Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
We have been placed into Christ. The Father raised us up and seated us with Him in heavenly places. This means that we have been placed into the pleasing one. When the Father looks at us He sees the perfection of Christ. God’s boundless provision, resources, and promises are found in our placement in Jesus, not our performance. Everything we need is found in our abiding placement in Christ. Abiding means we live from the one thing: Him, rather than for many things. All the promises are found in Christ. He is our portion. We abide, we do not strive.
John 15:7 “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Abiding in Christ is to remain and rest. We stand in our placement in Him. We can be still in His possession. Living present in Christ knowing that your placement in Him is the only source of blessing.
When we abide in Him, we gaze upon His face and we reflect Him to the world around us. There will be something different about us, something attractive and inviting. It is the felt presence of another: Christ. When we sit and gaze at Him we carry the fragrance of His presence. We carry whatever we gaze upon. As Nicholas of Cusa said, “Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.”
When we give our life to many things we invite anxiety and trouble into our life and we end up having to COPE and COMPLAIN through the stress. When we give ourselves to the one thing (Jesus) we choose the good portion and we COME and CAST our stress on Him.
Jesus said, “all you who are weary and heavy with burden, come unto me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. I am humble in heart. And you will find rest for your souls.”
In the midst of life’s crisis we come to Him, cast our cares, take His yoke, learn His humility, and find rest for our souls. What we turn to under the pressure of stress is an indication of where we put our trust. Every day we have the opportunity to choose the good portion (Jesus)!
In this life we have trouble, trials, pain, and pressure. We go through things. At times we can have stress and anxieties knocking at our heart’s door. What this abiding life is all about is walking WITH Jesus and acknowledging Him in ALL our ways. In the hardships and challenges we can draw near and come to Him. We can cast all our needs upon Him because He cares for us.
Walking in awareness of His presence isn’t always a feeling. It’s about coming and casting in the pain and hardship of life, coming in the chaos and letting Him become our peace! Waves of trial, hardship, and pressure come, but as Charles Spurgeon said, “I’ve learned to kiss the wave that slams me into the rock of ages!” We learn to kiss the wave when we come unto Him! We let the stress and pressure lead us to the one thing (Jesus) that has everything. We abide in Him. We sit and rest. Rest is truly the greatest posture of trust. A stance of sitting and resting shows that we believe that Jesus will work on our behalf. It is faith to be still and gaze on Him. We sit and He moves on our behalf. As Maclaren said, “triumphant rising above difficulties is not presumption when it has been preceded by believing gaze on the source of strength.”
BY MICAH LEVEL
Unpack today’s blog with Micah’s new book “Be Like Mary: Walking In pure Devotion To Jesus”