Good morning lovers of God

As we earnestly seek God this year, we would do well to do it from a place of rest and not striving. It all sounds contradictory but it is essential that we move forward in the right way.

For too long I have strived in my Christian walk. Sure it’s been sincere and passionate but there’s been too much work and not enough resting in and abiding in. Salvation is not about works, I know that, but nor is the rest of our Christian walk. Yes we are told in Ephesians 2:10 that ‘we are created to do good works that God has prepared for us’ but this is talking about what we do out of our love relationship with God, not the relationship itself.

John 15 talks lots about abiding in God and God abiding in us. It is clear that the automatic and guaranteed result is good fruit being produced in our lives.

The focus for us is not the producing of fruit but the abiding in Him and letting Him abide in us. This is intimacy and intimacy works best when we do not strive.

Many of us need to learn the art of abiding this year. Every time we start to strive to ‘do better’ or ‘be better’ maybe we should STOP, step back and spend some time abiding.

Acts 17:27-28a God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though His is not far from each one of us. For IN HIM we live and move and have our being.