During my quiet time today....

Here are some key thoughts from my quiet time with the Lord today.

The cry of my heart...

"Lord, I bow before you this day and declare that you are Lord over every area of my life. I surrender myself and my life to You and invite You to rule in every part of my mind, soul, body, and spirit. I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind. I commit to trusting You with my whole being. I declare You to be Lord over every area of my life today and every day.

Enable me to deny myself in order to take up my cross daily and follow you (Luke 9:23). I want to be Your disciple just as You have said in Your Word (Luke 14:27). Help me to do what it takes. I want to lose my life in You so I can save it (Luke 9:24). Teach me what that means. Speak to me so that I may understand.

Help me to say yes to You immediately when You give me direction for my life. My desire is to please You and hold nothing back. I surrender my relationships, my finances, my work, my recreation, my decisions, my time, my body, my mind, my soul, my desires, and my dreams. I put them all in Your hands so they can be used for Your glory. I declare this day that 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me' (Galatians 2:20). Rule me in every area of my life, Lord, and lead me into all that You have for me."

- Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Woman

Lately, at the suggestion of a respected guest speaker at our church, I have been spending a good bit of time in John 14-16. My desire is to abide in Christ every moment of every day, so I've paid particular attentions to verses such as John 15:4-11:

"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 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."

Today, the Lord led me to 1 John, and I caught some parallels in 1 John 2 and John 15. Namely, it reinforces the idea of abiding in Christ and the importance of God's Word and obeying his commands as a vital part of abiding.

"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."
1 John 2:3-6

"See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father."
1 John 2:24

"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him."
1 John 2:27

Abiding in Christ is obviously closely intertwined with obeying God and being avid students of his Word.

Lord, may I hunger and thirst to spend time in your Word and obey what it says. May your Word become such a part of my life that it is hidden away deep inside my heart, a vital part of who I am. May each moment I spend in your Word provide new revelation and insight and only serve to draw me closer to You. And may I obey your Word and your commands immediately and eagerly out of my love for you, not reluctantly or out of compulsion. In Jesus' name, AMEN.