Notes from this week's podcast: Jo & Sydney: Are You Abiding in Christ?

Jo: Once you drop those children off, that sudden quietness from the home, in the car -- it can either be a moment of peaceful stewardship or the beginning of a chaotic season that pulls your heart away from what really matters most. And, we're standing on the threshold of a new school year. We have the divine opportunity to stop and ask ourselves: Are we fitting a new school year into the godly values that we established back at our home or are we fitting our home into the new school year schedule and all the commands that are already coming at us? Also ask: Are our routines built to serve the Kingdom of God or are we simply just running on a treadmill of the world? 

What's God's voice saying to us?

We want your calendars, your life to be honoring that covenant, love relationship with the Lord. It's out of that love relationship that everything in your life should flow -- this school year, our calendars are the same way. And, you want to build your home that reflects and produces the values that are coming from that love relationship. 

Sydney: It's so important to stop, examine our habits, routines. What are we doing? We'll be examining how to abide in Christ in our every day -- how can we steward, keep Christ the center in practical ways. 

God put on my heart abide -- to stay or remain in Him.

We can do many things but not meaningful, lasting work without being attached to the source.

Jo: Abiding means to enjoy what you're doing at the moment, be in the moment so that God can flow through you into every aspect of what you're doing. So often our mind is really on the next assignment.

Sydney: What has He put right in front of you? Be present and faithful with your assignment. Enjoy it.

Examples: the flower or fruit cut from the branch, cut from the source of life 

Stay gripped to The Vine that is going to give us true life.

How do we do this?  Think about our car rides, bed times, meal times, discipline of our children, screen time, entertainment time. Do we have habits set up to allow us to abide in Christ? 

The starting point: What's the foundation of your home? Marriage is the bedrock of the family life, before we talk about meal times or discipline. Before that, are we abiding in Christ individually? 

Jo: We have jumped over that intimacy with God. "Come to Me first. Let Me build My intimacy with you first." 

Sydney: If we're not building our individual faith on the Lord, then bringing that into our marriage, apart from Him, we can do nothing. Are we attached to the true source?

Are we being nourished in our marriage by the Source, the Vine of Jesus? Is your marriage rooted in Him? 

Jo: For homework, read Ephesians 5 (verses 25-33). Ask yourself: Am I doing this? Let's check out our own marriage with Jesus Himself. 

Sydney: We just keep coming back to that covenant love relationship with the Lord. 

If your husband isn't leading, be patient. Pray. Focus on your covenant love with Christ. That will do a work in your husband's life more than any preaching.

Jo: Pray. Be on your knees for your daughter-in-law or son-in-law. Pray for their covenant love relationship. 

Sydney: Love is a commitment.

Jo: It's the same way with Jesus.

Sydney: We don't abide with Him to try to earn His love. We abide because He has covered us with that. We are secure. We can be steady, confident, and sure as women -- sure of His love for us. Live from that.

Jo: To stay steady, we can lean on that truth.

Sydney: His love over us is so faithful. We can also offer that faithful love to our spouse.

Sacrificial. Marriage requires a lot of sacrifice.

As God's love transforms us, we can bring that into our relationship, how we love people. Is God's love transforming your heart?

His sacrificial, faithful love is that foundation that enables us to love our spouse and our family.

What are you already doing in your marriage?

What are you (two) talking about? What are some ways you can weave in the story of God into your daily life?

Are you taking time to pray together? Worship together?

As your love for the Lord grows, you can't help but talk about it.

Jo: In the physical, it's really showing us what it's like in the spiritual with Christ. And, if we can't relate to that, what is happening in your physical relationships? Is it exemplifying what I've experienced in my prayer closet with God? So, tie those together.

Sydney: Examine your abiding in Christ. Think about the picture of the branch. Think of the fruit. What are your habits producing? What do I need to prune? What do I need to take away? What do I need to  simply add -- not big to-dos?

Jo: Today is laying the foundation. We're going to build on giving you these practical steps that are going to strengthen both spiritual and your physical. And your school year is going to change.

Sydney: Steady, unwavering love of God that is in your home that brings peace. God's Word is true. His ways work.    

Scripture for further study: John 15:4-5, Psalm 127:1, Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 5:25-33

Book reference: Habits of the Household by Justin W. Earley