Day 43 –  The Power of Abiding

Tuesday September 4

It was one of “those” days and Carol just ached to get home.  Her husband had called to say the kids were cleaning the house and he was making a special dinner to celebrate.  As she looked outside the car window at the frosty winter landscape whizzing by, she daydreamed how soon the whole family would be cuddled around their big fireplace, talking, sharing, laughing…

“What time is your flight, again?”  Her friends Bob and Sue were driving her to the airport.  Carol looked at her watch.  It was only half an hour until the flight time.  “30 minutes,” she said.  Bob grimaced and gripped the wheel tighter. 

“Oh this is great,” Carol thought, “I told them that we were leaving too late.  Why didn’t they listen?”  Her mind was spinning as they pulled up to the airport doors. 

“God please, let the flight be delayed,” she prayed as she raced into the airport.  But as she came around the corner to the check in, all her hopes quickly faded.  Dejectedly she took her place in the endless line of weary passengers at check in. “Great,” she thought, “this was the last flight tonite.”

Why hadn’t Bob and Sue just listened to her?  She told them they needed to leave the retreat centre earlier.  

Bob and Sue felt awful.  “Carol, we’re so sorry. We really thought your flight was later.” 

“That’s ok,” Carol said, as inwardly she fumed.

Bob and Sue insisted on taking her to a nice hotel and putting her up for the night.  “Who knows,” they offered trying to help,  “maybe this can be a blessing in disguise – a little ‘time away with Jesus’ before you get back to the bustle and busyness of home”.

“The bustle and busyness of home is exactly where I want to be!” Carol thought angrily as they left the terminal.

That the hotel was beautiful was little consolation as she trudged to the elevator rehearsing over and over her frustration.   “I can’t believe this.  I told them that we needed to leave earlier. Obviously they don’t care – they’re driving home – they’ll be with their family tonite. It’s me whose stuck in this stupid hotel”. 

The elevator doors opened and Carol noticed a man standing in the corner.  Because they were on the ground floor she waited for him to exit.  “I’m going up,” he said as she piled her luggage into the other corner of the elevator.

“Having a hard day?”, he asked kindly as she stared at the floor  “Like I want to talk to some strange guy about my day,” Carol thought.  But not wanting to be obviously impolite, she simply nodded. 

“Life is all about how we respond, isn’t it?” the man said as the elevator doors opened to the top floor.  Carol stepped off and began to head to her room.  Feeling a twinge of remorse at her cold behaviour, she turned around to say goodbye to the man.  Strange, he hadn’t gotten off the elevator.  The elevator doors were just closing and she looked inside. 

It was empty….

There are a few things in life of which we can be absolutely certain.  The sun will rise every morning and set every evening.  One day we will die.  People will disappoint and hurt us.  And the more we love them, the more it will hurt.

“Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to be sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one – not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safely in the casket or the coffin of your selfishness. But, in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, unredeemable. The only place outside heaven where you can be safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is hell.”   C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Wounds and offenses will happen.  Sometimes they will be our fault; other times we will be the innocent bystanders in an emotional drive-by shooting.  How we will survive the assault has little to do with “the other guy” and everything to do with the positioning of our hearts.

“Integrity - the quality or state of being complete or undivided.” (Merriam Webster)

When most of us hear the word “integrity” we think of the common definition – the adherence to a strict moral code.  But the Latin root of actually means whole, untouched, unhurt, undamaged, complete, entire. 

For us to have integrity as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ means we are not separated or divided at all from the thoughts, actions and attitudes of the Lord.   When we speak, it’s what He is saying.  When we act, it’s what He is doing.  We are an unhurt, undamaged, complete and entire representation of His heart 

Dream, the impossible dream…. Love your enemies?  Turn the other cheek?  Forgive seven times seventy times.  That’s not human!

Exactly.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

Does that mean that through His promises we can be like Jesus and not act according to our selfish human nature?

Exactly.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.  John 15:5-15

The true path to integrity as believers starts with us learning to abide, remain and rest in Him and His love.  His love quiets us (Zephaniah 3:17) speaking peace to every voice of insecurity, fear and rejection hidden in dark corners of our hearts.  His love speaks life to our identity and purposefulness to our existence.  His love immunizes us against the ravaging diseases of human unkindness, jealousy, competition; all the cruelty and inhumanity of the wicked hearts of man.

Living in the kingdom is all about remaining in the vine, rooted and established in His love.  Only then will we truly be able to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God and live as Jesus lived and love as Jesus loved.

Let’s pray this prayer together:  God I come to you right now and I ask you, once again, to flood my heart with the light of Your truth. I know God that in and of myself, I don’t have the power to love like Jesus loved.  But I believe that because of Your great love that you demonstrated to me when you sent Christ to die for my sins, I have the power to participate now in Your divine nature.  Jesus, teach me how to be a good branch; how to remain in You that I might bear good fruit to the Father’s glory, showing myself to be one of Your disciples.  Quiet my heart with Your love God.  Help me to love as You love.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen!