Reflections, April 26th, 2009

Reflections: Abiding in God's Presence

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5

There is a certain peace that comes when you are in the presence of God. I mean, to be truly in the presence of God, there is a peace that cannot be explained that overwhelms you. It transcends anything you may have thought peace was. In the presence of God, nothing else matters. It's you and your Father, and there is comfort that comes from that, as well as assurance. Howbeit that we have devalued the time spent in the presence of our Creator. We have, some unknowingly, forgotten the importance of spending time with God. It is not enough to be saved. It is not enough to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We must learn to abide in Christ, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to walk in His ways, and follow the will of God for our lives. And the only way we can do this is to spend intimate time in the presence of God. To abide in Christ; live in Him. In the presence of God there is peace, hope, joy, love and power. Yet, many of us have been duped by the enemy to believe that we are too busy; that we have so much going on that we will get to God later. Know this: God is a jealous God. And it is YOU that He desires the most.

It is my fondest prayer that this week's Reflection will bring you encouragement and peace. May your heart and mind be filled with revelation and the divine will of God for your life. Allow God to speak to your heart. May He grant you the ears to hear what He is speaking to you this day. And may your heart be filled with His presence.

We are in crisis mode. Everyday it seems that one horrific thing after another is taking place. Each day we are faced with pressing concerns that will either catapult us into the arms of God, or propel us further away from His presence; which is a direct scheme of Satan. A trick of the enemy that he uses to keep us from spending time in Christ.

There is nothing that God does not know or understand. Yes, the world is crazy right now! People taking their lives, and the lives of their families. People stealing on every level. People just losing their minds! Yet, God encourages His children to abide in Him. To spend time in His presence. And when we do this, we will find that we can do all things in Him.

Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

It is when we are out of God; when we have stopped abiding in Christ that we have no strength. Let us carefully look at John 15:5 again:

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

Without Christ, we can do nothing. We cannot bear fruit. We cannot possibly expect to endure when trouble comes our way. And trouble will definitely come. Jesus was telling the disciples, and us, that He is the vine, we are the branches and the Father is the husbandman. The one that tends to the garden. Every branch (us, believers) that do not bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he purges it, or prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (vss. 1,2)

Abiding in God, spending time in His presence, gives us the opportunity to develop the fruit that we need to withstand the craziness of this world. The fruit is evident that we have been spending time in God. That we have chosen to abide in Christ and receive from Him. What fruit? The fruit of the Spirit. The characteristics of Christ. The development of our character.

Galatians 5:22,23, 25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law...If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

There is a thin line between sanity and insanity; between love and selfishness; between chaos and serenity; between joy and sorrow. And we walk these lines each and every day that we are upon this earth. And it is the grace of God, for those that believe and understand, that keep us on the line that directs us to the arms of God, where sanity, love, serenity and joy are in abundance.

The fruit of the Spirit is available for every believer that would choose to abide in Christ. That would choose to take the time to spend in the presence of God. Because, it is in the presence of God that our fruit is developed and cultivated. It is in the presence of God Almighty; in the presence of Elohim, God our Father, that our fruit is cared for and given the proper nutrients to grow and thrive. Yet, how many of us forsake this opportunity because we have become burdened and hampered by the cares of this world, and have taken our eyes off of God, and placed them upon ourselves and our own abilities to take care of things?

It is through Christ that that we are given the power and strength to do all things according to the will of God for our lives. How do you know what God desires of you, if you have never spent time in His presence? How do you know the will of the Father, or the heart of God, if you've never taken the time to listen? How do you know if the fruit you have is any good, if you didn't follow the Master Gardner's instructions for proper care?

You see, it is God who knows the good fruit from the bad. He knows which apple in the bunch has the worm in it. If you can, for a moment, take the time to use your sanctified imagination. Picture, if you will, a cornucopia of fruit. It is filled with all the choicest fruits. It is very pleasing to the eye. There doesn't seem to be a blemish in sight. All the fruit appears ripe and ready to eat. Let's say you try a grape. It's sour. How about an orange? It's bitter. Surely the apple looks good. There's a worm in the middle. Fruit after fruit, there is something that isn't right.

To the natural eye, everything looked fine. But to the trained eye, and to the one that cared for the garden in which the fruit grew, they knew that the fruit was not right. Perhaps the gardener did not use the proper fertilizer. Maybe he had hired-hands that plucked the fruit to soon. Or maybe there was a weed that came and choked the process of the fruit. Or the weather wasn't conducive. Whatever it may have been, there is fruit that looks good, but on the inside it doesn't measure up. It cannot meet the grade, and becomes discarded.

So it is with the children of God. There are many of us that look good on the outside, but on the inside we are bitter, sour, and some of us rotten. We have allowed the cares of this world to dictate to us how we walk and how we talk. We have been so consumed by the cares of this world, that God is often the last thought on our minds unless we find ourselves in a most heinous or difficult time, then God gets bumped up again. That's not acceptable. And many wonder why their lives have become filled with so much strife and sorrows. Why so much has gone wrong. Why we have no peace in our lives.

I am not saying that we will not face some terrible trials and tribulations because we are abiding in the presence of God; because we know, just by being a child of God, persecution and strife will come. What I am saying, however, is that when we choose to abide in the presence of God, all that comes our way will not be able to destroy us. That even in the midst of sorrows, that we can have a spirit of peace. That we can make it through things that many other people may not. There is an undeniable strength and fortitude that comes from being in the Lord. There is a power that you experience and are filled with that gives you the ability to withstand every attack that comes your way. You will find, after spending time in the presence of God, that things that used to fray you; things that would have destroyed you before, no longer have the same effect on you. You will find strength that you didn't know you had. You will be able to do all things; make it through all things, because of Christ who abides in you, and strengthens you.

When you choose to spend time in God's presence; when you make up your mind to abide in God, you made yourself available to the Hands of God. You have given God dominion and permission to fill you with His presence, His strength and His wisdom. You have given Him the opportunity to tend to His garden (your heart), and make sure that your fruit not only passes His inspection, but can withstand certain weather conditions, such as: drought, famine, hail, ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunami's. All brought on by the enemy to destroy you, or hinder you from receiving all that God says is for you. But we know, what? That the devil is a liar! And greater is our God in us, than the enemy that roams and rules this earth!

When you have chosen to abide in Christ, and Christ abides in you, and you have chosen to spend intimate time in the presence of God; when God is first and last in your heart and mind; when He is the one you run to first; when trouble comes your way, and it is praise and worship, instead of murmuring and complaint that passes through your lips; you will not only understand the love that God hoards for you; you will see the love that God has for you, and the power that He has given you. Don't forsake the power of being in the presence of God. Don't dismiss the importance of abiding in Christ daily, and allowing Him to abide in you and direct your path. Because, it truly can be the difference between life and death, not only for you, but for those you love, too.

Psalm 37:16-18; 37-40
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; but the Lord uphold the righteous. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever... Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Make no mistake, God knows you. He knows your heart. He knows who belongs to Him. He knows who has good fruit, who has bad fruit. He knows whose heart is sincere, and whose heart is false. He knows the righteous from the wicked, and will judge accordingly. And He wants YOU to know, that He loves you very much, and seeks the honor of your presence in His presence, for a time of intimate reflection and fellowship. Everything you need is in Him. Everything you desire can be found in His presence. And if you need clarity, all will be made clear and certain when you choose to abide in His presence. He desires to sup with you. He's waiting for you, and doesn't mind how long you talk, cry, or scream. Give it all to Him; He's been waiting just for you.

I sincerely pray that your heart and mind is stirred to take some time and abide in the presence of our Lord. Abide in Christ, and allow Him to abide in you, and check that fruit. If you are not sure about your fruit, read the fifth chapter of Galatians. Study it. Meditate on it. Know it. And God will give you understanding of it. May the spirit of peace and prosperity rest in your, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social and financial lives. May your fruit be met with the Father's standards, and stamped with His seal of approval. Be Blessed.

©2009. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.