Finding God's Presence ~ Abide

by Nan Jones   @NanJonesAuthor

My heart raced with anxiety. Thoughts piled awkwardly on top of thoughts until they toppled over, pulling me in a downward spiral with them. I jumped from one task to another, never completing the one before I had my hands dirty in another one. It was pointless. I felt pointless. Worthless. Extremely inadequate.

Striving. Reaching.

Never enough. Ever.

Then the Spirit of God whispered right there in the middle of my pity-party.  Abide in Me, live within My love. Rest in My secret place beneath the shadow of My wing.

And that's what I did.

I stepped away from the Christmas circus. I decided that the world would continue to rotate on its axis if I didn't post Morning Glory for a couple of weeks, and I focused on the Lord, my family, and learning to be still.

Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me ... These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full ...You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain ..." ~ John 15:4,11,16

"... that your fruit should remain."

To abide means to dwell, to live within His love. 
To abide in God means to make His Presence my dwelling place.

What is the eternal reward for learning to abide? His joy remains in us. Nothing the world throws at us can destroy the deep-seeded joy with roots lapping at the streams of Living Water. It remains. Born of peace. Sustained in the assurance of His love. And the fruit of His Spirit - the evidence of God in our lives - remains. Regardless ...when we abide in Him.

Now that's amazing.

If only I can learn to be still and remember that He is God all the time, not just when it's convenient.

A Tweetable to Encourage Others

How do I abide in God and why? @NanJonesAuthor offers insight. (Click to Tweet)



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If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory  page. I'm featuring a beautiful song by Watermark called, "Captivate Us". I think you'll love it as much as I do.