Abiding in Christ
I am Your daughter.
I am not perfect,
But I love You,
And You love me.
Lately, I have been learning that I need to stop focusing on where I’m not (or where I think I need to be) spiritually, and start focusing on knowing Jesus and simply enjoying being a child of God.
What does it mean to enjoy being a child of God?
To me it means…
Working from rest, not resting from work.
Experiencing peace and joy in the midst of any circumstance.
Humbly receiving God’s love, and
Being transformed into His image of love.
I live carefree with a childlike trust and innocence.
How do I enjoy being a child of God and actually live this way?
I tend to feel anxious about whether or not I’m accomplishing enough good works and wondering what else I need to do to master all the spiritual gifts (lol). But God is showing me that all I need to do is seek to know Him–that if I never lose sight of the most important thing–He will be able to work through my life.
But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:41–42
My spiritual maturity is not defined by how much Bible knowledge I have or how many people I have led to the Lord, it is defined by intimacy. I can know the Bible like the back of my hand, and I can do so much for the Lord, but if I never choose to sit at the feet of Jesus and just be with Him, I will have missed the whole reason He died for me…
To make a way back to the Father–
Back to relationship with Him–
Back to the Garden.
The Christian life is meant to be simple and restful.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” -Matthew 11:28–30
Somehow, Mary understood how to enjoy being a child of God. She slowed down and she enjoyed being with Jesus. She rested at His feet and let Him teach her.
There is only one thing worth being concerned about…
Knowing Jesus.
The phrase “trust the process” keeps coming to mind. Trust that if I let go of trying so hard to grow in ministering to others and in the spiritual gifts, and slow down to focus my attention on knowing Jesus through His Word, in prayer and worship, etc., that the Lord will use me to bless others and further His Kingdom.
I don’t think I have to try really hard to bear good fruit. I think if I focus on abiding in the vine, fruit will naturally flow from my life.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. -John 15:4
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