Daily Devotional – ‘In His Footstep’
By Kingdom Support Initiatives (KSi)
February 6th 2023

“Abide in Me”: Why It Is Important? (I)
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8, NLT)
Bible Reading: John 15:1-11
We identified at least five implications for abiding in Jesus. First, the extent to which we abide in Him is the extent to which He will abide in us, “abide in me and I in you” (John 15:4a). If we want God to abide in us, then we have to abide in Him. We have to spend time in solitude with Him. Jesus exemplifies this truth throughout his ministry on earth. He imbibed every spiritual discipline needed to abide in the Father. For instance, he was led by the spirit to the wilderness where he fasted forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4). On many occasions, he would go to a secluded place to be alone with His Father (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42; Luke 5:16). For example, “Rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Jesus had to withdraw because He knew that abiding with the Father requires a deliberate commitment to the ministry of the word and prayer. Whether he wanted to prepare for a major task or make an important decision (Luke 4:1-2; 14-15; 6:12-13); recharge after work (Mark 6:30-32); work through grief (Matthew 14:1-13); in a time of distress (Luke 22:39-44); or focus on prayer (Luke 5:16), Jesus knew that abiding in His Father is the only victual for the journey ahead and He had to contribute to the relationship.  King David understood this truth when he said, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God” (Psalm 42:1-2). Dear friends, I encourage you to invest quality time in your relationship and fellowship with God and see if there will not be a remarkable difference in your spiritual growth. This is because God won’t force Himself on us. He will fill us according to how desperate we desire Him.
Action Point: Invest quality time in your relationship with God.
Daily Confession: Jesus, thank you for Your love. I receive grace to focus on you and abide in you.
Intercessory prayer: Pray for the peace of the world. Remember countries preparing to conduct elections for leaders after God’s heart.
Song: As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after TheeYou alone are my heart’s desireAnd I long to worship Thee