Faithfully Abiding, Courageously Obedient

Jan 1

“Faithfully Abiding”
&
“Courageously Obedient”

These two phrases were on my heart a lot in the past year. The last two years of my life have been marked by multiple tragedies that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. In these hardships, I’ve learned (and yes, it was the hard way) that the safest place to be is abiding with Jesus.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5 (NIV)

John 15 tells us the parable Jesus told of the vine and branches. He uses this illustration to paint a picture of what life is intended to be — a life lived alongside our savior. He tells us that He alone is the source of life and apart from Him, life cannot be found. Living a life of fierce independence, a life I have always lived, means I am not living a life according to the abundance God has for me.

I’m treating my relationship with the Lord
like a weekly dessert,
not daily bread.

Life with Jesus means experiencing the beauty of living life with completion found in the arms of our Savior. It means experiencing the comfort found only in Him. It means experiencing the grace which runs ever deeper than my sin. It means experiencing the joy that comes each morning, mercies as new as every sunrise.

It means I have to daily choose to faithfully abide in Christ.

In that abiding, as someone surrendered to the mission of Kingdom work, that means being called out into a place where were are stretched. Here at SUMMIT, we call this our stretch zone. It is more than we are usually comfortable with, not so much that we panic, but enough that we grow in ways we could have never imagined.

Being asked and called by the Lord to do hard things happens frequently in the Bible, and often without all of the details. Just look at Abraham, Joseph, or Moses. All of these men were called into the unknown without the end of the story in sight. BUT, their obedience took courage. They, like the thousands of saints who have come after them, were courageously obedient.

They took the first step, then the next step, and the next. All while faithfully abiding and being courageously obedient to what the Lord had called them to.

How can you faithfully abide and be courageously obedient this upcoming year? What are some things you need to add? Change? Cut out of your life or your family’s life?

Press into the refining work that faithfully abiding with the Lord often requires and be courageously obedient in 2023.

Happy New Year, friend.

All our love and prayers,
- Leslie and our SUMMIT Core Team