Abide Today....

Recently Amazon offered a devotional by Cynthia Heald called Becoming a Woman Who Walks with God as a freebie for Kindle!  It is a 30 day devotional on Abiding and so I decided to get it to use at some point.  Well today is that some point.. I decided to use it in April.

The focus today was on John 15:4... I love the ESV because it uses the Word Abide.. just love that word!  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I decided to do a bit of word study, so pulled up Strong's App and looked at Abide.. I know what the word means but saw two things today I really don't think I ever saw before..

"To stay in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy"... expectancy!  God keeps putting that word before my eyes.  It also means to "Be Present."

So I am to abide with expectancy... or in expectancy.. expectancy of what.. of God and His promises... expecting Him to bring to completion that which He has begun in me (Phil 1:6)... to work things out for good (Rom 8:28)... expecting Him to never leave me or forsake me (Heb 13:5) and soo much more!  Isn't that the coolest thing!  I mean we know that.. know that His promises are true and will be fulfilled, but I love that He included it in that abiding.

And then Be Present.. that one really hit me.  NIV says Remain in Me and I will remain in you. So be present in Christ and Christ will be present in you.  Not yesterday.. not tomorrow.. today.. present.. now!  This, for me, is all about that daily surrender. Today I choose to be present in Christ.. to die to self .. take up the cross He has for me.. and expect Him to be Who He says He is and do what He says He will do!

Romans 12:12

NIV -- Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

ESV -- Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

HCSB -- Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer

NET -- Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer

NASB -- Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer

AMP -- Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer

MSG -- Cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times, pray all the harder.

KJV -- Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant prayer

Let's look at these 3 exhortations..

First.. Be joyful in hope

Rejoice .. being joyful.. cheerfully.. expectant in HOPE

The Greek word used here means rejoice, joy, joyfully, be glad, hail

Hope -- faith, hope BUT from a root word that mean to anticipate (usually with pleasure).. expectation, confidence

So I am to be full of joyful anticipation and confidence in my faith and hope which is Jesus Christ!

Next... Be patient in affliction

Patient in.. enduring... persevering... steadfast .. in affliction, suffering , tribulation

hupomeno (Greek) -- to stay under, remain, bear, have fortitude, endure, abide, take patiently.

Tribulation -- from root which means pressure, affliction, anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble

So I am to be patient.. endure.. stay under.. bear.. remain in.. have fortitude in.. abide while I an in tribulation, trouble, affliction, anguish, burdened or pressured.

Abide.. I don't think we are to abide IN the suffering or tribulation but to abide while going through it.

John 15 is all about abiding.. remaining.. in HIM.. Only way we bear fruit is to abide in Him and we are called to bear fruit no matter the circumstances.

So our hope is in Him.. our abiding in Him...

and lastly... Be faithful in prayer

Continuing instant.. be faithful.. constant.. persistent.. devoted in prayer

"continue instant" is a phrase foreign to me.. even though I was reared with the King James Version of the Bible.  It means to be earnest towards, to persevere, be constantly diligent, to adhere closely, attend continually, wait on.

So I am to be earnest toward, persevere in, be constantly diligent, adhere closely to, attend continually to, wait in prayer... and again,  we find Jesus.. for our prayers are to be asked in His name!

These verses go hand in hand with 1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I love that the underlying current which allows me to do these things.. to rejoice.. be patient.. be faithful.. is JESUS.. my hope in Him.. sharing in His affliction.. staying connected to Him with prayer. It is all about Jesus and our relationship with Him!