Unhurried by Samantha Decker

 

UNHURRIED by Samantha Decker

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slowing-down-and-embracing-rest-with-samantha-decker/id1758350196?i=1000701583893

Have you ever wondered "what book should I buy that I will know I will enjoy reading?" This is when a podcast interview with an author really helps!

I listened to this podcast before I asked for this book at Christmas. I have now read the book and listened to the podcast again - I have enjoyed both so much!

This book is divided into 3 parts ...

Part 1 - the problem of hurry, control and an over-planned life

Part 2 - make room for him

Part 3 - consider your ways

PART 1 - THE PROBLEM OF HURRY, CONTROL AND AN OVER-PLANNED LIFE

"Margin" I am sure you know what that word means. It reminds me of an exercise book and the part on the left hand side usually divided off by a horizontal red line. But there is another meaning ...

A spare amount or measure or degree allowed or given for contingencies or special situations.

When was the last time you felt like you had a spare amount of time? I always remark that when Christmas afternoon arrives suddenly everything seems to stop. There has been so much activity in the days before the Day that suddenly it just makes you pause and think about what all the madness was about. That is where this book by Samantha Decker Unhurried comes in. This book makes you think about how God works in our schedules and the normalcy of a day but are we creating room for him to do exactly that?

It is so fitting that in the second chapter of Unhurried we look at Mark chapter 1, a passage we have been studying in our Precepts Bible Group recently.

The scene is set on a particular Sabbath when Jesus was so busy healing and teaching. But we see that Jesus rose very early the next morning while it was still dark to go to a desolate place to pray. I am sure Jesus was tired and weary from all he had to do the previous day - maybe this is a good reminder to all who pastor or lead a church - Jesus deliberately and intentionally created margin at the start of his day.

What does this mean in practical terms for me today? Maybe it is finding time in my busy schedule to set aside time for margin - reading God's word and praying.

One habit I usually put in place each day is to hear God's word read and commented on as I drive to work through Spotify, then when I arrive to stop and pray committing the day to God first. When I get my break at work I spend the time in silent prayer asking once again for God's help as I continue to move through the day or read a few pages of a book that features scripture. At times when I am not working I like to journal in my bible and read books that help in this respect.

In Unhurried Samantha Decker expands the idea of margin by using a second story from the bible - in Acts 8 we see Philip acting in obedience to God immediately. He had been appointed 2 chapters previously to help the disciples. Then God used him in Samaria as he proclaimed Christ and performed signs. He was doing an amazing work and the people were so happy. There was no reason to stop but God called him away to meet a man on the road to Gaza. Leaving many to reach one? Sounds like God didn't know what he was doing but he did.

In that meeting with the Ethiopian eunuch Philip showed the man eternal life in Christ. That man accepted Christ as his own and personal Saviour. As a result he took the gospel back to his nation.

But God's Spirit took Philip away yet again, not back to Samaria as we might think but another new area to preach in. And Philip is obedient yet again.

When was the last time you listened to God and his Spirit when he asked you to do something? That is what challenged me from this passage of scripture. Would I even know how to hear God speaking to me?

Looking again at God's word I am reminded that when I draw near to God he will draw near to me - James 4 verse 8. How? By digging in to God's word and spending time in prayer.

Maybe this is a reminder to slow down. God wants to work in and through each of us if only we will take time to listen and obey.

Genesis 2 verses 1 to 3 shows that God rested after creation. But he also recognised when he was finished. Is there something we need to finish doing today? Have we started something and not finished it? Do we fail to see that by finishing something it is enough?

I am a list kind of person. If I want to achieve something I will sit down and write out what I want to end up with when it is all done. But sometimes it is easy to get caught out in trivial things that don't necessarily matter. It is hard to let go of such minor things but I need to learn from God's creation account. He didn't make everything in 1 day, he could have but he didn't.

Am I willing to ask God what needs to be done today and obediently do it?

"Margin is the spare amount of time for God moments. Will you implement practices to slow and create space to listen and obey his prompting?"

Ephesians 5 verses 15 and 16 reminds us to make the best use of time because our days are evil. In other words our days are numbered - we are not however to use them hurriedly but wisely.

Satan, our enemy wants us to be busy ... all the time. We believe the lie that by hurrying we can do more. But when we hurry we elevate our selfish priorities and diminish God's eternally focused promptings.

Overcommitment, hurry and control affect our perspective. Margin relieves the pressure.

We live in an instant gratification society and certain things don't fit the mold. Neither does God's schedule. As followers of Jesus we create margin to ensure the literal rhythm of our day ends up focused on eternity. This requires a lot of patience and surrender.

I love how Samantha continually turns us back to scripture to make her points!  She looks at Habakkuk, a minor prophet in the Old Testament. One of his simple prayers to God is recorded in the second verse of his opening chapter - "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear?" Samantha asks us - "Have you ever asked God a similar question? how long will I have to wait until ... How much longer until you do ..."  fact is we don't like to wait do we?

God's answer to Habakkuk was not what he wanted.  God was doing something about the wickedness in Judah. He was sending the Chaldeans to judge Judah. The Chaldeans were marked by cruelty and God was sending them against his own people? How could this be God's plan? How did Habakkuk respond?

"I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint."

Notice the 4 words - stand, station and look out". He chose patience. He chose to wait. He chose margin. He chose to trust even when he didn't understand and didn't have the full picture. And in the end God promised he would judge the Chaldeans, bring justice to his people and ultimately make a way for our future redemption. 

Waiting on the Lord is always better,

The result of patience isn't the only reason why we need to create margin. We also create margin to put ourselves in a posture of humility and a position to serve others.

A life without margin is a life that says my schedule, my plans, and my priorities are what's important. And the pressure and demands of this immediacy cause us to overlook needs that are actually present.

Looking to the interests of others often involves sacrificing things we hold the tightest and want the most. 

Recently this has become so very real to me personally. I have had to put my own needs on the back burner to care for my own father. I have had to realise that in the present he matters more than anything I want or need. It is not easy to recognise (or even actually do) how much someone else's needs matter more than my own. It is hard at times to set "margin" within my schedule. And you know what? It does not get any easier. I have had to deal with a lot of guilt as a result. It is in that guilt that I have turned to God and asked him what I should do. The answer is not usually what I want to hear but being obedient is so important. I have to admit that I don't honestly know what exactly I should be doing at times but "winging it" sometimes is the only option available.

We create margin because rest is a good gift from our Father who loves us. Often in the Old Testament we see God promise unrest as a punishment for disobedience. This idea starts in the garden - look at Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God and eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God laid out the consequences. He cursed the serpent, told the woman her pain would be multiplied in childbearing and her desire would be contrary to her husband and then said to Adam ...

"Cursed is the ground because of you: in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life, thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3 verses 17 to 19

Pain and unending hard work are consequences. On the other hand, rest is a gift. And margin is a tool we use to prioritize the rest God gives us.  When we long for rest and find ourselves labouring instead, it doesn't take long for us to realize the consequences of our actions. This theme continues throughout scripture.

In Joshua we see that the Promised Land is described as "a place of rest" for the Israelites. Remember they had been slaves in Egypt, then wanderers in the desert and yet God had a home for them. A place to rest from their turmoil and labour. A place of peace and fellowship with him. However, because they never fully obeyed and surrendered to him, rest was temporary and fleeting. And yet the Lord continued working, offering us all a true place of rest.

When we turn to the last book of the bible, Revelation we see the Spirit explaining how what we do on earth will follow us and says of those who die in the Lord: "they may rest from their labours."

The consequences we read about in Genesis 3 will be no more in heaven. No more physical, emotional or spiritual labour. Instead we will rest in his presence, a return to the intimacy and perfection of the garden. Until then, we need to make an effort to create margin for rest. The consequences if we don't are detrimental.

If we don't create margin our hearts and our lives will become a breeding ground for idolatry. Idols today are the things our heart values the most: self, money, success, control.  What is an idol?

"Anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance, in the place of wholehearted reliance on the true and living God." John Piper

How challenging! Do I plan unceasingly because I don't fully rely on God's sovereignty over my day? When I slow down and intentionally set aside time I am disciplining myself to place my trust in God.  Just sitting here typing this, I am reminded of all the times when I do other things (just as important things) before I read my bible or spend time in prayer.

Think of Saul in the Old Testament. A couple of years into his reign, the Israelites had been fighting the Philistines and things were not looking good for them. The Philistines had rallied but the people of God were hiding, trembling and waiting for instructions from the king. Samuel, God's prophet told Saul to wait 7 days for him to come and meet him at Gilgal. By the seventh day Samuel still hadn't arrived and Saul took things into his own hands. He went ahead and offered the burnt offerings. Just as he did so Samuel came and asked him what he had done - 1 Samuel 13. Only the priests were allowed to offer burnt offerings - Saul was a king not a priest.

It was as if Saul was saying "God I gave you a chance. I waited 7 days but I cannot wait any longer. I am going to take the reins here and make it work, just for the sake of the people." He didn't trust God to take care of them in his way. His impatience cost him dearly. Saul would lose the kingdom not because of the Philistines but because of his heart's sinful condition.

Would I wait more than 7 days? Am I obedient to what God asks me to do?

Spiritual warfare is anything the enemy uses against us to pull our hearts and minds away from God. The bible teaches us that there are 3 elements working against us: the flesh, the world and the enemy. The flesh is in our own sinful desires and tendencies. The world is the busyness, chaos and demands we feel pressing around us. The enemy is Satan and those with him who are actively working against us, seeking to blind us to our own idols. The enemy is powerful but the bible is clear that because of Jesus we have power over him.

PART 2 - MAKE ROOM FOR HIM

"If we truly want to become Christlike, we must shift our perspective heavenward. Our mission is clear only when viewed through the lens of eternity. This requires an intimate knowledge of his word so that we can put on the mind of Christ as we go about our days."

Samantha starts off by explaining how to live moment by moment in light of eternity. Everything within us can still reflect Christ and this shift stats in our hearts, souls and minds.

Our minds are continually at work and constantly jumping from one thought to the next to the next. Our minds are a battleground for our daily sanctification. We don't naturally think and dwell only on what honours God. Unfortunately because of our sin nature, we have work to do when it comes to filtering the filth out of our brains and fortifying our minds against that which hinders us.

Scripture reminds us of this multiple times ...

Philippians 4 verse 8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Colossians 3 verse 2 directs our thinking upwards "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Isaiah 26 verse 3 reminds us what the result of keeping our mind on God is "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on your, because he trusts in you."

Romans 8 verse 6 notes the consequences of failing to keep our minds on God "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

Following Jesus includes following him with our minds! It begins with training and disciplining our minds for action. We will live out what we think and believe.

During Jesus' ministry on earth, a scribe approached Jesus and asked him which commandment was the most important.

"Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12 verses 29 and 30

Notice the order - heart, soul and mind - strength is last. It is only when our inner self is loving as God commanded that our outer self (our strength) will display true love as well.

We can try to love God and love people but if it is not birthed out of a heart for him, our true self will quickly be revealed. We may be putting on an act or we may be deceived or distracted. Either way, this often looks like bitterness, pride, burnout or depression. We can't fake it before the Lord; he knows our hearts, souls and minds.

God knows our thoughts! But he has given the Holy Spirit to help guide, purify and renew our minds. We simply must ask and seek his guidance at each point of the day.  When we are faithful to ask, God is faithful to provide. We actually have the mind of Christ ...

"For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2 verse 16

When we receive Christ as our personal Saviour our old self is gone. Now every thought is meant to align with God's plan for the world. we see with his eyes, listen with his ears and think with his mind. It is this eternal perspective that aligns us with the Lord's purposes and plans.

"Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live forever ... There are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only 70 years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever." C S Lewis Mere Christianity

Dwelling on heaven will change everything. But this eternal perspective doesn't come naturally. How do we do it?

At every moment our emotions and circumstances are fighting for space in our minds, but it's the truth of the Word we need to make room for. God made us to have emotions and feelings so having them isn't bad or sinful but we must not become slaves to them. We combat emotional instability by knowing and clinging to truth. This means knowing that what God says is imperative, which involves reading your bible, memorizing scripture and meditating on what you have seen to be true.

Be wise about what you allow to enter your mind. The bible tells us we have freedom in Christ.

"The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves" Romans 14 verse 22

Be fully convinced in your own mind. Don't let legalism keep you from doing what God has called you to do, and don't let the things of this world become a part of who you are.

How do you discipline your mind? By working on removing what doesn't honour God and replacing in with thoughts that do.

Secondly, knowing what awaits us in heaven is next

Remember heaven is permanent and lasting. When things on earth feel broken, we can remember heaven is indestructible. And when things on earth feel painful, taxing, and hard, we can remember heaven is without flaw.  None of us know the number of our days, but we can look at heaven full of hope, longing and expectancy no matter what today holds.  There are 3 important things to know about how heaven differs from earth ...

Heaven is Forever - this world is fading away. 

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4 verses 16 to 18

Heaven is indestructible

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor trust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also." Matthew 6 verses 19 to 21

No moths, no rust, no thieves. In heaven, our treasures last.

"Whatever we make to be our treasure will be sure to become the attraction of our heart if we accumulate earthly riches, our hearts will by degrees be tied up in our money-bags; and on the other hand, if our chief possessions are in heavenly things, our hearts will rise into the higher and more spiritual region. The position of the heart is sure to be affected by the pace where the treasure is laid up." C H Spurgeon

Don't let hurry, control and over-planning direct the "attractions of your heart" earthward. Prioritize margins, shift your eyes toward heaven and position your heart to treasure God and the gifts he gives. This can never be destroyed.

Heaven is perfect 

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21 verses 3 and 4

God will dwell with us. He will wipe our tears from our eyes. There will be no death in heaven, nor will there be any mourning or crying ... nor any pain. Heaven will be different from earth because "the former things (will have) passed away.

There is a final key to living in light of eternity ...

Everything God has done, is doing and will do is for the purpose of his glory.  What does this mean? To glorify God is to exalt his character and attributes, to praise him for what he has done and will do, to trust him with our lives and the lives of those we love, to revere him, to obey his word and to seek to honour him as Lord in every area of our life. It means we take the opportunities he places before us to make him and his name known in our speech and in our actions.

The bible reveals this idea on every page. Ever since the fall in Genesis 3, God has been at work, glorifying himself by providing a way for salvation (Jesus), redeeming his people and equipping them (through the Holy Spirit) to honour God with their lives.

If we will surrender control, live slower, and remember this in each moment of the day, our plans will fall in line with his purposes. Our lives will be centered around giving him the glory he deserves.

The book of Ezekiel shows this idea of God's desire for his glory over and over with the statement "they shall know that I am the Lord" appearing over 60 times in this book alone.

"It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes." Ezekiel 36 verses 22 and 23

Living in the light of eternity is something that is rarely preached on. I love my possessions, my family and the work that I do. It really hits me hard when I lose a loved one or there is a sudden death in my community, particularly if you do not know where that person stood with the Lord. All the plans and hopes and dreams are shattered in a moment in time. The reality of how quickly life can be taken from us should spur us on to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus with those we know and love but do we?  

Have you ever been in the situation where your plans collided with God's? Feeling like you were missing out on the goodness of God while waiting for life to start? Samantha encourages us to not let the waiting make you miss what God's doing now.

God works in the waiting, in the extra spaces, in the unplanned. Through his word, God slowly called Samantha to slow down and trained her eyes to look for him at work. He also reminded her that he prepares and equips his followers for the task at hand. 

Many divine encounters detailed in the word of God occur only when someone detours from their plan or experiences the unexpected. 

Think about Moses in Exodus 3. After murdering an Egyptian Moses fled to Midian and married Zipporah. Moses made his plans for the day - they involved sheep, lots of sheep. He started off his day by leading them through Horeb towards the "mountain of God". Suddenly Moses sees a bush burning but instead of a pile of burnt wood and ashes he saw a healthy bush burning, actually on fire, but still living, not eaten up by the flames. Our focus should not be on the bush but rather on what Moses did.

"I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned."

Moses turned aside. He stopped, looked and realized thought the bush was burning it was not consumed. Now he gave it his full attention.  It was only when the Lord saw that Moses turned, that he had gone over to look, that he called to him - "Moses, Moses"  He replied "Here I am". If the Lord speaks to us do we stick around and check it out? 

When Moses discovered the task God had for him, it took time for him to agree and obey.  He questioned his abilities: "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Moses feared what others would think - "They will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'"

Moses then proceeded to make excuses - "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue."

And when God had countered all his objections, he finally asked to just stay where he was comfortable: "oh, my Lord, please send someone else." (Exodus 4 verse 13)

It is not always easy to abandon our plans for God's plans. There will always be excuses, hesitations, fears; and, often, they will be legitimate. But God's plans are always better. In his sovereignty, God knows what his people need and will always provide.

When Moses finally decided to lay his plans and fears aside and obey the Lord, God used him to deliver Israel from bondage in Egypt. How will God use you and I when we finally lay our plans and fears aside?

Another example is Saul on the road to Damascus.

Saul had a clear and well-laid plan and he was pretty good at implementing it.

"Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9 verses 1 and 2)

Saul had a mission: persecute the disciples of Jesus. He gained support from the high priest. And he had a plan: find followers of the Way, that is, those who were disciples of Jesus, bind them and bring them to Jerusalem. Nice and clear-cut. No snags.

What happens next is a clear picture of what it is to experience the unexpected.

"Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' And he said, 'Who are you Lord?' And he said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

Saul had a plan, but ultimately the Lord's plan prevailed. When God spoke, Saul totally and immediately abandoned his plans outright. Instead, he walked forward into God's plans for his life. God completely transformed him. When it comes to letting go of our plans, sometimes God stops us and asks us to turn and respond as Moses did. Other times, like in Saul's case, he uses circumstances, events, people and divine encounters to bring us to our knees, disrupt our well-laid plans and change our paths.

Either way, we can choose to continue planning, striving and working for ourselves, or we can choose to lay aside whatever we are occupied with at that moment to follow Jesus.

"We humans have the faculties to plan, save, invest and freeze the ground beef until we need it for lasagna. The birds can't do this! They live day-to-day, worm-to-appetizing-worm, not because of their planning abilities but because Creator God takes care of their needs." Kelly Minter

God takes cares of our needs. We don't need to plan as though he doesn't.

Samantha talks about how God was revealing his sovereignty - but what does 'sovereign' mean? How does it apply to pursuing the Lord's plans, creating margin and living in obedience?

"God has the rightful authority, the freedom, the wisdom and the power to bring about everything that he intends to happen. And therefore, everything he intends to come about does come about. Which means, God plans and governs all things." John Piper

What seems like chaos is meant to accomplish God's purposes and plans. He sees the picture because he created it. Reliance on him helps us to interpret and understand the lines as they are drawn.

The Lord's plans prevail because he is sovereign.

God plans and governs all things. He planned the burning bush. He planned the encounter with Saul on the road to Damascus and he has planned every moment of your life.

"I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.' ... I have spoken and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed and I will do it." Isaiah 46 verses 9 to 11

And yet we have a choice. We can choose to trust in his plan and join in his work, or we can choose to continue striving and fighting for control.

We see God's sovereignty and mankind's free will throughout scripture and in our lives today. We do have the ability to make our own choices, but we must also recognise these choices have ramifications. What we choose an dhow ewe use our will makes an eternal difference.

While on earth there may be things we cannot reconcile or fully understand; however, how we respond to these truths matters. We can continue resisting or we can lay aside our objections, praise him and humbly submit to our sovereign God.

Choosing to join God in his sovereign work happens in the day to day moments of our lives.

When we choose to live unhurried and intentionally create margin we are creating opportunities for detours. 

Jesus gives us the perfect example in John 9. Verse 1 says "As he (Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind from birth." Jesus was on the move, but having a goal or destination in mind did not keep him from seeing and meeting the needs of those around him. Not only was he open to "detours" but he was looking for them. And often, they occurred "as he was going."

As the text continues, we read that Jesus healed this man physically (verse 7) and spiritually (verse 38). Jesus' obedience to the Father's promptings changed a man's eternity.

Are my eyes open to the people around me? Am I willing to stop in the middle of my day to meet the needs of others and to engage in eternally impactful conversations?  As I choose to slow down and open my eyes, I choose to be more in tune to the promptings of the Spirit.

Allotting extra time will not only help you create margin, but it will also give you opportunities to lift your eyes and look around. If we are to respond when the Lord asks us to stop or detour, we must know his voice. This involves spending time in prayer and reading his word. The more time we spend with him, the easier it will be to discern his will.

Once you become accustomed to busyness and hurry, slowing down takes practice. Start small. 

God is sovereign and his plans have and will prevail. Will we slow down and join him as we are going?

Throughout the bible we see a reminder from the Lord to his people in the call to "abide".

The call to abide is a call to remain, to stay, to live and to be held and kept continually. It is the picture of a mother tenderly holding her infant, knowing dinner can wait and sleep will come eventually but this short season with a newborn is to be treasured.

If we are to examine our ways and surrender our plans to the Lord's purposes, abiding must sit at the centre. Abiding is the decision to remain so in tune with the Spirit that everything else pales in comparison.

"Abiding in Jesus isn't fixing our attention on Christ, but it is being one with him... a man is abiding just as much when he is sleeping for Jesus, as when he is awake and working for Jesus. Oh, it is a very sweet thing to have one's mind just resting there." Hudson Taylor

Abiding in Christ isn't just an idea or something that sounds nice to pursue, it's actually a command we see Jesus give. It's a necessity for believers who seek intimacy with the Father.

Is my mind resting on Christ? Am I pursuing intimacy with him? 

Scripture gives us insight into the importance of remaining (abiding) in Christ in John 15.

In the time leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection, he leaves the disciples with several clear and significant instructions. These instructions include loving one another (John 13 verse 34), doing the works he does (John 14 verse 12), looking for the coming Holy Spirit (John 14 verse 16) and preparing for the world to be against them (John 15 verse 19). Nestled in the middle of this list, we find his instruction to abide ...

"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 am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15 verses 4 and 5)

The word "abide" is used 4 times in these 2 verses. Here we learn about a few key components of abiding.

Abiding is two-sided

Not only does a Christian want us to remain in him, but he has a desire to remain in us as well. As the Spirit dwells within, we can know God and know his will. This brings joy, power, purpose and peace.

Abiding serves a purpose: We are to bear fruit

As believers, we should know and understand our call to make disciples and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). However, this is only possible when we remain in Christ.  Cutting ourselves off from the vine will lead to a fruitless life.

Abiding requires us to remove self-righteous efforts and agendas

"Apart from me you can do nothing" Jesus said. he did not say, "Apart from you can do some things, or only good things, or things you think are good." He said "Nothing". Even my good intentions, well-meaning pursuits and impressive-to-the-world accomplishments are meaningless apart from God.

This call to abide is a call to lie prostrate before the Lord, knowing there's nothing I can bring other than my desperate need and willing heart to be with my Saviour. It is here where we die to self and learn what it is to live yielded and filled with the Spirit.

We are in a covenant relationship with Christ. Abiding with Christ shouldn't be considered optional. However, it is good, life-giving and essential in fulfilling our calling and aligning our desires with the Father's.

When was the last time I stopped and chose to simply be with the Lord?

This doesn't have to look like waking up early to find time that is quiet (although it could). Maybe it's taking a walk, or playing worship music in the car, or actually taking your lunch break, or simply turning the TV off.

Time with the Father is the same way on a magnified level. Jesus ends the instruction to abide in John 15 by explicitly stating his purpose: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15 verse 11)

Abiding leads to joy: abundant, filling, life-giving joy.

Not only does abiding lead to joy, but it also produces soul-level delight in God, our Father.

We've defined abiding as remaining, staying, living and being held and kept continually. Delight is the result of this. Delight is a tenderness, a stirring of our affections, and a deep pleasure and contentment rooted in who God is.

As we draw near and learn to listen to the Spirit's promptings above our own plans, something supernatural happens: we begin to experience the joy of his ways. We delight in his holiness and find that we want more and more of Christ in us.

"Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37 verses 3 and 4

These promises are so sweet and appealing. There's a critical caveat we can't overlook: our delight is to be in the Lord. Not in what he can do, not who we think he is, but in who he actually is. This is why we must slow down. This is why we must lay aside our plans for his purposes. And this is why we must abide.

If we are to truly find our delight in the Lord, there are a couple of warnings we must recognize and take heed of.

Delight is not a means to an end

Sometimes we live expecting God's blessings in return for our obedience. This is the "prosperity gospel". It's not what scripture promises and it actually robs us of delighting in God. It causes us to seek him out because of what he can give, not because of who he is.

"Delighting in God is not a means to get what we want from him. That is manipulation. Genuine affection for God is an end in itself, not the means to some further ends. Genuine delight has no ulterior motives, no additional demands. Delight says thank you to God for his many blessings such as good food to eat, a house to live in, people who love you, and a job to go to, but it also says, I will not worship these things by demanding them from you." Nancy Guthrie The One Year Praying Through the Bible for Your Kinds

We don't slow down to have a "better" less stressful life, though that may be a beneficial by-product. We slow down to tune our hearts to the Spirit. We don't abide in Christ only when we feel out of control or helpless. We abide because we long to know our Saviour more. Delight is birthed from an intimacy that comes from knowing God. And as we know him, our heart's desire becomes to be more like him.

There's one more way Satan has twisted delight in this world.

Drawn by Turkish Delight

James warns us "Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (James 1 verse 15)

Desire, temptation and delight in anything other than God may seem so innocent at first. It was just a little candy right? However, the reality is what we desire soon fills our hearts and clouds our minds.

What is my Turkish Delight? Is there something in my life that I am delighting in more than God? Our hearts are prone to seek delight in things that will never satisfy. However when our delight is in the Lord, there is truly nothing sweeter.

So what do we do when we realize we've become captivated by Turkish Delight?

When our delight is misplaced we need to slow down and recognize the error of our ways. Then, we repent and draw near to the Father. And as we draw near, our heart softens, our ways change and we become more and more like Jesus - fighting the battles he calls us to fight. 

Delight is good and sweet and life-giving, but only when our delight is in the Lord. Slow down, abide and ask God to help you delight in him today.

There's a final piece to slowing, delighting and abiding in God, and it involves recognizing the value of what we've been given through Jesus. We must guard the treasure entrusted to us.

"Guard (with greatest care) and keep unchanged, the treasure (that precious truth) which has been entrusted to you (that is, the good news above salvation through personal faith in Christ Jesus), through (the help of) the Holy Spirit who dwells in us." (2 Timothy 1 verse 14)

Paul calls the truth that has been entrusted to us "treasure" or in the original Greek, kalos (good) + paratheke (deposit). When Jesus saved us by living a sinless life, dying on the cross and defeating death by rising again, he gave us access to the greatest treasure of all: the truth of the gospel. it is a "good deposit" he's placed within believers.

The gospel is a treasure that required great sacrifice. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we've been charged to guard it. This involves maintaining its integrity, keeping a close watch on it and protecting it at all costs.

When was the last time I recognized the treasure I have been given and consequently put measures in place to guard it well?

When we abide in the Lord, delight in his goodness and take time to dwell on the treasure we've been given, our perspectives change. We want to spend more time with him We want to share about the treasure we've been given. And we want to preserve the truth of who God is and what he's done for us.

2 Corinthians 4 verse 7 says "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

Alone, we are incapable of protecting and guarding this treasure well. We are simply frail, breakable, perishable "jars of clay" and yet, it's the task we've been entrusted with. The power belongs to God and the Holy Spirit dwells within to help us in this calling.

But this means we must draw near. Day by day we sit at his feet, abiding, delighting and asking for help to guard the precious, invaluable, life-changing treasure we've been given.

We have a heavenly Father who deeply desires to hold us. There's a phrase in Zephaniah 3 verse 17 that says "He will quiet you by his love." And it is this picture: drawing so near to God that we allow his deep love for us to quiet our spirits, whisper his truth and offer peace and joy, no matter the circumstances around us.

How do you allow the Lord to hold you each day:

Schedule even a few minutes of time in the day to sit before the Lord - no phone, no distractions and no plans. Ask the Lord to speak to your heart, to have a sense of him holding you and to remind you of his nearness.

Identify your "Turkish Delight" - is there something in your life you are delighting in more than God? Your family? Your job? Your "me" time? Admit this to the Lord, take some time to repent and ask God to help you delight in him instead. 

Recognize and value the "good deposit" you've been given in Christ. View the gospel as a treasure and set practical measures in place like clinging to the Word and sharing it frequently in an effort to guard it well,

There is nowhere better than the arms of Jesus. Don't miss the opportunity to day by day abide in him.

Samantha tells a lovely story in her book about the weekly collection at church. Every Sunday her parents would give the children a coin to drop in the offering plate. On one particular Sunday they gave her a coin and told her the coin was to "give to Jesus." And apparently her eyes lit up and excitement grew as she eagerly asked "Is He gonna be there today?"

Is Jesus truly invited to be where we are today? Have we paused in our busyness and schedules and serving (even in good things) long enough to look for his presence? Are our actions simply a result of going through the motions, or are they birthed out of a desire to be near and like the Lord?

It's not uncommon for us to jokingly look at each other and say "Is He gonna be there today?"

We have read how slowing down, creating margin, and surrendering our plans don't happen naturally. Instead, we must establish rhythms and practices designed to remind our hearts how to look for Jesus. these practices are also called spiritual disciplines.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "spiritual disciplines"? Do you instantly run in the opposite direction? Are you filled with shame or disappointment, feeling like you don't quite measure up? Do you think of them as nice ideas but unattainable goals? Or do you beam with pride thinking you've checked enough of them off your list for the day?

The truth is, even if we've spent our whole lives in the church, we often don't fully understand what spiritual disciplines are, why we should put them into practice and what they practically can look like in our lives We have misconceptions, half-truths and years of not0so-great experiences that shape our views.

However, what if we shifted our thinking, broke down what we though we knew and built it up with truths from God's word? It starts with a humble heart and a simple prayer of "Lord I want to be more like you."

"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (1 Timothy 4 verse 7)

Spiritual disciplines are deliberate practices done to turn our attention toward God. They are meant to help us center our lives around who Jesus is, what he's done for us and the mission he's called us to fulfill (Matthew 28 verses 18 to 20).

The bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 3 verse 18 that the Holy Spirit is transforming us into God's image. However, we have a part to play in obedience by putting into practice spiritual disciplines.

We must understand they are not a list of legalistic rules, not the ultimate goal of Christianity, nor necessary for salvation (Ephesians 2 verses 8 and 9). Instead they are the means by which we pursue godliness.

Here are some spiritual disciplines we see people practice in the bible that you can implement yourself ...

Spend time in the word - Psalm 119 verse 105, 2 Timothy 3 verse 16

Pray - Philippians 4 verse 6, Hebrews 4 verse 16

Fellowship with other believers - Acts 2 verse 42, Hebrews 10 verses 24 and 25

Meditate on truths found in God's word - Isaiah 26 verse 3

Confess your sins to God - Proverbs 28 verse 13, 1 John 1 verse 9

Fast from food and/or other pleasures - Isaiah 58, Matthew 6 verses 16 to 18

Serve others - Colossians 3 verses 23 and 24

Spend time alone (solitude) - Luke 5 verse 16

Worship corporately and/or individually - 1 Chronicles 16 verse 29

Observe the Sabbath - Leviticus 23 verse 3, Mark 2 verses 27 and 28

Give generously - Luke 12 verses 33 and 34, 1 John 3 verse 17

"Any discipline we practice is a way to express and deepen our devotion to the Almighty." Ben Stuart, Rest and War

We don't only practice spiritual disciplines to deepen our devotion, but we practice spiritual disciplines to fight against our flesh. Disciples require effort, attention and a commitment that goes beyond how you feel.

In Romans 7 verse 18 Paul writes "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right but not the ability to carry it out."

We don't have the ability to be Christlike on our own, but with the Spirit in us and our commitment to discipline ourselves, we do have the ability to take steps toward godliness.

How can we do this when our days are busy, our free time is limited, and our spiritual life seems to fluctuate?

You just do it: day by day, little by little.

Set aside 10 minutes, then 15, then 30 to pursue the things of God. Use natural pauses and downtimes in your day (eg early mornings, daily commutes, lunch breaks, time when kids are napping or resting) to focus on a single spiritual discipline. Give up little things like phone time, TV time, or social media to make space. Then, when the space is created, use it purposefully.

Do you want to be more like Christ? If so, you will need to develop a lifestyle of setting your heart toward the Lord and your mind toward spiritual disciplines.

Spend Time Daily in the Word

Apart from Christ we are sinful and "prone to wander ... prone to leave the God I love." Knowing this, daily time in the word should not and cannot be option ... even if we have full schedules.

If we rightly, posture our hearts, God can use our time in the word to teach, reprove, correct and train our hearts (2 Timothy 3 verse 16). Because we are quick to forget, the time we spent yesterday is not sufficient for today. Our hearts need to daily draw near.

The Israelites learned a similar lesson in Exodus 16.

After they left Egypt, the Israelites found themselves wandering in the desert, hungry, complaining, and wrongly wishing to return to bondage. However, the Lord heard their grumbling and decided to provide daily nourishment for his people (verse 12).

Each morning manna from heaven appeared on the ground for the people to gather. The only requirement was that they only gather what they needed for each day (with the exception of a double portion the daily before the Sabbath). The Lord wanted his people to daily depend on him.

If the people gathered too much, the manna stank and bred worms. If they didn't gather enough for the Sabbath, none was given and they went hungry. Both dependence and obedience were required.

The same is required of us. We must depend daily on the Lord to provide through his word and faithfully obey the commands we receive.

You need to read God's word daily. It's not a chore, it's an opportunity to draw near to your Maker. Let his words comfort, sustain, encourage and equip you to take part in his purposes each day.

Time in the word isn't the only discipline we need to put into practice though.

Keep in Constant Communication

Does your prayer life ever look a little like a toddler's? Squirmy, forced and more about completion than the process? 

While we're in the trenches of day-to-day living, prayer (like most aspects of our lives) often feels all over the place. However, Scripture is full of truth and examples of what a healthy prayer life looks like no matter what life season we're in. It starts in the beginning.

In the garden, Adam and Eve had complete and tangible access to God. They spoke to him and he heard and answered audibly (Genesis 2 and 3). But when they disobeyed the Lord and listened to the voice of the serpent, sin entered and as a result, they were driven out of the garden (Genesis 3 verses 23 and 24). The voice they listened to mattered.

However God in his goodness didn't cut off communication. Prayer is the means we have to continue speaking to and hearing from teh Lord. Because of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross, we still have complete access to the Father through the Spirit (Ephesians 2 verse 18).

How do we do that practically?  How do we access the Father when the work project doesn't go well and the toddler is throwing a tantrum because you put her milk in the wrong sippy cup and you accidentally burn the cookies you were making for a neighbour?

God's word is full of practical instruction ...

Gave an example of how to pray - Matthew 6 verse 9 to 13

Encouraged us to pray about everything - Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7

Promised he would hear us - 1 John 5 verse 14

Told us prayer is powerful and effective - James 5 verses 13 to 18

Prayer isn't about sitting still with our heads bowed and eyes closed or following a formula. It's about meeting with a loving and gracious Father who desires a relationship with us.

In the craziness of life, let's ask and anticipate he will meet us in the margins. Let's discipline ourselves to create structured times of prayer, and ask him to teach us in the chaos, praying spontaneously as we go.

Spend Time Alone

Another lesser-discussed spiritual discipline is solitude. As we work to slow down and surrender our plans to the Lord, this one is important.

Solitude is the practice of getting away from everything and everyone that pulls at our attention in order to fully focus on the Lord. It's creating margin, silencing the noise, and asking God to meet us in the quiet.

We see over and over in scripture how Jesus "would withdraw to desolate places and pray" (Luke 5 verse 16b).

Meet Together

While we do need to create times of solitude, the other side of the coin is true, too: we need to prioritize getting together with other believers. This means slowing down enough to put into practice the disciplines of fellowship, service and corporate worship.

As we learn about the early church through scripture, we see how God designed for us to purposefully get together. 

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10 verses 24 and 25

Meeting together with a local body of believers is one of the most beautiful gifts God has given us on this side of eternity. We need each other!

Like all spiritual disciplines though, meeting together and willingly investing in others is a choice.

What should biblical community truly look like?

The Oxford dictionary defines community as "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of shared common attitudes, interests and goals." And in the case of biblical community those shared interests and goals are Jesus and his mission of making disciples (Matthew 28 verses 18 to 20).

In Romans 15, Paul explains living in biblical community looks a lot like setting aside your own desires to meet the needs of others - just like Jesus did. He then writes:

"Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that with one purpose and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us, for the glory of God." (Romans 5 verses 5 to 7

Members of a community strive to be of the same mind

This is a call for unity, not uniformity. In Christ, we have the same mission, but we need each other to complete it (1 Corinthians 12). Use the gifts you've been given to serve within your community and encourage others to do the same.

The purpose of community is to glorify God

Community exists not solely for our own benefit (though we do benefit from it) but for the purpose of glorifying God. When we deny ourselves and serve others, we are living displays of the gospel. Encouraging, admonishing and loving others is a way to bring glory to him.

Community welcomes others in

Biblical communities are not exclusive. Yes, we are to pursue deep, meaningful, long-term relationships but we are also called to welcome new brothers and sisters in. Accept each other, invite new friends into your community and consider others before yourself.

When seasons of hardship and grief hit - we need each other. 

When seasons of comfort and joy flourish - we need each other. Community is life-giving, good and honouring to God.

What does your community look like? Are you pursuing unity and staying on mission? As you build community, is it your heart's desire to give the glory to God? Do you invite others to join you?

All of this requires slowing down. When we are too busy, we have the potential to not only miss the needs of others, but also our need for relationship with them. If your schedule is so packed that it prohibits meeting together, it may be an indication to lay some things aside and discipline yourself to invest in community. This doesn't mean you should say yes to every bible study and church event possible, but it does mean you make investing in community a priority.

Am I slowing down enough to look for God at work around me? I need to make a practice of pausing, praying and asking God to open my eyes. I need to ask God what area of my life needs to be more disciplined and then focus on that first. I need to learn to schedule this time out each day so it becomes a natural rhythm and priority for me. I need to ask God to increase my hunger for scripture. Am I pursuing unity, glorifying God and welcoming others. 

When we view spiritual disciplines through the lens of becoming Christlike, we start to fall in love with the practice. Our days will slow, our eyes will shift to eternity and we will start prioritizing God's purposes over our plans.