Daily Invitation
Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired from the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
Psalm 37:4 | A Generous King
If we live this way in a religious life, God starts to get blamed for our dissatisfaction with life. While we find our delight in the things we can do for ourselves, we point the finger at God and begin to accuse him of not being good. It is a dangerous trap we can fall into.
Psalm 135:5 | God is Great
It is nearly impossible to both live in sin and hopelessness and declare the greatness of God at the same time. I’m not saying you physically can’t say, “God is great,” but that these heart postures contradict one another.
ROMANS 7:22-23 | TENSION & VICTORY
We are living in a daily battle with eternal stakes. We can choose to float down the lazy river, or we can stand on the promises of God, depend on his Spirit, and learn to live in freedom.
PSALM 119:36 | INCLINE MY HEART
What would a life of freedom look like when the inclinations of your heart are not steered toward satisfying your flesh but mirroring the desires of Christ?
ROMANS 15:13 | ABOUND IN HOPE
I have found that in the moment, I don’t always feel like I’m immediately back in peace or joy. But as time goes on, I see that God intervened in my life to restore me.
Romans 8:28 | Surrender the Outcome
When we come to the Lord at the end of our lives, will we stand on our accomplishments? No! We will only stand in the forgiveness that comes from the blood of Christ shed on the cross for us.
Psalm 36:2 | An Honest Look
The path of the godly is the fear of the Lord and humility. When we have this posture, we can let the light of Christ shine on our hearts and expose everything that is not of heaven.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 | Why Be Thankful?
Finally, thankfulness is a sign of maturity. Our complaining, doubting, and bitterness are a part of the journey. God knows this. But maturity comes when we understand the goodness of God is not circumstantial
Psalm 1:6 | He Knows The Way
Aside from the very real judgment on the last day, I wonder if the thought of an empty life is enough to kick our hearts into gear this morning. Whatever cost is associated with righteousness is worth the price to live a purposeful and eternal life in the presence of God.
Psalm 1:5 | A Holy God
Verses such as these can be challenging to approach. Often I have considered more “negative” verses such as these as merely a warning or a hard truth. And while there is a part of verses like Psalm 1:5 that should be considered from a place of seriousness, there is also an invitation for worship.
Psalm 1:4 | Like Chaff
Setting aside our preconceived notions about wickedness, I wonder how this verse resonates with you today. When you examine your life (not just how you feel), do you see a strong tree or chaff constantly blowing in the wind?
Colossians 1:13 | Rescued
It is time to declutter our religion and simply abide. All the striving in the world cannot make up for the power of responding to Jesus’ prayer that we would know him—the one true God.
Isaiah 43:2 | I Will Be With You
Sometimes we get the idea that God is a judgmental God with a short temper. I know that sounds cliche, and most of us would dismiss the idea. We have been well trained to separate religion from relationship in our language and mission statements, but sometimes the message fails to get into our hearts.
Always Before Me
Something transformational happens in our hearts when we behold the Lord. The world's concerns begin to fade away, and the glory of the Lord is elevated in our lives. It is not that our goal is to become numb to the world around us, but the anxiety-filled grip that current events and controversies can have on our hearts begins to loosen.
God Is My Helper
The way of the kingdom is built on surrender. There’s no way around it. God gives his Holy Spirit freely and offers the gifts of the spirit at no cost, but maturity comes through the trials. I want to say with more and more conviction each day that God is the upholder of my life, but to do so I have to give up more areas of my life to God’s power.
Come Before Him
I find it interesting how these two themes are presented together. On the one hand, we get to celebrate the Lord and are called into worship. On the other, we remember a time when God’s people missed the mark and, in ways, lost the opportunity to worship.
Surrender to Flourish
Interestingly, money may be the last thing we think to address as we try to get back on the path of freedom. We might check our hearts for any sin and press in harder to devotionals or church. We might assume something else in our life needs to change, like a relationship, or try and find a new ministry/work opportunity. Yet Jesus said it plainly in Matthew 6:21 ESV. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
God’s Children
God can do more through humble obedience than he can through someone who has it all together. That doesn’t mean we can ignore maturity and opt for reckless reactivity in our faith. It means that our hearts need to be humble and responsive before God.
Surrender
Following Jesus means surrendering our way of doing things to live in his better way. Make no mistake, God’s way will mess with our flesh. If following God is entirely comfortable, there is a good chance it is more like a religion and less like the radical life of freedom, glory, and mission that God calls his people to.
He Knows Every Need
We need to believe that God can supply that need—it comes through his glory. God has solutions for your everyday essentials (Matthew 6), but he is first concerned with your heart and inviting you into the life of the Spirit. This is where God gets real, and the life of faith becomes more than an idea but an everyday reality.