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This is perhaps a feeble illustration of the two different kinds of The one who is in an abiding daily relationship with Christ has the
abiding. We can come to God day by day and abide in Him day by upward trend in the life, in spite of the occasional failures.
day. It is the abiding daily relationship that gives God control of our
direction. If we abide in Him day by day, through a daily relationship However, if one is not in an abiding daily relationship with Christ,
with Him, our direction will be upward. We choose whether we will the line would go like this:
But many Christians have become painfully aware that even when
they have chosen an abiding daily relationship with Christ, at times
they still can look away from Him to themselves. And at those times
they fall and fail and sin. Which brings us to a second kind of
abiding—a moment-by-moment abiding dependence. Even when
the abiding daily relationship is unbroken, it is possible for the
He may have occasional impulses that reach out toward God, but
moment-by-moment abiding dependence to be on-again, off-again.
the general trend of the life is downward.
Let's nail it down to begin with, that it is the abiding daily
If one is in an abiding daily relationship with Christ, then Christ is in
relationship that determines our direction and our destiny. Steps to
control of his direction. If one is not in an abiding daily relationship,
Christ, pages 57, 58, says: "The character is revealed, not by the
the devil has control of his direction.
occasional good deeds and misdeeds, but by the tendency of the
habitual words and acts." People often ask "Then who is in control at the point of the
downward steps, even when the general direction is upward?"
But the moment-by-moment abiding dependence is what
determines victory or defeat in the Christian life. Any time we are
looking to Jesus and depending upon His strength, we will
experience victory. Any time we look to ourselves and depend upon
our own power, we are defeated.
Any time the devil succeeds in getting us to look away from Christ, it
is inevitable that we fall and fail and sin. Our attention must be on
God, and as long as we look to Him we are secure. But when we
look to ourselves instead, we have placed ourselves where God
should be. And "when man places himself where God should be, he
is just where Satan is pleased to have him."—Ellen G. White, Review
Thesis 73 and Herald, January 3, 1899.
Looking to self is always the point of separation from God
Peter discovered this principle in a dramatic way that night on the
and breaks the moment-by-moment dependence on Him. lake. It's recorded in Matthew 14:28-30. Jesus had fed the 5,000 that
day, and heaven had seemed to come down to earth. But just when
Do you remember when you first began learning to drive a car? You it looked like the new kingdom could be established on the spot,
had a lot of things to keep track of, didn't you? You had to check the Jesus sent the disciples away across the lake, more unhappy with
speedometer and the gas gauge and the rear view mirror and the Him than they had ever been.
road ahead, and the directional signs alongside the road and the
other cars on the road, and listen to whatever instructions your A storm came up, and the disciples feared for their very lives. But
driving teacher was trying to give you! Jesus came to them, walking across the water, and Peter said,
"Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And He
It's possible to become so involved with all of the mechanics of the said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
process of driving that you forget the most important rule: watch walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind
where you are going! When you don't watch where you are going, boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying,
you don't go where you intended to go. Lord, save me."
When I was trying to teach one of my daughters to drive, we went So long as he kept his eyes fixed upon Christ, he was secure. But
around a corner, and ended up on the lawn of a church. It wasn't when he looked instead at the waves and back to the boat to make
exactly the route I had planned for us to take! But we backed up sure the other disciples were noticing him, he went down.
and tried it again, and the day came when she could drive well
enough to get her own driver's license. But one thing is certain: it In the last chapter I talked about the two kinds of abiding, the
takes more than a driver's license to insure safe driving. If you abiding daily relationship versus the moment-by-moment abiding
become preoccupied with the passing scenery, the other cars on dependence.
the road, or the various items on the dashboard, it doesn't take long
When we take our eyes off of Christ, it is the moment-by-moment
to go off the road. If you look at yourself in the rear view mirror and
abiding dependence that is broken— not the abiding daily
focus your attention there instead of on where you are going, you'll
relationship. When we fall and fail and sin, we must come to Christ
have trouble.
for repentance and forgiveness.
Thesis 74
God will never separate from us.
But we can choose to separate from God.