“There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed” (Oswald Chambers, in Our Brilliant Heritage).

Abide isn’t a word that we use much anymore. I can’t remember the last time I used the word abide in a sentence, unless I was reading from the Gospel of John in a more traditional translation recently.

But to abide in something isn’t pitching a tent and packing up the next day. It’s being in it for the long haul, so to speak. To abide is to remain. Specifically, to abide in Jesus is more than being around the things of Jesus but immersing in Jesus.

To abide in Jesus is to remain calm when all else is chaotic and uncertain. It’s being able to sleep on a boat in the middle of gale-force winds and crashing waves. It is to be so centered in Jesus that nothing can overthrow your peace or dampen your joy.

Jesus told us as His followers that we must abide in Him as He abides in His Father. Think about that. His abiding in the Father was a daily, hourly, even moment by moment occurrence. It was not a one hour a week or even a three times a week thing. It was every conscious moment of every single day.

I want that, but I confess I don’t really know how to do that. Lord, teach us how to abide in You. Give us the desire above all else to want to be daily aware of and immersed in You so that we can more and more reflect You to everyone we meet so that they will want to know You and abide in You, too. Amen.

It is Monday, August 18, 2025. It’s hard to believe that August is already more than halfway over. Next up is September. I for one am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ‘Ber months, even though I know the fall weather likely won’t get here until mid-October.

But there’s something psychologically satisfying about September. Generally speaking, it’s not as hot as August. There might even be another glorious fall sneak preview or two. Plus, all the coffee shops will be switching over to pumpkin spice everything, even when it’s too hot for pumpkin spice to taste good (think anything over 80 degrees).

I still say Fall is the best. No heat stroke, no bugs, no sticky sweaty humidity. And all my favorite holidays. Plus, I get to wear flannel, which is the fashion equivalent of wearing a hug. I like it that much.

But all these remaining hot days will only serve to make me appreciate fall weather all the more. By the way, the official start of fall is in 34 days. And no, I’m not counting down the days or anything. The rate this year has flown by, it will be here before I turn around twice. And then it will be over before I can blink twice.

But at least it’s coming.

People (including me) are always seeking to know what God’s will is for their lives. It can almost become a mystical quest or a metaphorical journey. In actuality, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 spells it out. 1) Rejoice always, 2) pray continually, and 3) give thanks in all circumstances. That is God’s will for you.

It almost seems simplistic, but once you’ve been around a bit, you know how difficult it is to maintain a joyful spirit and not become cynical. You know how prayer can get lost amid a flurry of distractions and diversions. Giving thanks can easily be replaced by grumbling and giving complaints.

As always, God doesn’t call us to give thanks FOR everything but IN everything. I don’t rejoice for bad health or financial trouble or stressful situations, but I can be thankful in the midst of them because God is at work.

I think we tend to overcomplicate things, especially when it comes to faith. The whole KISS principle applies — Keep it Simple, Stupid. Or maybe you could find a kinder word than stupid when you’re sharing it with someone else.

Maybe Keep it Joyful. Or Keep it Prayerful. Or even Keep on Giving Thanks (though that spells out KOGT, which really isn’t a word). Or possibly forget the clever wordplay and keep your eyes on Jesus. Jesus had a joyful spirit. That doesn’t mean He was happy all the time. Scripture tells us He was a man of sorrow. But He was able to endure all the suffering because He saw joy at the end of it.

And that’s how we should be. Keep our eyes on the joy at the end of the road. Keep a prayerful spirit. Never stop telling God thank you. That is a good way to live.

“God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which he must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves” (A.W. Tozer).

I think the only deadlines we impose on God are the kind where our anxiety shouts at us that what we want or need must happen immediately or not at all. We view God in human terms and expect Him to act according to our timetable.

God is not on a schedule. He has no deadlines. He is never early nor is He late. His timing is always pinpoint perfect. That’s because we see in such a narrow window, while God looks through the broad scope of eternity.

When I remember that God is not obliged to meet my deadlines or my life will fall apart, then I can relax. When I recall that God is working not hurriedly but wholeheartedly, then I can rest. I can call to mind that God still has the whole world in His hands, including me and all my sometimes real, sometimes imagined worries.

When I worry, I doubt God’s goodness. When I choose the antidote to anxiety and choose to praise, then I remember.

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that” (Matthew 5:43-47, The Message).