A good birth makes all the difference!

Here is a statement that I often use when beginning an Abide Retreat.

"The entire Christian life I will ever live abides in me right now. For to me to live is Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Christ is all and is in all."

You can recognize most of this statement as a collection of familiar verses taken from Philippians, Galatians and Colossians. Only the first statement "The entire Christian life I will ever live abides in me right now" is unique to me. It is, however, a statement built from these verses and two things Jesus said in John 15.

1. I am the true Vine.
2. Without Me you can do nothing.

It is also built on some of the most remarkable verses in the Bible found in I John 3: 7-9

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

Notice the words "His seed remains in him..." That which dwells in us from God is the key to the destruction of sin and sinning. We can live the Christian life only because all that is the Christian life dwells in us.

Whatever qualifies as living the Christian life must begin in "Christ in us" or it is not the Christian life. No matter how impressive a human behavior might be to human eyes, God looks at who birthed it not who did it or what the impact was.

Matthew 7: 21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,' have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them,'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

Let's say you show remarkable patience in some stressful situation. As amazing as that might be to the impatient types like me, God is looking at the source of the patience and not the patience itself. I might be impressed and God might not be impressed. God looks at the heart. God looks at the intention. God looks at the seed.

Much of what passes for great Christian living is possible to fake for personal gain or climbing upwards in a Christian pyramid. What is birthed by Jesus is birthed from deep satisfaction found in God and is never birthed for our satisfaction or rise in personal influence.

It takes a true willingness to be just a branch in order to learn to discern the difference between birthed in Jesus and birthed by me. God sees the source clearly but we often are fooled even within ourselves.

Here is how I personally have begun learning to discern the difference between birthed in Jesus and birthed in me. Admittedly I am still learning, but here goes.

When it is birthed in me, I am focusing on the fruit looking for its impact on others. When It is birthed in Jesus, the impact is not the focus. Impact or no impact it was good because it came from the only good - Jesus. When a behavior is birthed in Jesus it doesn't matter to me who notices.

When it is birthed in me, I feel the effort and the strain. When it is birthed in Him, I feel His grace and I am lifted not drained. I often say to believers "If the Christian life is hard for you, it is not the Christian life." The world is hard. Jesus' life in us is not hard.

When it is birthed in me, I feel proud of my spiritual progress. When it is birthed in Jesus, I feel humbled and joyful to be involved.

Like I said, I am learning to discern source more than effect. It is a good learning since I now know that there is plenty of Christian life in me to release if I will stop fighting to be the source I cannot be.

If we all truly believed the entire Christian life we will ever lives abides in us right now, I am certain we would cooperate with this life more fully and joyfully. Give it a try.

You are fully equipped to live the Christian life right now. Abide!