6:00 - 7:00 a.m. I'm immersed in God's Word. All is quiet.Right now for family worship I'm reading small portions of a book about growing in Jesus to my children. Yesterday it talked about abiding in Jesus. I am so drawn to Jesus' concept that of the vine and the branches in the book of John, and that "He that abideth in me shall bear much fruit." The fruit is the fruit of the Spirit of God. It is like saying that we will have the lovely character of Jesus. Oh how I'd like to abide, to dwell, to stay, to live always in Jesus.
The book we were reading suggested that we need to connect with Jesus daily, even hourly. And then went on to say that we abide with Jesus the way we first connected with Him. We give him all that we have: our heart, our will, our service, our thoughts and feelings, our sins, everything. And then we take all that He has to give: a new heart, the abiding Christ, forgiveness, peace, joy, love and all the fruit of the Spirit, a comforter, a helper, power over sin and more.
I connect with Jesus daily easily enough, but what about hourly? What would happen if I connected hourly? Too often I forget about my connection with Jesus not long into the morning. I decided to experiment with hourly abiding. Every time the big hand on the clock points upward, I am to stop and lift my thoughts upward to God.
I've made a photo journal of progression through the day, as a means of remembering moments of abiding in Jesus. I didn't get a photo of every hour, but I remembered almost every hour to stop and give myself to Jesus and to receive all that He has to give.
8:00 a.m. The computer is on my lap, a pillow behind my back and aging hands on the keys. I'm comfortably writing emails and checking blogs while the children are already working hard at their homeschool work. I stop. This is the first hour of my determination to abide in Jesus every hour of the day. Computer set aside, I kneel, a familiar, but unfamiliar position for this time of day. Dear Heavenly Father, I give you all I have. You can have it all. I surrender my self to you. I receive your love and peace and joy, to pass on to my family. I receive you forgiveness and mercy for all who believe in Jesus. Thank you!If any man be in Christ, He is a new creation.
9:00 a.m. I'm working hard with my son at piano progress and character growth. Self must die and love must reign. The Christian life must be similar to piano practice. It requires day by day determination, surrender to the wisdom of the teacher. Over and over you do the same thing until you get it right. Over and over I surrender my selfishness and accept God's unselfish love. Will I ever get it right? Will I ever abide continually and not need to practice prayer. I stop with my son and we pray together. All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give.
10:00 comes quickly. Piano is finished and dishes are now being rinsed and placed in the dishwasher. The counters are wiped and the floor swept. Lord wash me continually, just as these dishes need to be washed again and again. "Though your sins be red as crimson, they shall be as white as snow." I set down the dish in my hand, and focus on Jesus. How sweet to talk with him so often this morning. And the morning is beautiful. He made it that way.
11:00 finds me with a couple bananas to finish off my breakfast/lunch. We are experimenting with eating eat two meals a day, but today we're a little later then normal. There have been plenty of distractions from my normal routine. Even so, the breakfast was delicious. And Your Word is delicious. It feeds and nourishes me like nothing else. I'm satisfied. I prayed at the beginning of my meal, a prayer of thanks and gratitude. Now before I am even finished, I pray again. Dear God, may I please be nourished so that I can grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, just as Jesus did on earth? I receive this gift from you and thank you with joy!
A 12:00 invitation from my son to see the tulip in the garden. We have only one this year. The deer ate the buds off the other plants before they were barely out of the ground. But this one remains in the richest, boldest color a tulip could display in a garden. It is not shy in the least, but shouts out continual praise to the Creator. Dear God, It is easy to praise in a crowd at church. But what if I were the only one? I want my whole life to reflect your new creation in me. I am not ashamed. Thank you for the beauty you are making in me. Thank you for connecting me to your sturdy roots, so that I can bloom. You are so good!
1:00 finds me back outside. The apricot tree is covered with immature fruit. It wasn't so long ago but this tree was just a brown stick shipped from a distant nursery, ready to plant deep in the soil. The stick had been grafted to sturdy root stalk. The tree is now hardy and healthy and prolific. It keeps doing what it was created to do, bearing fruit every year. And this year there will be more fruit then ever. That brown stick is abiding continually with the root stalk, receiving water and nutrients pulled up from the soil. Blossoms burst forth while it is still cold, the earliest blooming tree. Within weeks lush leaves surround the new baby apricots. It is no accident. And I am no accident. God has a plan. I want to be grafted in firmly to the roots that give life, so everyone who is near will be able to enjoy the fruits of God in my life.
3:00 p.m. Another meal to prepare. Prayer for the food. Prayer for spiritual nourishment. It is good to stop and remember that there may be things that need to be cut out of my life before I am fully what God wants me to be. The knife is sharp, but it does the job quickly so potato salad can fill hungry bellies. God please cut out anything in my heart and life that should not be there. Any spot or blemish that is spoiling me, or anything that might bring ill health to someone else. I don't want anything rotten in my life. You can have it all.
5:00 p.m. I'm on the phone with a really good friend. I really enjoy taking with her. We've been friends for a long time. We have so much in common. I don't have to worry at all about getting my words right. She completely understands, and is so patient with me. We are both busy with our families, but always have time for each other. We don't always get to talk for long, but when we do, there is no end of things to talk about.I'm sorry God that I often have more to say to her then to you. I'm still learning what it is like to be your friend. My belief is really small sometimes, but I do believe and I'm going to keep communicating with you more and more so I grow to really love you. Thank you for being so patient with me.
6:00 p.m. It's a birthday! David and Goliath, the cats have turned 1 year old. My son has made up a birthday cake for them with a can of their favorite fish flavored moist food, heart shaped cat-treat sprinkles, and a side of fresh cat nip. And their mother got part of the cake too, because one year ago she gave birth to these two scamps. It truly is a celebration of "birth-day" for her.King David said in Psalm 23, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. My cup runneth over." These cats don't really have enemies to worry about. The bullying neighbor cat is inside most of the time. And yet their blessing are abundant. They are much loved kitties, who love in return. It isn't my birthday, but it is as if a smörgåsbord of blessings have been set before me today. My cup does run over. Thank you God for so much love. Thank you for my family, and our happy home, supplying me with everything I need. "The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want." Yes, all my needs are supplied, and even some of the desires of my heart have been granted. I'm keeping my trust in God. And I'm looking forward to abiding in you more and more.
The hour is late. It is time to sleep. I won't talk with God every hour through the night. But I remember that the one who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. See you in the morning, Jesus.
Comments
Post a Comment