Remaining in Him

"As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love." -- Joh 15:9-10

Starting the day with praise is one of the best ways to remain in Him. It gets us off on the right foot. If you have yet to memorize a few praise songs or Scriptures, take time to do so. It will add a spring to your step and help keep a smile on your face. As little girls my mother put my sisters and I in a children's choir. To this day I sing hymns, both while sleeping and throughout the day. Those within earshot may not enjoy it, but it keeps me smiling.

A thankful heart is pleasing to God. After all, He has provided us with everything. When we stop to think about all that He has done for us, we soon realize that we have much to be thankful for. Even the poorest of us can say He gave us air to breathe, the sun to brighten our day, ground to walk on (really, we could be floating in space), water to drink, and salvation for our souls. Further, in salvation is the hope of all eternity, the blessings of heaven, the mercy of His love . . . one could go on all day. Some of my favorite blessings are the green of spring, the blue of the sky, the shade of trees, and the smell of roses. In His riches He blesses us with so much that thankfulness should be a big part of our lives.

Praise and thankfulness abound when we remain in Him. To be near Him is to appreciate His incomparable kindness. The more we seek Him the more we desire Him and the closer we draw to Him. All good relationships take effort. Our relationship with the Lord is no different. If we are to have His joy, His peace, and His mercy; we must first firm up our relationship with Him. This requires that we put the same type of effort into being His that we would to be a good wife or a responsible husband or a close friend. Truly, our Heavenly Father is the ultimate helper, provider, and confidant. He is also the eternal Sovereign, the One before Whom all knees will bow. So He doesn't just care for us, He is completely in charge of us.

How much wiser it is to submit to the One Who is in complete control than to resist the inevitable. God's rules are unbreakable, meaning that we do not break them without facing consequences. When we remain in Him, He remains in us. When He remains in us, praise and gratitude just naturally flow from our hearts. It is a beautiful circle of love that stems from obedience.

Another Poem, "Mirage"

by Betty Baker Bailey

Deep in my heart there is an ache

That cuts clear to the bone

It comes from hearing children cry

While dying all alone.

I cannot stop the tears that flow.

Nor soothe my wounded heart.

I feel the loss of every one

Gone missing since the start.

They’ll never run or skip or jump.

They’ll never see the sea.

They just fill up the city dump

And bring me to my knees.

These lives that some consider not

To me are treasures lost.

For who can know what one is worth

When in the can one's tossed.

Oh, how I long to hold each one

In motherly embrace;

To gently nurture and caress;

What some consider waste.

Some have said this makes me mean –

To want the children saved.

I ask them to discern between

The caring and depraved.

For those who have the bloody hand

That does the deadly deed,

They are the ones who strike the blow

Based purely upon greed.

It is not wrong to love the child

Nor for its life to plead.

But wrong it is to take such lives

And on their deaths to feed.

To speak, perchance to reach a heart

Bent upon destruction

Is such a noble, worthy cause

As to deserve sanction.

Yet, lies abound ‘bout what we do;

How deeply goes our wound.

For if the truth was ever out

Their profit would be doomed.

The little ones within the womb

Are pawns amidst their game,

Of pow’r and wealth and deadly “health”;

Of ghoulish, fiendish fame.