Psalm 73:25-26,
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever."
Imagine if that were the cry of every heart who claimed to be a Christian? That it could be said of us that there was none upon earth that we desired beside Him? There are so many things in this world, vying for our attention, screaming out our name, begging us to take just a taste. They promise us satisfaction, everlasting joy and true happiness. But, then... there is a still, small voice that is mightier than the winds that break the rocks. It is the voice of my beloved. And, "My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." (SOS 2:10)
The invitation that Jesus extends towards us, to come to Him does not end there. He then invites us to abide in Him. In John 15:4-5, Jesus says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." In Andrew Murray's book, "Abiding in Christ", he explains it this way: "Just as earnest and faithful , as loving and tender, as the compassion contained in the invitation to 'Come' was the grace that added a further invitation to 'Abide.' First coming to Him will give you but single drops to taste; it is only the abiding that can really satisfy the thirsty soul and enable you to drink of the rivers of pleasure that are at His right hand (Psalm 16:11; 36:8)." He goes on to say: "The truth is, there is nothing that moved you to come that does not plead with greater force: Abide in Him. You did well to come; you do better to abide. Who would be content, after seeking the King's palace, to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King's presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life? Let us enter in and abide, and enjoy fully all the rich supply His wondrous love has prepared for us!"
I have been slowly learning what it means to truly abide in Him. And the first step, is that, we must come to the end of ourself. For us to abide in Him, and Him in us, there should not even be a hint or a trace of self.
Imagine that you are dead. Exactly. You can't imagine it. Because, when you're dead, you're dead. You don't feel anything, and you aren't prone to what others might think or say of you. You don't care anymore; you're dead. That is how we are to think of ourselves, of our flesh, our wants and our desires. As completely dead. In Luke 9:23, Jesus says, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." It must be a daily, moment by moment process of denying ourself. I've heard it said that, "The biggest problem in the world, is when the big, "I, me, myself" is on the top." Being on the top is the exact opposite of the pattern laid out for us in the Scriptures. John 3:30 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." He is so deserving of everything we are, and everything we have to give. Even if the whole realm of nature were mine...all the stars, all the planets, all the galaxies; the sun, the moon, every creature, animal, bird, reptile, rock; every grain of sand, blade of grass, droplet of water, and every snowflake; if every tree, every branch, every leaf, and every person on earth were mine... that were an offering far too small for the price He paid for me. He gave and spent His precious blood for the redemption of my sins. All that I would ever have to give would never be enough; it would pale in comparison to the life that He will give us when we give Him our life. Love, so amazing, so divine... demands my soul, my life, my all. Aw Tozer once prayed a prayer that went like this: "Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the Sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen." Let's approach God in this same way.
Today, and every day for the rest of eternity may our lives reflect, and may we truly be able to say with Asaph the Psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." (Psalm 73:25)
