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The To Do List
By Robin Jones
Thursday, October 13, 2016
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. Luke 10:39
Picture Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet.
Like Mary, our faith deepens as we choose to abide. Abiding is more than scheduling quiet time or 5 minutes of prayer. Look at how dictionary.com defines abiding; then compare it to what the Bible says.
To abide means:
1) To remain or stay.
Remain in me, as I also 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. John 15:4 NIV
2) To locate, to dwell, to reside.
For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Psalm 63:3-4 NIV
3) To continue, to preserver in an attitude, relationship, or particular condition.
His wife said to him, Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die! He replied, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:9-10 NIV
4) To tolerate difficulties or difficult people.
I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him. You unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus replied, How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me. Matthew 17:16-18 NIV
5) To stand firm through a vigorous onslaught by the enemy.
Moses answered the people, Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lordwill bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lordwill fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:13–14 NIV
6) To wait.
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:25 NIV
7) To accept without opposition.
When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you? But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. Matthew 27:13-14 NIV
8) To choose to suffer.
This you were called,because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:22 NIV
Meditate on how God is deepening your faith by abiding as defined above.
Lord, thank You for this day, another day to know, love, and lean on You. Let us make our time with You special, not just another thing to do. May we soak up all of the ways to abide in You so that our faith in and love for You deepens. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
© 2016 by Robin Jones. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Thursday, 13 October 2016.
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