Abide In Christ - Day 3 - Trusting Him To Keep You (Video Devotional)

ABIDE IN CHRIST by Andrew Murray

(To watch Day 2, click here)

Day 3

Trusting Him To Keep You

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

More than one Christian admits that it is a sacred duty and a blessed privilege to abide in Christ, but they shrink back continually before the question: Is a life of unbroken fellowship with the Savior possible? Eminent Christians, to whom special opportunities of cultivating this grace have been granted, may attain to it; for the large majority of disciples, whose lives, by a divine appointment, are so fully occupied with the affairs of this life, it can scarce be expected. The more they hear of this life, the deeper their sense of its glory and blessedness, and there is nothing they would not sacrifice to be made partakers of it. But they are too weak, too unfaithful,—they never can attain to it.

Dear souls! Little do they know that the abiding in Christ is meant ONLY for the weak, and is so beautifully suited to their feebleness.  It does not demand the doing of some great thing, or that we first lead a very holy and devoted life. No, it is simply weakness entrusting itself to a Mighty One to be kept—the unfaithful one casting itself on One who is altogether trustworthy and true. Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to DO as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. It is a work He does for us,—the fruit and the power of His redeeming love. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform.

It is this quiet expectation and confidence, resting on the word of Christ that there is an abiding place prepared IN HIM, which is so sadly lacking among Christians. They scarcely take the time or the trouble to realize that when He says, "Abide In Me," He offers Himself, the Keeper of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps, with all His power and love, as the living home of the soul.   There the mighty influences of His grace will be stronger to keep them than all their feebleness could lead them astray. The idea they have of grace is this—that their conversion and pardon are God's work--but that now, in gratitude to God, it is their work to live as Christians, and follow Jesus. There is always the thought of a work that has to be done, and even though they pray for help, still the work is theirs. They fail continually, and become hopeless; and their despondency only increases their helplessness. No, wandering one; as it was Jesus who drew you when He spoke "Come," so it is Jesus who keeps you when He says "Abide." The grace to come and the grace to abide are alike from Him alone. That word “Come”, heard, meditated on, and accepted, was the cord of love that drew you near; that word “Abide” is likewise the band with which He holds you fast and binds you to Himself. Let the soul only take time to listen to the voice of Jesus. "In me," He says, "is your place,—in My almighty arms. It is I who loves you so, who speaks ‘Abide in me.’ Surely you can trust Me." The voice of Jesus entering and dwelling in the soul must call for the response: "Yes, Savior, in You I can, I will abide."

“Abide in me.” These words are no law of Moses, demanding from the sinful what they cannot perform. They are the command of love, which is ever only a promise in a different shape. Think of this until all feeling of burden and fear and despair pass away, and the first thought that comes as you hear of abiding in Jesus will be one of bright and joyous hope.  It is FOR ME, I know I shall enjoy it. You are not under the law, with its unrelenting “Do,” but under grace, with its blessed “Believe” what Christ will do for you. And if the question is asked, "But surely there is something for us to do?" the answer is, "Our doing and working are only the fruit of Christ's work in us." It is when the soul becomes utterly passive, looking and resting on what Christ is to do, that its energies are stirred to their highest activity, and that we work most effectively because we know that He works in us. It is as we see in those words “In Me” that the mighty energies of love reaching out after us to have us and to hold us, that all the strength of our will is aroused to abide in Him.

This connection between Christ's work and our work is beautifully expressed in the words of Paul: ”but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” It was because he knew that the mighty and the faithful One had grasped him with the glorious purpose of making him one with Himself, that he did his utmost to grasp the glorious prize. The faith, the experience, the full assurance in "Christ has laid hold of me," gave him the courage and the strength to press on and lay hold of that which had laid hold of him. Each new insight of the great end for which Christ had taken hold of him, aroused him again to aim at nothing less.

Paul's expression, and its application to the Christian life, can be best understood if we think of a father helping his child to climb the side of some steep precipice. The father stands above, and has taken the son by the hand to help him on. He points him to the spot on which he will help him to plant his feet, as he leaps upward. The leap would be too high and dangerous for the child alone; but the father's hand is his trust, and he leaps to get hold of the point for which his father has taken hold of him. It is the father's strength that secures him and lifts him up, and so urges him to use his utmost strength.

Such is the relationship between Christ and you, O weak and trembling believer! Fix first your eyes on that for which He has taken hold of you. It is nothing less than a life of abiding, unbroken fellowship with Himself to which He is seeking to lift you up. All that you have already received —pardon and peace, the Spirit, and His grace—are only preliminary to this. And all that you see promised to you in the future—holiness and fruitfulness and glory everlasting—are only its natural outcome. Union with Himself, and so with the Father, is His highest object. Fix your eyes on this, and gaze until it stands out before you clearly and unmistakably.  Christ's aim is to have me abiding in Him.

And then let the second thought enter your heart: “Unto this Christ has laid hold of me.” His almighty power has taken hold of me, and offers now to lift me up to where he would have me be. Fix your eyes on Christ. Gaze on the love that beams in those eyes, and that asks whether you cannot trust Him, who sought and found and brought you near, to keep you now. Gaze on that arm of power, and say that you have reason to be assured that He is indeed able to keep you abiding in Him.

And as you think of the spot where He points, — the blessed place for which He took hold of you,—and as you keep your gaze fixed on Him, who is holding you and waiting to lift you up, could you not this very day take the upward step, and rise to enter upon this blessed life of abiding in Christ? Yes, begin at once!  Say, "O my Jesus, if you call me, and if You take hold of me to lift and keep me there, I will dare to go with You. Trembling, but trusting, I will say, “Jesus, I do abide in You."

My beloved fellow believer, GO, and take time alone with Jesus, and say this to Him. I would not speak to you about abiding in Him only for the sake of bringing to your mind a pleasing religious sentiment. God's truth must acted on NOW. O yield yourself this very day to the blessed Savior to surrender the one thing He asks of you: giving up yourself to abide in Him. He Himself will work it in you. You can trust Him to keep you trusting and abiding.

And if ever doubts again arise, or the bitter experience of failure tempts you to despair, just remember where Paul found his strength: “Christ Jesus has laid hold of me." In that assurance you have a fountain of strength. From that place you can look up to that very thing on which He has set His heart, and set yours there too. From that place you gather confidence that the good work He has begun He will also complete. And in that confidence you will gather courage, day by day, afresh to say, "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.' It is because Jesus has taken hold of me, and because Jesus keeps me, that I dare to say, Savior, I abide in You."

Abide in Christ - Day 2 - And You Shall Find Rest For Your Souls (Video Devotional)

ABIDE IN CHRIST by Andrew Murray

(To watch Day 1, click here)

Day 2

And You Shall Find Rest To Your Souls

Come unto Me...and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 KJV)

Rest for the soul: Such was the first promise with which the Saviour sought to win the heavy-laden sinner. Though it appears simple, the promise is indeed as large and comprehensive as can be found. Rest for the soul,—does it not imply deliverance from every fear, the supply of every need, the fulfillment of every desire? And now nothing less than this is the prize with which the Saviour woos back the wandering one—who is mourning that the rest has not been as abiding or as full as he had hoped— to come back and abide in Him. Nothing but this was the reason that the rest has either not been found, or, if found, has been disturbed or lost again: you did not abide with, you did not abide in Him.

Have you ever noticed how, in the original invitation of the Savior to come to Him, the promise of rest was repeated twice, with such a contrast in the conditions which might have suggested that abiding rest could only be found in abiding nearness? First the Saviour said, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest;" the very moment you come and believe, I will give you rest,—the rest of pardon and acceptance,—the rest in my love. But we know that all that God bestows needs time to become fully our own; it must be held fast, and appropriated, and assimilated into our inmost being; without this, not even Christ's giving it to us can make it our very own, in full experience and enjoyment. And so the Saviour repeats His promise, in words which clearly speak not so much of the first rest with which He welcomes the weary one who comes, but of the deeper and personally appropriated rest of the soul who abides with Him. He now not only says, "Come unto me," but "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me;" become my scholars, yield yourselves to my training, submit in all things to my will, let your whole life be one with mine,—in other words, Abide in me. And then He adds, not only, "I will give," but "ye shall find rest unto your souls." The rest He gave at coming will become something you have really found and made your very own,—the deeper and abiding rest which comes from longer acquaintance and closer fellowship, from entire surrender and deeper tenderness. "Take my yoke, and learn of me," "Abide in me,"—this is the path to abiding rest.

Do not these words of the Savior reveal what you have perhaps often sought in vain to know, how it is that the rest you at times enjoy is so often lost? It must have been this: you had not understood how entire surrender to Jesus is the secret of perfect rest. Giving up one's whole life to Him, for Him alone to rule and order it; taking up His yoke, and submitting to be led and taught, to learn from Him; abiding in Him, to be and do only what He wills ;—these are the conditions of discipleship without which there can be no thought of maintaining the rest that was bestowed on first coming to Christ. The rest is in Christ, and not something He gives apart from Himself, and so it is only in having Him that the rest can really be kept and enjoyed.

It is because so many young believers fail to lay hold of this truth that the rest so speedily passes away. Some really did not know; they were never taught how Jesus claims the undivided allegiance of the whole heart and life; how there is not a spot in our entire lives over which He does not wish to reign; how in the very least things His disciples must only seek to please Him. They did not know how entire the consecration was that Jesus claimed. With others, who had some idea of what a very holy life a Christian ought to lead, the mistake was a different one: they could not believe such a life to be possible to attain.  Taking, bearing, and never for a moment laying aside the yoke of Jesus, appeared to them to require such a strain of effort, and such an amount of goodness as to be altogether beyond their reach. The very idea of always, all the day, abiding in Jesus, was too high, —something they might attain to after a life of holiness and growth, but certainly not what a feeble beginner was to start with.

They did not know how, when Jesus said, "My yoke is easy," He spoke the truth; how just the yoke gives the rest, because the moment the soul yields itself to obey, the Lord Himself gives the strength and joy to do it. They did not notice how, when He said, "Learn of me," He added, "I am meek and lowly in heart," to assure them that His gentleness would meet their every need, and bear them as a mother bears her feeble child. Oh, they did not know that when He said, "Abide in me," He only asked the surrender to Himself, His mighty love would hold them fast, and keep and bless them. And so, as some had erred from the want of full consecration, so these failed because they did not fully trust. These two, consecration and faith, are the essential elements of the Christian life,—the giving up all to Jesus, the receiving all from Jesus. They are implied in each other; they are united in the one word—surrender. A full surrender is to obey as well as to trust, to trust as well as to obey.

With such misunderstanding at the outset, it is no wonder that the disciple’s life was not one of such joy or strength as had been hoped. In some things you were led into sin without knowing it, because you had not learned how wholly Jesus wanted to rule you, and how you could not keep right for a moment unless you had Him very near you. In other things you knew what sin was, but did not have the power to conquer, because you did not know or believe how entirely Jesus would take charge of you to keep and to help you. Either way, it was not long before the bright joy of your first love was lost, and your path, instead of being like the path of the just, shining more and more unto the perfect day, became like Israel's wandering in the desert,—ever on the way, never very far, and yet always coming short of the promised rest. Weary soul, who for so many years has been driven to and fro like the panting deer, come and learn this day the lesson that there is a spot where safety and victory, where peace and rest, are always sure, and that that spot is always open to you—the heart of Jesus.

But, alas! I hear someone say, it is this abiding in Jesus, always bearing His yoke, learning of Him, that is so difficult, and the very effort to attain to this often disturbs the rest even more than sin or the world. What a mistake to speak this way, and yet how often the words are heard! Does it weary the traveler to rest in the house or on the bed where he seeks repose from his fatigue? Or is it a labor to a little child to rest in its mother's arms? Is it not the house that keeps the traveler within its shelter? Do not the arms of the mother sustain and keep the little one? And so it is with Jesus. The soul has only to yield itself to Him, to be still and rest in the confidence that His love has undertaken - and that His faithfulness will perform - the work of keeping it safe in the shelter of His arms. Oh, it is because the blessing is so great that our little hearts cannot rise to comprehend it.  It is as if we cannot believe that Christ, the Almighty One, will indeed teach and keep us all the day. And yet this is just what He has promised, for without this He cannot really give us rest . It is as our hearts take in this truth that, when He says, "Abide in me," "Learn of me," He really means it, and that it is His own work to keep us abiding when we yield ourselves to Him, that we shall venture to cast ourselves into the arms of His love, and abandon ourselves to His blessed keeping. It is not the yoke, but resistance to the yoke, that causes the difficulty; the wholehearted surrender to Jesus, as both our Master and and our Keeper, finds and secures the rest.

Come, my friend, and let us this very day begin to accept the word of Jesus in all simplicity. This is a distinct command: "Take my yoke...and learn of me," "Abide in me." A command has to be obeyed. The obedient scholar asks no questions about possibilities or results; he accepts every order in the confidence that his teacher has provided for all that is needed. The power and the perseverance to abide in the rest, and the blessing in abiding—it belongs to the Savior to see to this.  It is my duty to obey, It is His duty to provide. Let us this day in immediate obedience accept the command, and answer boldly, "Savior, I abide in You. At Your bidding I take Your yoke; I undertake the duty without delay; I abide in You." Let each consciousness of failure only give new urgency to the command, and teach us to listen more earnestly than ever until the Spirit again allows us to hear the voice of Jesus saying, with a love and authority that inspires both hope and obedience, "Child, abide in me." That word, coming from Him, will be an end of all doubting, —a Divine promise of what will surely be granted. And with ever increasing simplicity its meaning will be interpreted. Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled and taught and led, and so resting in the arms of Everlasting Love.

Blessed rest! The fruit and the foretaste and the fellowship of God's own rest is to be found in those who come to Jesus to abide in Him. It is the peace of God, the great calm of the eternal world, that passes all understanding, and that keeps the heart and mind. With this grace secured, we have strength for every duty, courage for every struggle, a blessing in every cross, and the joy of life eternal in death itself.

O my Savior! if ever my heart should doubt or fear again, as if the blessing were too great to expect, or too high to attain, let me hear Your voice to quicken my faith and obedience: "Abide in me;" "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ;ye shall find rest to your souls."

Abide In Christ - Day 3 - Trusting Him To Keep You (Video Devotional)

Abide in Christ - Day 1 - All You Who Have Come To Him (Video Devotional)

Abide in Christ - Day 1 - All You Who Have Come to Him

To watch and/or read the intro to Abide in Christ, click below:

Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray - Intro

Come unto me. —Matthew 11:28

Abide in me. —John 15:4

It is to you who have heard and listened intently to the call, “Come unto me,” that this new invitation comes, “Abide in me.” The message comes from the same loving Savior. You have no doubt never regretted having come at His call. You experienced that His Word was truth; He fulfilled all His promises; He made you partakers of the blessings and the joy of His love. Was not His welcome most hearty, His pardon full and free, His love most sweet and precious? More than once, at your first coming to Him, you had reason to say, “The half was not told me” (1 Kings 10:7).

And yet you have had to complain of disappointment. As time went on, your expectations were not realized. The blessings you once enjoyed were lost; the love and joy of your first meeting with your Savior, instead of deepening, have become faint and feeble. And often you have wondered what the reason could be, that with such a Savior, so mighty and so loving, your experience of salvation could not have been a fuller one.

The answer is very simple. You wandered from Him. The blessings He bestows are all connected with His command, “Come unto me,” and are only to be enjoyed in close fellowship with Him. You either did not fully understand or did not rightly remember that the call meant, “Come to Me to stay with Me.” And yet this was indeed His object and purpose when He first called you to Himself. It was not to refresh you for a few short hours after your conversion with the joy of His love and deliverance and then to send you forth to wander in sadness and sin.

He had destined you to something better than a short-lived blessedness, to be enjoyed only in times of special earnestness and prayer and then to pass away as you returned to those duties in which the far greater part of life has to be spent. He had prepared for you an abiding dwelling with Himself, where your whole life and every moment of it might be spent, where the work of your daily life might be done, and where you might be enjoying unbroken communion with Him. This is what He meant when to that first word, “Come unto me,” He added this, “Abide in me.” As earnest and faithful, as loving and tender as the compassion that breathed that blessed “come” was the grace that added this no less blessed “abide.” As mighty as the attraction with which that first word drew you were the bonds with which this second would have kept you, if you had only listened to it. And as great as the blessings were with which that coming was rewarded, so large, yes, and much greater, were the treasures to which that abiding would have given you access.

And observe especially, it was not that He said, “Come to Me and abide with Me,” but, “Abide in me.” The communion was not only to be unbroken, but most intimate and complete. He opened His arms to press you to His bosom; He opened His heart to welcome you there; He opened up all His divine fullness of life and love and offered to take you up into its fellowship to make you wholly one with Himself. There was a depth of meaning you cannot yet realize in His words: “Abide in me.”

And with no less earnestness than He had cried, “Come unto me,” did He plead,“Abide in me,” had you only noticed it.  By every motive that had induced you to come did He beseech you to abide. Was it the fear of sin and its curse that first drew you? The pardon you received on first coming could, with all the blessings flowing from it, only be confirmed and fully enjoyed by abiding in Him. Was it the longing to know and enjoy the infinite love that was calling you? The first coming gave but single drops to taste; it is only abiding that can really satisfy the thirsty soul with drinks from the rivers of pleasure that are at His right hand. Was it the weary longing to be made free from the bondage of sin, to become pure and holy, and so to find rest, the rest of God for the soul? This too can only be realized as you abide in Him—only abiding in Jesus gives rest in Him. Or, if it was the hope of an inheritance in glory and an everlasting home in the presence of the Infinite One, the true preparation for this, as well as its blessed foretaste in this life, are granted only to those who abide in Him. In very truth, there is nothing that moved you to come that does not plead with a thousandfold greater force: “Abide in Him.” You did well to come; you do better to abide. Who would, after seeking the King’s palace, be content to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King’s presence and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life? Oh, let us enter in and abide and fully enjoy all the rich supply His wondrous love has prepared for us!

And yet I fear that there are many who have indeed come to Jesus and who yet have to confess mournfully that they know little of this blessed abiding in Him. With some, the reason is that they never fully understood that this was the meaning of the Savior’s call. With others, though they heard the word, they did not know that such a life of abiding fellowship was possible and, indeed, within their reach. Others will say that though they did believe that such a life was possible and did seek after it, they have never yet succeeded in discovering the secret of its attainment. And others, again, alas, will confess that it is their own unfaithfulness that has kept them from the enjoyment of the blessing. When the Savior would have kept them, they were not found ready to stay; they were not prepared to give up everything and always, only, wholly to abide in Jesus.

To all such I come now in the name of Jesus, their Redeemer and mine, with the blessed message: “Abide in me.” In His name, I invite them to come and, for a season, meditate with me daily on its meaning, its lessons, its claims, and its promises. In connection with this message, I know that it suggests many difficult questions to the young believer. There is especially the question, with its various aspects, as to the possibility of keeping up, or rather being kept in, the abiding communion, as we deal daily with wearying work and continual distraction,. I do not undertake to remove all difficulties; Jesus Christ Himself alone must do this by His Holy Spirit. But what I would gladly be permitted to do, by the grace of God, is to repeat day by day the Master’s blessed command, “Abide in me,” until it enters the heart and finds a place there, no more to be forgotten or neglected. I desire that, in the light of Holy Scripture, we would meditate on its meaning until the understanding—that gate to the heart—opens to apprehend something of what it offers and expects. So we will discover the means of its attainment and learn to know what keeps us from it and what can help us to it; so we will feel its claims and be compelled to acknowledge that there can be no true allegiance to our King without simply and heartily accepting this one of His commands as well. So we will gaze on its blessedness until desire is inflamed and the will, with all its energies, is aroused to claim and possess the unspeakable blessing.

Come, my fellow believers, and let us day by day set ourselves at His feet and meditate on this word of His, with an eye fixed on Him alone. Let us set ourselves in quiet trust before Him, waiting to hear His holy voice—the still small voice that is mightier than the storm that rends the rocks—breathing its quickening spirit within us, as He speaks, “Abide in me.” The soul that truly hears Jesus Himself speak the word receives with the word the power to accept and to hold the blessing He offers. And may it please You, blessed Savior, indeed, to speak to us; let each of us hear Your blessed voice. May the feeling of our deep need and the faith of Your wondrous love, combined with the sight of the wonderfully blessed life You are waiting to bestow upon us, constrain us to listen and to obey, as often as You speak, “Abide in me.” Day by day, let the answer from our heart be “Savior, I do abide in You.”

Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray - Intro (Video Devotional)

Today, we begin reading together the classic devotional "Abide in Christ" by Andrew Murray.  The text of this book has been slightly edited for the modern reader.  Words, expressions, and sentence structure have been updated for clarity and readability.  When not noted otherwise, most scripture references are from the New King James Version of the Bible

Before we read the preface, we are going to read the scripture passage that this book is based upon...


“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you
.4 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.
5 “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.
6 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.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 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.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:1-11


Preface

During the life of Jesus on earth, the word He chiefly used when speaking of the relations of the disciples to Himself was, “Follow me” (Matt. 4:19). When about to leave for heaven, He gave them a new word, in which their more intimate and spiritual union with Him in glory would be expressed. That chosen word was, “Abide in me” (John 15:4).

It is to be feared that there are many earnest followers of Jesus from whom the meaning of this word, with the blessed experience it promises, is very much hidden. While trusting in their Savior for pardon and for help and seeking to some extent to obey Him, they have hardly realized the closeness of union, the intimacy of fellowship, and the wondrous oneness of life and interest to which He invited them when He said, “Abide in me.” This is not only an unspeakable loss to them, but the church and the world also suffer from their loss.

If we ask why those who have indeed accepted the Savior and have been made partakers of the renewing of the Holy Spirit yet come short of the full salvation prepared for them, I am sure the answer will, in very many cases, be that ignorance is the cause of the unbelief that fails to obtain the inheritance. If, in our orthodox churches, abiding in Christ—the living union with Him, the experience of His daily and hourly presence and keeping—were preached with the same distinctness and urgency as His atonement and pardon through His blood, I am confident that many would be found to accept with gladness the invitation to such a life. I am confident also that its influence would be manifest in their experience of the purity and the power, the love and the joy, the fruit bearing, and all the blessedness that the Savior connected with abiding in Him.

It is with the desire to help those who have not yet fully understood what the Savior meant by His command to abide in Him, or who have feared that it was a life beyond their reach, that these meditations are now published. It is only by frequent repetition that a child learns his lessons. It is only by continuously fixing the mind for a time on one of the lessons of faith that the believer is gradually helped to thoroughly understand them. I have the hope that to some, especially to young believers, it will be helpful to come for a month, day after day, and read over the precious words, “Abide in me,” with the lessons connected with them in the parable of the Vine. Step by step, we will get to see how truly this promise-precept is meant for us, how surely grace is provided to enable us to obey it, how indispensable the experience of its blessing is to a healthy Christian life, and how unspeakable the blessings are that flow from it. As we listen, meditate, and pray—as we surrender ourselves and accept in faith the whole Jesus as He offers Himself to us in it—the Holy Spirit will make the Word to be spirit and life. This word of Jesus, too, will become to us the power of God unto salvation, and through it will come the faith that grasps the long desired blessing.

I pray earnestly that our gracious Lord may be pleased to bless this little book, to help those who seek to know Him full.. I pray still more earnestly that He would, by whatever means, make the multitudes of His dear children who are still living divided lives see how He claims them wholly for Himself and how wholehearted surrender to abide in Him alone brings the joy unspeakable that is full of glory. Oh, let each of us who has begun to taste the sweetness of this life yield himself wholly to be a witness to the grace and power of our Lord.  May He keep us united with Himself and may we seek by word and walk to win others to follow Him fully. It is only in such fruit bearing that our own abiding can be maintained.

In conclusion, I ask to be permitted to give one word of advice to my reader. It is this: it takes time to grow into Jesus the Vine; do not expect to abide in Him unless you will give Him that time. It is not enough to read God’s Word, or the meditations offered here and, when we think we have taken hold of the thoughts and have asked God for His blessing, to go out in the hope that the blessing will abide. No, it requires time with Jesus and with God day by day. We all know the time required for our meals each day. Every workman claims his hour for dinner; the hurried eating of so much food is not enough. If we are to live through Jesus, we must feed on Him (John 6:57); we must thoroughly take in and assimilate that heavenly food the Father has given us in His life. Therefore, my brother or sister who wants to learn to abide in Jesus, take time each day, before you read, while you read, and after you read, to put yourself into living contact with the living Jesus, to yield yourself distinctly and consciously to His blessed influence. By doing so, you will give Him the opportunity of taking hold of you, of drawing you up and keeping you safe in His almighty life.

And now, to all God’s children whom He allows me the privilege of pointing to the Heavenly Vine, I offer my brotherly love and salutations, with the prayer that to each one of them may be given the rich and full experience of the blessedness of abiding in Christ. And may the grace of Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be their daily portion. Amen. —Andrew Murray

To Watch and Read the next devotional, click below:

Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray - Day 1 - All You Who Have Come To Him

Following Jesus Means Self-Denial by Rev. Reimar A.C. Schultze (What Next Booklet - Part 2)

 In our last blog post (which you can read here), we shared some wise words about following Jesus from a friend of mine. Pastor Reimar Schultze is a Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950’s and now makes his home in Kokomo, Indiana. He has written a booklet entitled, “Now That You Are Born Again...What Next?” Today, I'd like to continue sharing from this little book in our desire to answer the question, “What does it mean to follow Jesus?”

Following Jesus Means Self-denial

“Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23).” Here, Jesus tells us that you do not only need deliverance from sin but also deliverance from Self. So then, Jesus died on His cross to save you from your sin, but you must die on your cross to follow Him.  This is what Jesus had in mind when He told a group of Greeks who came to Jerusalem for the Passover: “...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain (John 12:24).” This means you must forsake your life to get into His life and that requires self-denial. It means that your growth and fruit will come about as you crucify your Self. So it is not by self-assertion or by self-will, but only by dying out to Self that your roots go down in brokenness and humility, and that your spiritual branches spring upwards.

Instantly after conversion, you quickly discover that there is an enemy within you...something within

you that does not want to die, that does not want to go with you on this new journey of forsaking your old life. There is something within you that does not want to take time to go to prayer meeting, to witness for Jesus in public, to break up ungodly relationships or to abandon harmful old habits. You also discover that there is still a critical, murmuring, judgmental and self-seeking spirit within you. The Apostle Paul calls it: “...the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2)” which is the spirit of Satan. It is also called the Self, the flesh, the carnal nature, the Adamic nature, and the old man.

Again, as soon as you are saved, you will discover that this Self within you protests and resents every step you take in following Jesus. You will notice a battle raging within you of the flesh against the Spirit. And that is why Jesus said that for you to stay with Him, you will need to take up your cross daily...This means that we must continuously resist and crucify the sinful nature whenever it raises its ugly head. This is why Paul said, “...I die daily (1 Cor. 15:31)” Remember, it was only a few seconds of not keeping his heart that took David into adultery; and it also took only a few seconds for Peter to deny his Lord. The Self within you will continue to choose the ways of convenience, of least resistance, of avoiding conflict and of seeking popularity. The way of the cross is not like this and it is generally despised by men, yet applauded by heaven. It is the only way to true happiness.

Take note that every morning the Self (and the devil) has plans for you that day, but so also does your Lord because the Bible says: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…(Psalm 37:23)” Which plans are you going to pursue? Who are you going to follow? Is it “your kingdom come” or is it “God’s kingdom come” that matters to you?  Is it "your will be done" or "God's will be done?" To whom will you turn over the control of your life from now on, to the old man or the new man?

The Self may want you to go to the wedding of a friend, but Jesus may want you to visit and pray with someone in a hospital. Are you going where Jesus wants you to go and have His anointing, or are you going where self wants you to go without Jesus and without His anointing? The Self may want you to buy a new television, but the Lord may want you to help a missionary in Africa with that finance. The Self may want you to work on a project at home, but God may need you to repair something at a widow’s house. My friend, be encouraged because every time you deny Self and obey god, you will receive the joy of the Lord as your reward. Once you begin to obey consistently, you will have a continual stream of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit flowing into your heart, refreshing you and others likewise.  Praise the Lord!

Self-denial is the first step towards obedience allowing you to do the will of God.  And nothing else matters in your life but finding and doing the will of God:  nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.  Jesus said, "Behold, I have come - In the volume of the book it is written of me - To do Your will, O God (Heb. 10:7)"  That was His mission and He fulfilled it:  and now it is time for you to let Him fulfill that mission in you.  Let the Holy Spirit live in your body as He lived in Jesus' body 2000 years ago.  The first Adam lost paradise by disobedience, the second Adam (Christ) regained it by obedience.  May the Lord grant you the grace to obey Him in every future moment of your life.  

Because self-denial opens the way to obedience, it is the queen of all disciplines. It is the giving up of one thing to gain another.  For you as a Christian, it means giving your all to get God’s all. Say “yes” to self-denial. Armies cannot win without self-denial. Athletes must embrace it to win their trophies.  Graduate schools look for students who live by self-denial.  Airlines will only hire pilots who exercise it.  All significant advancements of mankind have originated from men who have embraced self-denial, and a Christian cannot be a Christian without continually exercising it.

Only the self-denying Christian can have unbroken fellowship with Jesus.  There is no room for a servant of Jesus Christ to engage in self-indulgence, or to get side-tracked by having his life cluttered with matters outside the perfect and acceptable will of God. 

Faith engages the heart (Romans 10:10), but self-denial and obedience engage the will.  Engaging the heart without engaging the will makes you fall short of having fellowship with your Savior: the heart grasps for the things of eternity; the will engages you into those things.  Therefore, Jesus taught us to pray:  "...Your will be done (Matt. 6:10)" and He also said:  "...whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother (Matt. 12:50)."

Following Jesus by Pastor Reimar A.C. Schultze (What Next Booklet - Part 1)

Those of us who call ourselves Christians began this journey with something the Bible calls “the new birth.” It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith...” For those of us who have received Christ through faith, Paul tells us “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Having taken this step of faith, we now have everlasting life! (See John 3:16) The question remains for those who have taken this momentous first step...”What’s Next?”

Pastor Reimar Schultze, a Holocaust survivor who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950’s and now makes his home in Indiana, has written a booklet that addresses this important question. I’d like to share some of his insights in this and the next several blog posts. These words are not only for those who have just been born again, but for those who may have had a conversion experience many years ago, yet never understood what the next steps were to be:

Congratulations on your birth in Christ Jesus.   It was the most important event of your life.  You have recognized your sinfulness and understand that Jesus died to save you from your sin.  You have repented and asked Jesus to live in your heart.  You have passed from death into life, from darkness into life, from a lost state into the arms of your beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.  And although you have barely begun your journey with your Lord, simply by repenting of your sins, you have already created a stir in heaven, for the Scriptures say: "...there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10)."

But now, we must address the monumental question as to what is next.  First, we shall go to the book of Genesis, to the beginning.  And here is the answer plain and clear: Man was created to walk with God.  We learn that Adam and Eve were placed in a garden to walk with God; we hear of Abel walking with God; and then of Enoch of whom it says: "And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Gen. 5:24)."

For this reason, we are born again to walk with God, because man had been driven out of paradise because of sin.  But there is another paradise for us today.  It is the paradise of His presence which we enter by receiving and following Jesus.  This is why, immediately after Jesus chose His disciples, he called them to follow Him. "And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and said to him, 'Follow Me.' And he arose and followed Him (Mark 2:14)."  

You must understand that conversion belongs to a moment, but following Jesus is your life-long calling. It is your new purpose in life and everything must flow out of it...Jesus said: ."..where I am, there My servant will be also"...and this means that from now on you live all your life together with Him –all of it, all the time.

Hence when Jesus was on earth, He insisted that His disciples be with Him 24 hours a day, seven 

days a week even as He also was with His Father 24/7. He never gave His disciples a day of vacation from His divine presence, neither did His disciples ever seek any leave from Him. And in order that this intimate fellowship with Jesus would continue after He left the earth, He, on the day of Pentecost, moved religion from the outside to the inside by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in every disciple’s heart as His representative. 

There is nothing less that is worthy of the name, “Christianity:”Christ’s disciples being with Jesus. And again this is only possible when you follow Jesus. It is the only method by which you can have the peace, the strength, the joy, the love, the fellowship, the protection, the revelation, the provision, the inspiration, the renewal and the daily refreshing of your heart that you need for consistent victorious living. You must realize in your heart that any moment that a disciple is not with his Master is an invitation to trouble. But while you are following Him, everything that God has for you will come your way in His own time (Matt 6:33).

There is no life for the Christian except in following.  There is no discipleship without following.  Practically speaking, it means that from now on, you will no longer go to and watch a soccer game unless Jesus goes with you and if He does, you will go as an evangelist and not as a spectator.  Following Jesus means you will no longer go on a vacation unless He goes with you, and it means you will no longer have lunch with a friend unless He goes with you.  If He does not go with you, it means that He has other plans for you for that time.  Yes, this is what Jesus meant by saying "where I am, there My servant will be also."  But, of course, it is best for you to let Him make the choice in the first place about the soccer game, the vacation or the lunch (that is why you need to learn to hear his voice).  

Now then, what all is in following?  What does it really mean to follow? 

Following Jesus Means Forsaking All

 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:33ll); “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Then they immediately left their nets and followed Him (Matt: 4:19, 20).” In order for you to follow Jesus, you will need to likewise forsake your nets, which means to forsake all that may hold you back from following Him. That is why Jesus said: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt 10:39).” As long as you make your own plans, you are losing your life and you are blind. But once you seek God’s plans, you will find your life and you shall see.

It is vital to understand that forsaking all includes all of your plans, all of your priorities, all of your schedules, all of your attachments, all of your goods, all of your finance, all of your relationships, and all of your past religious practices that stand in the way of you being where Jesus wants you to be.  Jesus said: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24)."

Jesus rejects the gray areas in your life. Christianity is an either/or religion. Whatever you refuse to forsake is the very thing that will prevent you from following Jesus.  Many people, called and chosen by God, soon refuse to forsake something in their lives which prevents them from continuing in their discipleship. It could be a habit; it could be a sport; it could be an occupation or it could be an adulterous relationship. Will you be one of those who will keep holding on to something, be it ever so small, preventing you from following; or will you be one of the few who go on the narrow way of this new life, giving your all to your Savior as He gives His all to you? 

 My friend, it is only on this narrow way that the glory of the Lord bursts forth in its beauty and it is only on this narrow way that you experience the fruits of the kingdom of God: “...righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).”  And indeed, your willingness to go on the narrow way indicates that you are willing to be rejected, mocked, persecuted, and ridiculed by men, yes, even unto death if necessary.  When Jesus truly calls you, He requests that you die daily, inwardly first and for a few disciples, physically as well.  "A servant is not greater than his master...(John 15:20)."  Jesus said: "...because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:14).

To Read Part 2 (Following Jesus Means Self-Denial), click here.

You can order Pastor Schultze's booklet "Now That You Are Born Again...What Next" as well sign up for his free newsletter by following this link:  Schultze.org

A shorter version of this article appeared in The Posey County (IN) News on January 15, 2019



Below is a link to a previous article on this blog written by Rev. Schultze:

The New Evangelism...Contemporary...Sleek...Appealing...and ABOMINABLE! (Reimar Schultze) Part 1

Confessions of a "Keto-Newbie" Pastor (Who Has Been Eating The Wrong Stuff All His Life!)

It's been great for her, but...

I've watched my wife really take charge of her health with God's help in the last year. I admit, I was a little skeptical when she started talking about the ketogenic diet, even though she is an RN and now a nursing instructor. So much of it "went against the grain" (pun intended!) of what we've been taught for decades about our health. Food pyramid, low-fat, low-salt, eat whole grains...all of these things we've been buying into have resulted in an obese society, yet they have a stubborn hold on us. When I would see her eating large amounts of fat...well that just seemed wrong! Yet, I could't deny the truth...it was right in front of me. Not only has she lost 48 lbs. on it and be able to maintain this for almost a year, but her blood sugar levels began to return to normal. It took a diagnosis of "pre-diabetic" last September to get her attention. But since then she has really paid attention...and it's been paying off, not only for her, but for those she has been influencing...and I'm one of them.
I wouldn't say I've gone into this kicking and screaming...but it's close!

So, a couple of weeks ago I felt to take the plunge myself. My primary reason was not weight loss, although I could definitely lose a few. I'm on two blood pressure medicines, and I would like to eventually get off of those. The doctor tells me it is genetic and their's nothing I can do about, but I'm not buying that. I've also had a problem with GERD (reflux) for years. One thing that really got my attention (besides my wife's success story) is that my sister has been getting results after only a few months. She shared with me that her reflux issue disappeared after a short time.
It's not easy leaving the junk food lifestyle!

It's not been an easy changeover from eating sweets, lots of carbs, and other things that are not good for me to much more healthy foods, but I already know that it's going to be worth it. Just last night, I attended a church service that went rather late, and I noticed that I wasn't sleepy at all. Normally, I would have been fighting sleep as I don't keep late hours normally. I'm also not hungry all of the time. When I am hungry, I eat...but I eat the right foods which fill me up and keep me from running to the fridge. I'm amazed that I don't even want the nightly bowl (or two!) of cereal that has been my mainstay for way too long!
Educate Yourself!

I've been spending quite a bit of time educating myself about this. After watching a number of videos from MD's and other doctors who have been studying this for awhile, and after reading material from many of them, I've come to the conclusion that my wife and many others have known for awhile. We've been duped! We've been sold a line of goods that low-fat, high carb dieting is the way to go. It has so permeated our thinking that we can't get our brains around the truth...God made bacon, butter, coconut oil, etc. He did not make "Country Crock", "Cheese Whiz", and "Doritos" (to name a few of the thousands of fake foods that we ingest daily). Just the other day, someone shared an article from USA today in which one of these so-called "experts" declared that coconut oil is poison. Really? And processed sugar, white flour, and GMO corn is not? We've been listening to these "experts" way too long! (Watch this video for the truth about coconut oil... Amazing Coconut Oil Benefits: MCTs)
We are abusing our bodies!

As a pastor, the scripture teaches me that I am responsible for the souls of those who sit under the sound of my teaching. But I also feel the responsibility for their "whole persons", including their bodies. As well, I feel a responsibility to the entire body of Christ, to live a life and a lifestyle that is pleasing to the Lord. Most pastors may do well at refraining from abusing their bodies by drinking too much alcohol, by smoking, or by using illicit drugs, but how many (including myself) have abused our bodies by constantly imbibing junk with no nutritional value...and great harm to themselves. How can I live a spiritually disciplined lifestyle and yet nutritionally be very undisciplined? I don't think that's gonna work!
Is this really our Creator's perfect plan?

We spend so much time praying for and ministering to those who are victims of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a myriad of other 21st-century diseases that in past generations were rare or relatively non-existent. We should be asking ourselves a very pertinent question...WHY? What's going on that is causing our bodies to break down so much more quickly than our Creator intended? Is it possible that it's what we are eating? I really think so.
What is really biblical?

So, as a "keto-newbie", I'm going to share here and in other places what I'm learning. I still plan of course to share more "biblical" topics here as God gives them to me. (Yet, I also am thinking...what's more biblical than taking care of and maintaining our bodies as "temples of the Lord?") I'll be learning and sharing as I learn. In the meantime, I'd love to have your feedback!

What Is A Ketogenic Diet Anyway?
Below are a couple of videos that give the basics of a Ketogenic diet. I would also recommend the book, "The Keto Cure" by Dr. Adam Nally. This really opened my eyes to why the last fifty years of nutrition teaching has been wrong, what ketosis actually is (you can learn about this in the videos below as well), and especially the effect that government policy and crop subsidies has had on our diet (hint...it's not for the good!)

Video #1 Dr. Ken Berry is very good in explaining this in a very simple way...
Note...I don't necessarily endorse everything he says about our ancestors. I don't believe in evolution and this type of teaching leads into that..)

Video #2 Dr. Eric Berg is also very good...