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Each month the Glen Park Gospel Church produce a one page newsletter called the Green Leaf. It's available from the chapel each Sunday. Anything that may be of mild interest will be published here.

Abide In Me

Merriam-Webster says that to abide is "to tolerate something, follow a rule, or remain in a particular state or place". Our first thought biblically is found in the Gospel of John 15:4-7 where Jesus says: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (4)

This says that we have no value unless we connect with Jesus; indeed that we are only fruitful by drawing on Him. In our life walk this is the most difficult step to take, to give our life over to Jesus. Only with that step of faith can we take the next step.

The apostle John tells us to show our abiding by following Jesu's command as stated in 1 John 2:4-6: "Whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar... Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked." (4,6) Looking from afar it seems that abiding is something that is forced on us and difficult but after the earlier first step, it gets easier to take this step.

And then this leads on to the third phase of Christian life where we confide in God and accept His fulness. See 1 John 4:11-19 "...if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (12-13) and "By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as He is so also are we in this world." (17) "We love because He first loved us." (19)

That which begins as a search for connection with God leads to our accepting his love in the gift of Jesus death, then to begin to follow His commandment to love Him and to love others, and finally to make God the whole of our lives because of confidence in our relationship with His indwelling.

If abiding with God or others is difficult, watch this video:
Neuroscience Proves This Biblical Habit Rewires Your Brain
Maryl De Milo | The Art Of Spiritual Formation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9E1ckFcK_U

Thought for the Month

"All of self, and none of Thee.
 Some of self, and some of Thee.
 Less of self, and more of Thee.
 None of self, and all of Thee."

Extract from Hymn "None of Self" by Theodore Monod, 1836-1921

The Three Year Bible readings will continue to cycle on this site as usual, click here.

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