Abide With Me
The third verse of a song written in 1820 by Henry F. Lyte reads:.
I need Thy presence every passing hour,
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Thru clouds and sunshine, O, abide with me.
While we need to acknowledge that we need the presence of God, we must remember
that God is everywhere and is near us at all times. But why do we not feel His
presence? It is because of our selfish concerns and mostly because of our arrogance
and stubbornness. Those who recognize God’s presence are usually much
happier and joyful all the time.
The next two lines are questions.
God’s grace is the only thing that can overturn the influence of Satan.
God’s grace is not some mystery that eludes people who are seeking God.
God’s grace is available to everyone, but most people just ignore it.
As you read the Bible, you must learn that a synonym of grace is the gospel.
The gospel is God’s power to save (Romans 1:16). The gospel is that which
saves (1 Corinthians 15:2). The gospel is that which Jesus commanded His disciples
to take to everyone.
The next question asks the question of who we are going to put our trust in.
We have the choice to trust ourselves (which most of us do) or to trust a friend
(which can lead to heartache in some cases). We can trust our country’s
leadership, but that is an empty trust. If we will follow God’s leadership
and abide in His ways, we will be better off.
Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible. It reads: “It is better
to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man”. That pretty much describes
the theme of the whole Bible.
The last line is a request. No matter what, we must be asking God to stay with
us. The word abide has many definitions in the dictionary. Some of the meanings
are: to stay, to dwell, to live.
Jesus promised that if we will stay, dwell, live with the Lord, that He will
abide in us. The word ‘abide’ is found many times in the Bible.
The best definition though is the thought that we can invite God into our lives
and live by His principles and receive His grace, and be rewarded by His blessings.
God said that He would never forsake us or leave us. So how do we get separated?
“Behold, your sins have made a separation between you and your God.”
(Isaiah 59:2)
If you would like to invite the Lord to abide with you, we can show you how.
Come join us as we all try to abide in the presence of God.
God is not willing that any perish (2 Peter 3:9). You must believe that
Jesus is the Son of God and died on the cross for your sins. (Acts 8:37). You
must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3), you must confess
Jesus as Lord (Matthew 10:32) and you must be baptized for
the remission of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16). Then you must remain faithful
and continue learning how to serve God (2 Peter 3:18). Let us help
you on your spiritual journey. May God bless you in your study of His word.
Please visit us at:
By Carey Scott via the Madisonville Meteor Sept. 30, 2009
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