Abide in Me
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.”
Thank God for this verse of scripture! Thanking God for His Word is faith alive. Gratitude is the fruit of grace and grace is the fruit of faith.
Where are we in our journey?
From conception to birth, from believing to receiving, beginning to ending, so much space exist. There are many pitfalls along the way; immaturity of the Spirit, earthly longings that lust against the Spirit, and, oh yes, betrayal. Staring in the face of our human failures and our own personal shortcomings, there is the law ever-present in some form to show us how we should have lived, done, been, etc., ...then God would have honored His promises to us.
I cannot tell you how many times I have fallen for this lie because it is tempting to consider yourself smart enough to be part of the equation of salvation.
Promises made by God to us are inheritances given and are not dependent upon the law!
Long before God reveals any promise to us, He has already determined within Himself His ability to deliver that promise. The promise is not conditional upon our ability but is complete in Christ and brought to us by faith!
Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by means of a promise.
The problem is promises are contended over! The thief comes to take what has been sown into our hearts. Brothers become jealous of our privileged words. We bumble along, ever confident in our flesh that we know what is next or what we need to do, if only given the chance.
We receive His promise and His nature takes hold but we are still living in our old nature—striving, fearing, and reacting. Now we are in the God drama! The harder we work, the harder we fail. The more we run, the faster we are pursued. The longer we refuse, the more we are out-waited by God. It really is impossible to be separated from His love! Eventually, we come to see that our perceptions, fears, and old nature must die. Thus the Cross!
Family, anytime the revelation of God (the seeing) comes, promise of its continuance and future maturity accompanies it!
God is intentional! He touches us, drawing us with desire. The smallest thought towards God is a promise of life with Him. A whisper of His presence is a river of eternity in His love.
Yes, you have been given promises!
-Brother Ken
