Christmas: Abiding Where the Father Puts Us
When Baby Jesus grew into the Messiah Man He was destined to be, He said this: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
One of my strongest thoughts of Christmas this year is John 15:7! What comes to mind is the long-range Purpose and Promise of the manger! When the Father sent the Son to “abide with us” as a tiny baby, He was making it possible for us to fulfill the wonder of these words so that we can “abide in Him” in our daily, future lives! His Savior intent was that we learn how “to abide” in Him and receive and act on His desires. I’m a slow learner, but suddenly … after knowing the Lord over sixty years … the truth of this verse leapt out at me when I recently encountered it in a friend’s email message.
The power and level of answered prayer (when it is conditioned by our personal level of faith) is determined by the depth of our abiding (great word in Greek … “to stay under”) because our most powerful prayers are sourced in His desires and not our wants! When we live by His desires all our needs and wants that are necessary are fully met! True prayer is simply having conversations with the Lord about all the issues of life. We consistently grow to see where He is right about every issue, and we have been limited, blind or in error. Baby Jesus “listened” from the beginning to the Father! When we listen to Him we abide, and to abide is to listen. I offer you my humble little paraphrase: “Abide before you decide, and He will guide what you decide. This puts you at His side, and you ride His tide. All that remains is to bide His time, and to receive the pride of answers He no longer has to hide because you have learned to abide.”
If I had been planning the entrance of God’s Son to the world through first being a baby (another idea I would never have had) I wouldn’t have picked a poor, smelly, hay trough (manger) for Him to lie in! I’d have put on a show! But abiding in the Father’s truth, as I pray about it, has shown me that Baby Jesus was abiding where the Father planned to put him. The greatest lesson we can learn from Christmas is put aside our own plans and expectations until we agree to abide where the Father puts us! Accepting His plan will bring everything in life to you that is best for the Father, best for others and best for you!
The Lord Jesus started out abiding, and look at what happened to him. If we start abiding right now, can you imagine the glorious things that will happen to us?
A Christ Christmas to you all and a New Year of “abiding” in 2012
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
