Abide in His Word

“Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the proud--the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments. Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies. Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight And my counselors” Psalms 119:17-24 (Gimel)

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:5-11

    Would you say during a typical week it is easy to “abide in the Word?”  When you look at to-do lists, doctor appointments, practices, chores, homework, work schedules, and so forth, is the Lord on your mind; or even in your thoughts?  Anyone can see it is easy for the cares of this world to pull our focus far from God, Jesus, and the Bible. 

    Part of this can be attributed to Satan, as the “prince of this world.”  He is very skilled at taking bus(y)iness, flashing lights of entertainment, and pleasures of our flesh to lure us into the darkness where we stumble and fall into sin.  God created us with needs and desires which need to be met; Satan then moves them into excess.  By gorging ourselves in one area of life, it will take away from other areas. 

    Yet there is also the fault which is ours.  Many of us are lazy and undisciplined.  You may reply, “I am certainly not lazy, I do . . .” and then list out a very lengthy itinerary which you accomplish every week.  Yet would you say that there is absolutely no time for God in that itinerary?  Many of us will accomplish ‘great’ things in our own power, but leave out God as we do it.  We’ve all said it, “But I don’t have time to pray or read my Bible.” We must train and discipline ourselves to read and pray even when we “don’t have time.”  I’ve seen myself when I don’t take time, and it isn’t God-honoring.  Look at the promises of the Bible.  The Old Testament shows us that God will bless His people and curse their enemies, when they follow his Word.  Jesus himself says in the NT, if we abide in Him (Word)we will have joy, fruit, and God will be glorified.  While we can accomplish nothing without him.