"One Time"

One time we sat together,

Hand in hand and side by side,

And wondered how we’d do His will,

God knows how hard we tried.

And what we couldn’t know right then,

And now we clearly see,

Is the Lord was constant working,

His will to let it be.

And, no, we aren’t the kind who,

Think God will do it all,

Like some old gamblin’ lotto,

And in your lap will fall.

We’ll try and sweat and labor,

‘Cause that ethic’s deep within,

And waiting on the Spirit,

Was hard to do back then.

it’s good now to remember,

That two times of attack,

Are when something new is being born,

Or moving on, not back.

But stand right there and fight it,

And trust the words you hear,

The Lord will bring the victory,

And His presence is so near.

The thing that we can’t conquer,

The mountain we can’t budge,

The peace we always strive for,

The critics who will judge.

All has to be surrendered,

And laid at Jesus’ feet,

We simply cannot do it,

And now I will repeat,

One time we sat together,

Hand in hand and side by side,

And we have found His answer,

As in Jesus we abide.

“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me…” (John 15:4, NLT)

When Jesus talked about “remaining” or “abiding” in Him, He was talking about an uninterrupted lifestyle of fellowship with Him. Our lives tend to be up and down and in and out. That’s a given and perhaps unavoidable. But the constant connection with Jesus is what makes us spiritually productive. And this is what Jesus is emphasizing to His followers. Of course He is talking about His Spirit, His ongoing presence, who will live the Christian life through them as they cooperate with Him. The same is true for all of us. Our efforts all fall short. Our emotions are not always in sync with God’s agenda. But if we choose availability to Jesus, the odds go up that we will bear eternal fruit. And that’s really what makes life worth living.

Lord, help us to abide in You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Grant Redden, used by permission. Thanks, Grant, and God bless you.