Abiding in him to Abound for him
Abiding in him to Abound for him
October, 2019
Don’t you want some fire in your belly for Jesus? You have gifts God gave you to use - to develop them to their fullest for Jesus - don’t you burn at times to do this? We do! We want to abound for Jesus.
Paul writes, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). In light of Christ’s innocent death and glorious resurrection to set us free from sin let’s not hold back. “One life will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last,” booms the bumper sticker. We want to abound for him.
But on the other side of our lives are these words from our Master: “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). To abound for me first abide in me. Abiding is a receiving of Christ into the soul by the means of grace, welcoming him, trusting him, or a drinking, eating, and savoring of him. Jesus said in John 6:35: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
At Salem Lutheran in Milwaukee we served an elderly couple, Max and Elsie Knull. All their lives they lived in really cold places. Max survived World War II in a Russian war camp. After marriage they lived in Germany and on to Wisconsin to discover you can have summer, spring, fall, and the death of winter all in one cheery Cheese-head day. Once I asked Max, “You could live anywhere, why live here in Wisconsin?” Max touched Elsie on the arm with his trembling hand and said, “My home is wherever Elsie is. I abide with her.” Abiding with Jesus is a similar relationship of love. My friend, learn to abide in him for then we abound for him.
Abounding for him is bearing the fruit of the Spirit abundantly, “love, joy, peace …” (Galatians 5:22, 23). As Jesus loves you up real good in his Word you want to live more fully for him.
Think of it like this. In my dating years on occasion I would dance to win the heart of a lady. Picture, if you’ve seen Young Frankenstein, Peter Boyle as the monster lumbering to “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” This was me -on a good day. Then I met my wife Gretchen and we danced. She had fluidity and joy and grace in dancing. It was beautiful to me. A little of her grace spilled over to me. Only a little but now I wanted to dance and dance all the more and I would and could by her grace all the more. My friend, let’s dance for Jesus, yes, with Jesus. Let’s abound for him!
Jesus Loves Us,
Pastor Tim
