Abide in Christ
by Andrew Murray
Every Moment
"In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." - Isaiah 27:2-3
"In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." - Isaiah 27:2-3
"Is it possible for the believer always to abide in Jesus?"
"A loving wife and mother never for one moment loses the sense of her relation to the husband and children, the consciousness and the love are there, amid all her engagements."
"If the things look dark and faith would fail, sing again the song of the vineyard: 'I the Lord do keep it, I will keep it night and day.'"
How can I, while being a mother, wife, friend, etc. always abide in Jesus? How can I do the work that is set before me: laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and all of that while still abiding? Here is the key: I do not keep myself abiding - God does. In that blessed assurance, I have peace, rest, and joy. While I am busy doing my work, in my heart, the love and fellowship of Jesus is ever present. I can recall it at any moment. What about sin? How can I have unbroken abiding and fellowship when I KNOW I am going to sin? The answer is simple: Grace. Grace enough to cover all. It sounds too simple. But there it is. That is the truth.
When life overwhelms and despair tries to reach out and grab me - I must hold on to the truth that God will keep me. Doubts, fears, and despairs arise either because of my never ending work and my never ending battle with sin. Hold fast to Psalm 121: "Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul."
Lord, again, I sing the song of the vineyard: You will keep me. Day and night you will water and keep me. Amen.
Practically speaking, I have to insert a small note here:
Since I have been reading this now for almost two weeks, I have seen such a change. God has placed in my heart such a sense of peace. My children still scream. They still fight and cry and disobey. My house still has messes [ALL THE TIME]. I still have to homeschoo I still do not have children who can help with chores. I still have to go places and be on time.
One thing that has changed is my heart's reaction. I am not perfect and have a LONG way to go, but I do not stress about those things like I used to. I can handle the arguments so much more calmly now. When there is a crazy moment [believe me, we have several a day], I find myself a lot more calm then I used to be. I have not raised my voice as much. I have not rolled my eyes or huffed as much. I can only attribute it to God changing my heart and helping me to trust Him more.
If my house does not stay clean, I still can take a nap. If my children are all screaming, I do not cringe and yell above them to be quiet. If we are late for anything, I no longer worry or stress. It does not matter if I was 15 minutes late for a doctor's appointment. It matters that my heart was calm and I did not snip at my children! God be glorified that someone like me can change!
"A loving wife and mother never for one moment loses the sense of her relation to the husband and children, the consciousness and the love are there, amid all her engagements."
"If the things look dark and faith would fail, sing again the song of the vineyard: 'I the Lord do keep it, I will keep it night and day.'"
How can I, while being a mother, wife, friend, etc. always abide in Jesus? How can I do the work that is set before me: laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and all of that while still abiding? Here is the key: I do not keep myself abiding - God does. In that blessed assurance, I have peace, rest, and joy. While I am busy doing my work, in my heart, the love and fellowship of Jesus is ever present. I can recall it at any moment. What about sin? How can I have unbroken abiding and fellowship when I KNOW I am going to sin? The answer is simple: Grace. Grace enough to cover all. It sounds too simple. But there it is. That is the truth.
When life overwhelms and despair tries to reach out and grab me - I must hold on to the truth that God will keep me. Doubts, fears, and despairs arise either because of my never ending work and my never ending battle with sin. Hold fast to Psalm 121: "Jehovah shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul."
Lord, again, I sing the song of the vineyard: You will keep me. Day and night you will water and keep me. Amen.
Practically speaking, I have to insert a small note here:
Since I have been reading this now for almost two weeks, I have seen such a change. God has placed in my heart such a sense of peace. My children still scream. They still fight and cry and disobey. My house still has messes [ALL THE TIME]. I still have to homeschoo I still do not have children who can help with chores. I still have to go places and be on time.
One thing that has changed is my heart's reaction. I am not perfect and have a LONG way to go, but I do not stress about those things like I used to. I can handle the arguments so much more calmly now. When there is a crazy moment [believe me, we have several a day], I find myself a lot more calm then I used to be. I have not raised my voice as much. I have not rolled my eyes or huffed as much. I can only attribute it to God changing my heart and helping me to trust Him more.
If my house does not stay clean, I still can take a nap. If my children are all screaming, I do not cringe and yell above them to be quiet. If we are late for anything, I no longer worry or stress. It does not matter if I was 15 minutes late for a doctor's appointment. It matters that my heart was calm and I did not snip at my children! God be glorified that someone like me can change!
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