the psalm 91 quote.. i need to meditate on that more. Thanks for continuing to help me persue that which is a real treasure...the word of God!

She Rose Up said...

Hi, Ally! Psalm 91 is really a very special scripture for me, it is such a powerhouse!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend, my friend!

Maria

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

What Does it Mean Anyway? "Free to Fly"...

Well, it's like this: Here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Free: a : having the legal and political rights of a citizen b : enjoying civil and political liberty c : enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another2 a : not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself...having a scope not restricted by qualification 7 a : not obstructed, restricted, or impeded ...Now, here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Fly:1 a : to move in or pass through the air with wings b : to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space c : to float, wave, or soar in the air ... a : to take flight ...6 : to work successfully ...Examples which apply from Websters: fly high : to be elated - fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of : to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of

What does this mean in my life? This means that in life we are meant to be free. While historically mankind has not always enjoyed the opportunity to fully appreciate what that means, we are so indescribably fortunate as to live in a time of the greatest spiritual, physical, financial and political freedom ever known. Freedom doesn't come cheap, nor does it come easy. But the best things in life don't come that way do they? As I write this I am struck by how this sounds like a political statement, and for me this is much more of a spiritual thing, but, same goes for that (political that is). Freedom doesn't come easy. And it's worth whatever fight you have to make to overcome in your life in order to live a life that succeeds. Now the questions is - what is success for you? What is your standard? In my mind what is needed is a definite target - because you can't hit and maintain a moving target. A stable, rock-solid, anchor with no variable, yet multi-faceted. Something pure, just and worthy. If you look at any web page of news you can see that our society is certainly lacking in this area. What a great time to live as a rebel! Nowadays to be a rebel, all you have to do is be willing to engage in the battle of life, while anchored to Christ!