Can I do enough for the Lord? Should I be doing more?

 August 25, 2021

I recently read a newsletter by Charles Stanley that gave me peace in my heart.....I am using parts of it to relay to you what he said.

I love the Lord! I want to serve and obey Him! I want to glorify Him in all I do! I want to make Him happy with me? I struggle with thinking I cannot do enough for Him.(My thoughts!!)

Charley Stanley essentially said the same thing in his August newsletter.  But then he found hope. The answer was to ABIDE - not to strive.  Abide would mean "trusting Christ for the power to overcome wrongful ways, resting in His unfailing love, and being ever conscious of the joy of complete salvation from all sin."

He used the illustration of John  15:1-11 where it tells us He is the vine and we are the branches.  The answer was to ABIDE - "to let Christ's life flow through us and not to use our own self-empowered efforts."

John 3:24 says, "The one who keeps His commandments remains (abides) in Him, and He in him.  We know by this that He remains (abides) in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

We often try to live the Christian life in our own strength but this does not work.  We need to ABIDE and to practice ABIDING - to let the Holy Spirit lead us.

Jesus said in John 14:10 "I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He abides in Me, does His works." So Jesus didn't do things from His own power but through the abiding of the Father in and through Him.

Let Christ have control of your life. ABIDE in HIM.  Then you'll find "rest for your soul,  fruitful service and character, answered prayer, confidence in God's love for you, and fullness of joy." Let go of the control of your life and trusting in yourself.  Surrender your worries and yourself to God and let His peace fill your life.  He will give you the energy and direction and peace for everything that comes your way.

Happy ABIDING!