I was nearly brought to tears this past week by a statement made on a local Christian radio station. It wasn’t supposed to be sad — I’m pretty sure the station actually intended it to be encouraging. But it broke my heart nonetheless.

“[Radio station name], your lifeline from Sunday to Sunday.”

It hardly matters the specific station. I’d never heard it said in a positive light before. But I have heard a number of people say something similar of their own walks: “I feel like I’m just hanging on from Sunday to Sunday.” Surely this wasn’t what Jesus had in mind when He taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Lights in the Darkness

There’s a song we sing as children, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” And this is a repeated theme throughout scripture:

• It’s testified in John 1:1-5 that Jesus is the light, and that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (verse 5)
• “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
• “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)

Note the confidence in these verses. It’s not a simulated in-your-face boldness. It’s not condescending or arrogant. It’s authentic truth in purpose. When you wake up in the middle of the night and turn on the light, you walk around in confidence. You don’t fear the dark. You hardly think about it.

Where is this confidence? So often we act like we’re running with a candle in the rain. Just making it from Sunday to Sunday, where we can get some reprieve and a little more oil for our lamps. But the Word is alive, and the Spirit a very present help. And His sustenance comes from within.

“Whoever believes in Me (that is, Jesus), as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” (John 7:38)

A New Kind of Life

“Abide in Me and I will abide in you,” Jesus boldly declared in John 15. Abide in me. What an odd word to use. But as you might imagine, it means: “to tarry, as at one’s own house; not to depart; to continue to be present; to maintain unbroken fellowship with.”

Please note that Jesus didn’t say, “Visit me once a week.” Also, please note the result: “I will abide in you.”

That’s the life described under the New Covenant. Think of the disciples in Acts. They walked with confidence, doing the Lord’s work. They remained in His presence, operated in His love.

Let us so purpose our lives.

Join me in praying, as Paul did, for the church:

“I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Spirit, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to grasp with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled up with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19, emphasis mine)