Strength for the Journey/Saturday, August 22, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell
John 15:4
Living in this world is spiritually draining, but God invites us all to abide in Him for strength.
A man once bought a book on healthy living. He read it intently and afterward decided to begin living a more healthy lifestyle. He threw out any food that was not in the food pyramid, tossed anything that was green (for he read green foods were associated with certain diseases), refused to buy anything that was grown in the earth (he also read about pesticides and different chemicals that could affect his health), and committed to eating only those foods that met his new restrictions. Although there was little left that he could eat, he committed to abiding by the rules of his diet.
After three weeks of this diet, he noticed a lack of energy, feelings of apathy, and overall deterioration of his health. Confused, he sought his doctor’s opinion. "What do you eat each day?" asked his physician. After explaining his new routine, the doctor commented, "You cannot function on little to no food every day. You need food to fuel your strength." While this man thought his new routine was a good way to strengthen his body, he didn’t realize that those "forbidden" foods were vital to his growth and strength.
Just as food is necessary to our daily strength, spiritual food is necessary to our spiritual strength. Imagine going days without food, starving yourself. Could you go on living under those conditions? Not at all! Your body was designed to run on food—it is the fuel that keeps your body functioning. Without it, your systems would shut down and your ability to perform mundane tasks would be gone.
Now think of this in spiritual terms. If you went weeks without reading your Bible, spending time with God, attending church, listening to godly music, praying, being around godly people, and studying God’s Word; how healthy would you be spiritually? Sadly, many Christians believe they can skip Bible reading or neglect time with God and remain as spiritually healthy as they were. Just as you cannot remain physically healthy without food, you cannot remain spiritually healthy without time with God. Your daily strength to face temptations, trials, and difficulties comes from spending time with Christ each day.
Notice John 15:4, "Abide in me, and I in you…" God desires to spend time with you. He longs for you to abide in Him—to spend time alone with Him, undistracted by this world and focused solely on Him. He promises that as you take time to abide in Him, He will abide in you. He will spend time speaking to you and strengthening you for your journey.
Abiding doesn’t mean a daily slot of fifteen minutes to read a passage of Scripture and pray through a prayer list. Abiding isn’t a daily routine you perform without thinking. The word abide means "to continue, stay, remain." It means carving an hour out of your week to take a drive and talk with God. It means taking time to walk alone, pouring your heart out to Christ. It means making time to get alone with God, without a pre-set agenda of things to do, and allowing Him to be with you and speak to you. While daily time with God is vital, time away to allow God to reenergize you spiritually is also vital.
When was the last time you abode with Christ? How often do you take time to be alone with God, seek His face, and ask Him to strengthen you as you try to remain faithful. Living in this world will be spiritually draining, but God invites you to abide in Him and allow Him to refresh you. Sit down right now and plan a time when you can get away and be alone with God. Don’t plan on what you’ll say; just open your heart to God and allow Him to strengthen you so you can remain faithful in the work to which He has called you.
