I feel it happening again—the temptation to take charge.
Handling challenges myself is enticing. I want to trust God, but I’m tempted to believe the familiar lie that it’s all up to me. I’m compelled to do something for God in order to maintain His love for me. I feel the vulnerability of moving out from under the wings of His love into independent striving for achievement and approval.
Knowing I need truth, I turn to John 15 where Christ repeatedly tells me to abide in Him and His love. Abide also means to remain. I’m to remain in God’s love. Jesus tells me He loves me just as much as His Father loves Him. I want to believe this, but I struggle.
To remain somewhere, I have to be there to begin with. I can’t remain in a room unless I’m already in the room. God has united me with Christ Jesus. I did nothing to be placed in Jesus’ love. Remaining in His love doesn’t require striving but resting. While on the cross, Christ said, “It is finished.” Believers now have full access to His love.
Remaining in Jesus’ love requires trust and rest—yielding to His life in me. When I’m hit with the lie that I must do something to earn God’s love, I rest in Christ’s finished work. Doing so allows Him to produce fruit through me. He then gets the glory and I’m filled with His joy.
Trust Jesus to be your strength in whatever challenge you face. Remain in His love and yield to His indwelling Spirit to love others through you.
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Rob Buck is married with children and grandchildren. He is an author, president of an IT training company, treasurer of Focused Living Ministries, and a member of Word Weavers International. He received honorable mention in the 2004 Inspiration-station writing contest. His first novel, Beyond Time, was published in 2007 by OakTara. The sequel, Home Remains, is completed and is in the publishing process. Rob recently had a story published in a book entitled Precious, Precocious Moment. He writes devotional articles for magazines and regularly writes for several online blogs. You can follow him at www.joy-in-the-journey.com, or email him at robbuck@joy-in-the-journey.com.