Words to Abide in

Note: I emailed a draft of this post to a friend saying, “This isn’t cohesive—it covers toooo much to take it all in— and it might repeat other posts— BUT God used it. What do you think for givenwordnow.com?”

She replied, “The Lord used it with me too. I think it is good. After reading it, I wanted to add, ‘And there must be more . . .’ ”

So here you are, in faith that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you read it too.

Word to Abide in

This morning, I reached for my Bible and opened to John 14. I stopped reading at John 15:7, where Jesus says,

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

I wanted that. I wanted it enough to stop and ask, “What must I do to get it?”

As if in answer, the phrase IF MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU jumped out at me. It struck me to simply look at Jesus’ words, measure myself against them, and ask God to bring them to life in me Asking, “What words?” I pulled pencil and paper from a bedside table drawer and began a personal “Check List” from Jesus’ teachings. When my memory faltered, I turned to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.

As I wrote, Jesus’ words had a drawing power. They drew me closer to Him. Energy moved from the printed page into my spirit. The Holy Spirit was adjusting and correcting me. Soon a couple attitudes had altered and several concerns were dissolved in trust and peace. Here’s my list—as the Holy Spirit gave it to me—reflecting my own needs. I share it in hopes that it might benefit you too. Oh—it’s nothing new, but the wording and order are mine. Most are based on Matthew 5-7.

Forgive—everyone; every time.

Don’t judge—ever.

Speak truth—always. Don’t stuff or hide in silence. And speak simply—
check my opinions; watch out for grandiosity and people-pleasing;
don’t make promises I might not keep.

Don’t presume—or assume.

Give—in secret—as led by the Holy Spirit. All I have is God’s and from God.

Be humble, meek, merciful, righteous, and pure in heart. Meditate on these qualities.

Don’t be afraid. Jesus is with me. Fear stops His love.

Don’t be angry without cause—when I’ve got a cause, get over it.
If it’s personal, remember that vengeance belongs to God.

Don’t need to be right. Don’t be contentious, critical or condemning.

Don’t strive or fret—especially about being misunderstood;
remember that God does not explain, defend or justify Himself.

Remember that God alone can vindicate me—and only He knows if it matters.

If I’ve offended a brother or sister, reconcile; ask forgiveness.
If that’s impossible, give it to God.

Don’t lust—for stuff, for food and other physical pleasures, for anything.

Don’t resist evil directed at me personally from another person. Ask Jesus to be my boundary and protect me.   (Yet on this one I puzzle over how God wants us to oppose corporate evil and injustice. Meeting force with force is all that bullies understand; and evil powers, like that behind Hitler, need to be stopped. Yet God’s Kingdom is not of this Earth. He says to seek for His Kingdom and do good first—and to overcome evil with good. God’s loving kindness and mercy, as seen in Jesus, are His answers to the problems and tragedies of evil. Father God sent Jesus to the cross to prove it. My own path is to try to avoid the hypothetical; to trust governments to God and to love and follow God as He leads me.)

Remember the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus said to pray first that God’s Kingdom come
and His will be done. Get that inside me. Let it live and grow.

Don’t show off any giving, prayer or fasting. Do it secretly, before God, not people.

Talk to God about everything. Especially frustrations. Talk to Him before eating for comfort or turning on the TV or reaching for a puzzle to withdraw from conflicts or unwanted emotions. Talk to God first. Then, enjoy the ice cream, the TV or the puzzle—or not.

That also means don’t be materialistic or anxious or fretful about needs.
Don’t project. Ask God to meet needs as they arise.

Once again, seek God and His Kingdom first.

Don’t try to correct others. Correct yourself. Entrust others to God’s care.

Don’t listen to unhealthy people—unloving, unbelieving, greedy people or people with their own agendas. Love them, but Listen to Jesus.

It’s all summed up in

            Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Matthew 7:12

 One more thing— There’s a word from Jesus that didn’t make my list. It’s the most important one of all because it alone makes all the others possible. It is, You must be born again. (John 3:7). All His other words are difficult to understand and impossible to fulfill without the life of Holy Spirit that comes into those who confess their need of God and ask Him to forgive their sins and give them a new birth and life in Him. Ask Him about it.