Observation: Jesus tells his disciples they can not bear any fruit or do any good thing without being connected to him: abiding.
Application: This is a key text and concept in Mike Breen's "Building a Discipling Culture", a book that has been influencing everything I do as a pastor and as a believer of late.
One key "life shape" described is the semi-circle: a two-sided pendulum swinging between "abiding", or resting in God's presence, and "fruitfulness", or work for God's kingdom. We may be familiar with this as a weekly rhythm, trying to take a Sabbath Day each week. In fact, it is also a daily rhythm, with times for work, play, and sleep. It extends out to seasons of the year--there needs to be an abiding season--and even seasons of our life, where we need to focus on being a "human being", not a "human doing."
The important thing to know about abiding is Jesus' statement, "apart from me you can do nothing." If we ignore the rhythm and never abide in Jesus, not only will we be less effective in what we do, but we'll be less likely to be doing what we're called to do in the first place. The old cliché, "a manager does things right, and a leader does the right things", holds true. You can't be either one unless you abide.
It's important to remember that anything we can do, God can get done without our efforts. But we are blessed by the invitation to help. We don't work in order to "earn" our rest. We rest to remember why we work.
Prayer: God, we're looking down the barrel of a frantic season. "The Holidays" can really make mincemeat out of our abiding rhythm. Give us silent moments. Give us the kind of peace only you can give. Fill those moments with expectant hope. Amen.
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