Day 27: Remain in Him

I am enjoying the wonderful daily devotionals offered by so many of our Greenridge folks, and I would encourage us all to definitely “not stop meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Heb. 10:25) to keep on connecting via this medium. All of these readings about improving our connections with each other and with God have caused me to focus on the primary relational connection in my life... the only one that can never be broken.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, your were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

How easy it is to forget that we are inextricably connected to God by His grace and through our faith in the finished work of Jesus our Savior on an old rugged cross at Calvary, many years ago. In Romans 8:16-17 Paul reminds us that “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” Isn’t it the most wonderful, powerful reassuring feeling to KNOW that we are IN CHRIST, the one who “is the same, yesterday, today, and forever”? (Heb. 13:8) Our destiny is assured, and “our hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Rom. 5: 5). Brothers and sisters, this is our Standing in Grace as believers and followers of Christ, and it just doesn’t get any better than that on this side of Heaven! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Now back to Ephesians 1:11-12: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory." If you still doubt that God has a plan for your life that will bring glory to His name, turn to Titus 2:11-14 and discover in verse 14 the dual purposes of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross on our behalf. Go ahead... it will only take a minute and will give you something powerful to think about today. Are you ready to serve him now?

Jesus said in John 15:5 that “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit: apart from me you can do nothing.” As an intentional follower of Jesus, I can tell you that in my life there are no more potent words of truth than these, because they compel me to compare my standing in grace with the state of my union with Christ.

The Greek word for remain is a primary verb with all of these meanings:
1) To stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)
2) To abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry for
Staying connected to Jesus and remaining in Him, then, is an act of the will that flows from the heart and the mind. And in my life, this is where it begins to break down from time to time, and requires intentional repair work on my part.

So then, is it possible to be eternally connected to a loving and merciful Savior and at the same time not to be in a productive personal relationship with Him that is contributing positively to His Mission and to the particular plan he has in mind for my life? Unfortunately, I know all too well that it is.

As a boy, I was a curious, mischievous, and rebellious child, with a reputation that preceded me all the way through High School. I earned that reputation and I lived up to it. My father was absent much of the time, serving as a Chief Engineer aboard ship in the US Merchant Marines, and there came a time in my High School years that he told me my behavior must improve or I would have to leave home. Because I did not improve, there came a day when he told me that upon graduation from High School I must leave home, and I did. So at age 17, I could no longer go “home,” and my fellowship with my immediate family was severed for a time. However, at no time during that separation did I cease to be my father’s son, and in time that fellowship returned and grew richer and deeper as my behavior changed. Many years later, Daddy spent his last years in my home as Alzheimer’s dementia slowly sapped his mental capacities. He died as my hero, and it is difficult to describe the depth and magnitude of my love for him.

And so it is with our personal relationship with Jesus. Someone once said “if you are feeling distant from God, who do you think moved?” For me the answer is clear; it is always me who has distanced myself from God. I am grateful every day that he won’t let me wander too far, because I belong to him. I have also learned that it takes intentional effort on my part to maintain a good working relationship with the Lord Jesus whom I want to serve and honor with my life, and the examples of faithful discipleship I am privileged to witness among the people at Greenridge are a constant encouragement to me to lay down my agenda and strive to be faithful to the mission to which Jesus has called me for His glory.

To the Phillipian church, Paul offered this instruction: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed….not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence….continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil: 2:12). Let’s all take time to thank the Living God for His intervention and His purpose in our lives today.

And for the Thessalonian church, Paul offered this prayer: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. Friends, I believe with all of my heart that because “my hope is based on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” that He will indeed do that. Do you?

~George Brown