This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. As I take this journey with the church, I will be posting a weekly blog off of one of the verses we will be focusing on during that week, hence the number in the title (Month 1 : Week 1). Okay, let’s dive in…
ABIDING IN CHRIST 1:1
“For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”
Psalm 96:4
We often think of abiding in Christ in the same way we think of resting on a comfy couch, or like the quiet calm we feel when fishing by a slowly moving river with nothing but the sounds of the water trickling by (provided you haven’t brought along your kids! HAHA). While there is definitely a profound peace and calm that accompanies abiding, we must also embrace that abiding in Christ is a purposeful act of our will whereby we choose moment by moment to remain connected to and present with God. Psalm 96:4 reminds us that the vine (John 15:1-11) we are grafted into is not just a source of peace, calm, and comfort; He is the Creator God, the King of kings Who stands high above every earthly god and power, Who is to be praised and feared. To properly do this requires us to actively align our heart, mind, and spirit with the reality and truth of Who we follow and worship.
From this verse we learn that, if we are to truly abide in Christ, we must recognize, acknowledge, and embrace the magnitude of the One in whom we dwell (or abide in). This leads us to a more accurate view of how big the God we serve truly is. You might ask, “Why is this an important first step?” Simply put, if our view of God is small, our motivation to stay “in Him” will be weak; if our view of God is that He is “great… and greatly to be praised,” we will be greatly motivated to be found remaining in Him and in His presence. As we commune with Him and remain in His presence, our prayer life will shift from being a daily chore that we must do into a natural, willing response to His greatness – a recognition that we are communicating with Majesty on high. This will lead us to a greater desire of being found in Him continually – abiding in Him – causing the things of this world to fall into their proper place; all the false gods of this world lose their power over us as we view and hold onto God in holy reverence (fear).
Today, I am asking the Holy Spirit to search my heart and mind, and to identify and root out those things that serve to diminish my view of how great our God truly is; to reveal anything within me that is working to weaken my motivation to remain in – abide in – Christ moment to moment; and, to make my prayer life a natural, willing communion with our God Most High, Who is “greatly to be praised.” Will you join me? Selah…
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