“Be like a popsicle” the Holy Spirit said to me one day. It sounded a little strange at first, but once He explained it to me, it made sense.
If you put a popsicle in the sun does it have to try to melt? The answer, of course, is no. If you put a popsicle out on the summer sidewalk, it doesn’t have to try to melt. It simply conforms to the higher, stronger power of the sun.
“Tried” and “tired”
Have you ever noticed that the words tried and tired look a lot alike? When we’ve tried to conform to the image of Christ by working, striving, analyzing, fretting, or comparing ourselves to others, all we get is tired.
He doesn’t ask us to try to be holy, joyful, peaceful, or fruitful. All He asks us to do is to abide in Him. When we do, we’ll conform to the higher power of the S-O-N. Think about this in light of John 15:5.
I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing.
(John 15:5)
What does it mean to abide?
Jesus gave us the condition for fruit bearing. To bear fruit, you must abide. Without Him we can do nothing. The work is His, not ours. If you look up the Greek meaning of the word abide, you’ll find that it means to stay, continue, dwell, be present, stand, or tarry. These aren’t activity words. They’re resting words. Abiding is the opposite of trying.
Everything that’s not pleasing to Him will drop away if you just hang out with Him. Wrong thoughts will melt. Bad attitudes will melt. Selfish desires will melt. All that is poisonous in you will be driven out by His glory.
We don’t have to work hard to dwell in our own house. We just show up, open the door, and live there. Abiding in Him is just like that. Open the door to Him. Relax in His presence. Stay a while. Tarry a little longer than you did last time. Then watch what happens.
You will be like a popsicle.
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