Unshakable Lives

I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world. (John 16:33)

Anyone live in a world that seems to shake all around them? Things are looking up one day - making it easy for you to let down your guard, but then down the next, making 'holding on to God's promises' more difficult on those down days. Trusting God when things are shaking all around you is kind of hard - we don't always feel 'assured', much less 'deeply at peace' with all the garbage going on around us. Our peace isn't in any 'thing' - it is in a person: Christ Jesus. Our assurance isn't based on what man knows, but rather on what God knows. There will always be times when we need to remind our hearts (and minds) to 'take heart' - because as long as we on this earth, we will be 'riding' those 'shaking waves'.

Unshakable doesn't mean we won't 'sense' the difficulties all around us - it means we won't be blown away by them. It is the result of 'abiding' in Christ. Abiding means there is a sense of 'permanence' in where we are planted. It is in 'continuing' in Christ that we develop steadfastness when all else around us seems to be crumbling away. How does one 'continue' in Christ? I think it is a little bit of a conscious effort coupled with a whole lot of trust in God to help us with the unconscious effort it will also require. We make a decision to spend time with Jesus (the conscious effort), then we trust him to bring us wave upon wave of peace when the toughness of the day closes in upon us (the unconscious effort). 

Deep and lasting (enduring, consistent, unshakable) peace isn't possible outside of an active and ongoing relationship with him. Too many times we trust that the little dribbles and drabs of time we spend with Jesus will make us strong. It may take more than three minutes a morning! Try keeping your house clean with only three minutes a morning invested in dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the toilets, washing the dishes, mopping the floors, and taking out the trash! It might be possible, but the 'deep-cleaning' isn't getting done, is it? The house is 'neat' and 'clean' appearing, but is it truly 'clean'? How do we expect to get the 'deeper cleaning' we need spiritually if we skimp on our time with Jesus each day? Unshakable lives aren't just going to happen 'by chance' - they are purposefully orchestrated. Just sayin!