so i am very sorry

so here is my apology for being the ultimate slacker this summer. i am very sorry and i know i have let all of you down. i really do not have an excuse. i have not honored your time that you have put into this. so adeline, leah, and david i am very sorry. i have a lot of thoughts and will post them tomorrow. once again i am sorry for not giving you the time you deserved.

jim

Leah's thoughts on ABIDE so far

I am now about halfway through Abide in Christ so I will give you my very unpolished random assortment of thoughts. 

In the very first chapter, the thing that struck me the most was the intimacy portrayed through the idea of Abiding IN Christ. It isn't just abiding with Christ but IN Christ. We are never to be broken from this cycle, this relationship, this unity that we now have with Jesus. With that comes the invitation to stay with Him and learn of Him (i think this idea was in a later chapter). Those two words, IN and OF make so much difference. We are to remain IN him and learn OF him. Not learn about Him but of him...which in my  understanding means learn of His ways, His character, His heart and His love for us.  

In thinking about Abiding lately, it reminds me a bit of marriage. Not that they are at all the same thing, obviously, however I think there are some similarities especially when it comes to the intimacy part. Being married, it is a decision that was made and a commitment followed. I can't just choose to be married some days and not others. It is a life covenant. I think that abiding in Christ is like this as well. Once we make that decision, it is permanent. We don't get to decide one day to not be in Christ. It is an even more intimate relationship. In marriage, well really all healthy relationships, the more that you know one another and the more time that you spend together, the more intimate you will be. That is how I see abiding as well....a deep relationship that is not to be maintained, but is meant to go deeper everyday because of the intimacy involved. 

I have been asking myself the past few weeks what it really means to "abide in Christ" and what I keep thinking/hearing is Abundance and fullness. To me, to abide in Christ means to live in the fullness of what Jesus died to give us. To think about what THAT means overwhelms me (in a really good way). I think it means gentleness and power, hope, love and peace of mind, health for the body, soul, and spirit, freedom, confidence, and so much more. And for me, the opposite of abiding would be striving and listening to my fears and insecurities. I was listening to a Bill Johnson sermon earlier this week and he said, "Striving for a Christian can only exist in the absence of knowing and understanding the Father's love." I love this because the answer is all in knowing our Father in a deep way to UNDERSTAND His love for us. If we really knew who we were and how much He loves us, it would be so easy to abide in Him because we would constantly want to abide in Him and we would trust Him enough TO abide in Him. 

well, thats it for now....sorry so jumbled! 

leah

Last Week's Thoughts on Abide in Christ

This is more a question than anything. I was intrigued that he spoke so much about how we do not have the nature of Christ. I guess I wondered what you all think. I had been assuming this whole time that upon our new birth we also take on a new nature, the nature of Christ; and, that while the old habits remained, our nature was also new. I guess maybe I'm wrong???