It was a lesson we were taught early on in life, that one about ‘coloring within the lines’. Kindergarten, wasn’t it? Teach them when they are young while they are still impressionable.

It’s funny some of those early memories that stay with us. I remember my second grade class when we lived in El Paso, TX where my dad was stationed at Ft. Bliss. Mrs. Hass was my teacher, an older woman as I remember her. We were given a drawing outline of a pilgrim and were told to color it in with our crayons. After we were done with that task, we were then going to cut it out and they would be displayed on the board given Thanksgiving was approaching.

I remember not being a fan of having to change up the direction on my waxed crayon marker when it got close to the edges. It just did not have that consistent, uniformed look to it so I had an idea. Just don’t change directions…keep on coloring in the same flow of direction and to heck with the lines; I was going to cut it out any way. What difference did it make?

Well, apparently it made a difference to Mrs. Hass because when she walked by to monitor my progress, I remember getting an earful as she scolded me for being sloppy and just blowing out past the lines of that little pilgrim man’s coat and boots and hat. I tried to explain to her my thinking but she crumpled it up and gave me a new sheet firmly commanding me to ‘stay within the lines’. And who doesn’t remember that writing paper that had three lines of dashes and solid lines as we learned to write our letters in cursive and again…staying within the lines was imperative.

Those lessons continued as we grew older and learned to drive a car. Staying in your own lane is not bad advice and can extend the length of your time here on earth.

I don’t know if any of you have ever thought like this, but when I’m driving my car down a two lane road or highway where I continue to meet oncoming traffic in the other lane, I have these moments where it just dawns on me how easy and quickly I could steer my car into an oncoming 18-wheeler and that would be the end of it all; but I never do. Please don’t take that as a ‘cry of help’ thinking I’m suicidal. But it just amazes me to consider that not only would it be that easy…with the quick flip of the wheel and I could die... but how quickly it could end for me if someone coming the other way had the same thought and then acted upon it and drove directly into my lane and hit me straight on.

As odd as that might sound to anyone reading this now, I have to say there is an interesting parallel here to what it means to truly abide in Jesus. It’s all about staying within the lines, or in your ‘own lane’ which should be His lane. (1 John 1:7) A lane, I might add, that is ‘narrow’. (Matt. 7:14). But here’ the good part. When you stay within those lines, you are walking in a peace that surpasses anything the world has to offer. (Isa. 59:8; Luke 1:79)

Abiding in His presence also brings with it a joy, a deep, residing joy. That too, is promised to those who abide in His presence. (Ps. 16:11; John 15:11). When one is truly abiding in Christ, you discover that you no longer find yourself needing or seeking ‘external stimulants’ to generate the much sought after peace and joy that countless people yearn for and seek after today. How common is it that we need to have something to look forward to, or own, or experience to ‘make us happy’, even if only for the briefest amount of time.

I’m speaking more from my personal experience today in wanting to communicate what I have come to learn and experience for myself as I have learned what it means to abide in Him.

I have no secret ‘silent hopes’ that the Lord does not direct me in any particular direction that I’d rather not go in at this time, nor do I hope inwardly that He leaves ‘such and such’ alone and does not ask me to give it up. I want nothing more than to please Him in all I do. And, sad to say, it wasn’t always like that for me....I have come to discover.

Abiding in Jesus is not hard. It really isn’t...provided you come to Him with your whole heart. As in, All. Of. It.

John tells us that this is how we know that we are In Him...and abiding in Him- we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome or oppressive. (1 John 2:3-6;5:3). You actually ‘delight to do His will’. (Ps. 40:8).

When Paul was writing to the Romans and mentions in there that well quoted passage about the internal conflict of agreeing with the law but that inward man rebels against it doing what he doesn’t want to do, etc, Paul is not saying he continues to sin and struggle with sin like so many people conclude or have been told.(7:15-24). Let’s not forget, this is the same man who just finished reminding us repeatedly in the previous chapter that we were ‘set free from sin’, (6:18,22) even asking how can we who ‘died to sin live in it any longer?’ (6:2)

Paul was merely identifying with this struggle we all have prior to being ‘set free’ through Jesus. Remember how he laments...”who will deliver me from this body of death?’, that fights us at every turn prior to coming to Jesus with our whole heart. He then answers that question giving thanks to God for Jesus (7:25) before launching off into how the Spirit leads us to put this ‘old man’ to death. That is what the true children of God do...they abide in Him, following Him...as the Spirit leads us to take up a cross (that we can lay down at any time at will) and die to self. (Rom. 8:13-14; John 10:27)

Imagine trying to jump into a moving car that is accelerating and you are holding on for dear life but your feet are running alongside the car and you want to get in but have not. But once you are in, and I mean...All in...you sit back and a sigh of relief comes over you as you rest (in Him).

Please don’t take offense to this, but I suspect there are many people who ‘think they are all in’, yet are not. They say they ‘want to be’ but are still holding on for dear life not sure if they will make it or want to cut loose because this ‘holding on to Jesus’ is about to kill them, or they find it too ‘hard’ to do this. Well, when you are stuck between those ‘two places’, that James refers to being double-minded with a divided heart, it is a struggle and hard and confusing. Your spirit and your flesh are in conflict with each other as your flesh nature is hostile to God and will not submit to God’s law. (Rom. 8:7-8).

Friends...if this describes your current walk of faith, let me assure you now...that is NOT...what abiding in Jesus is about. And while this might offend some, or confuse others, ... it should also encourage some that a better place is yet to be had...On THIS side of heaven.

I can’t give you some 3-step, easy formula as to how you ‘get in all the way’. James seems to point us in the direction there in 4:7-10. But once you are ‘all the way in’, you’ll know it. I promise. (Jer. 29:11-14; Deut. 30:1-20)

Now, am I suggesting that one no longer ‘struggles with sin’? Well, yes...and no. It’s ...different when you are fully abiding in Him. The best way I know to explain it is like this: The enemy does not stop ‘tempting’ and seeking ‘opportune times’ to ‘get back in us’. (James 1:13-15; Luke 4:13; Matt. 12:43-45). Which is probably why Paul admonishes to ‘give no place to the devil’. (Eph. 4:27). And Peter has much to say about warning us to be vigilant. (1 Pet. 5:8). And we really don’t know what all remains ‘in our hearts’ that still needs to be dealt with. (Jer. 17:9) which is why we are foolish and deceived to say we ‘have no sin’. (1 John 1:8). But when you are abiding in Jesus...and He is now your Lord, you are aware that someone else is now in control. And peace surrounds you and fills your heart.

You want to lose that peace quickly? Turn that car in to the other lane or off the road and see what happens.

As a driver of a car, when I’m sailing down the road, - that always is an option, you know. But I like a smooth ride and really don’t want to die right now or flip my ride into a rollover ending up in a ditch. So I ...stay in my lane. Oh, and here’s the neat part...when a potentially ‘rough patch of road’ is coming up...my ‘Pilot’ gives me a heads up of warning. Then, He gives me ‘grace in my time of need’ (Heb. 4:16) to resist that urge to drive into the other lane. I mean, He is right there every step of the way wanting me to truly ‘overcome’...and ‘sin no more’.

Care for some practical examples we can all relate to? I’m happy to give you a few. When my wife and I are working on a project (like getting a house ready to sell and move away), the Holy Spirit gives me a ‘heads up’ to watch out for those ‘little foxes’ that might have been a ‘trigger’ in the past to get me into arguing or snapping at one another. It’s not like I’m not tempted to ‘say what’s on my mind...kindly provided by the enemy in that moment as bait as he seeks to lure me out of my lane so he can come in to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. But I choose not to because I want to please Jesus in all I do, say, and think. Do I have brief moments of ‘suffering in the flesh’ when I choose to ‘stay in my lane, which is His lane,? Yeah...I do. But not like before.

I’m reminded that when I ‘suffer in the flesh’, I am putting it to death and the end product is: the God of all grace then comes to strengthen and perfect me where I will have ‘ceased from sinning’ so I can live now for the will of God. (1 Pet. 5:10; James 1:4; 1 Pet. 4:1-2) But I no longer ‘struggle’ with sin because...I’m abiding in Him and I want...to stay His lane. And just as steering my car into an oncoming 18-wheeler at 70 mph would have devastating consequences, so does ‘living for the flesh’ given we are told we will ‘surely die’. (Rom. 8:13). Can I still sin? Of course. But I am kind of enjoying this life of ‘peace and rest’ and want to continue in it. Seems like God has a lot on the horizon He wants to do in me, through me, and for me. He’s been waiting for nearly 60 years for me to ‘give it all’ to Him so we could enjoy the ride together.

I’ll continue with this more...tomorrow. ;-)