Bubbles to the surface

Being back on my lovely island, while finding a way to settle in, I am not letting go of my bigger dream: the Art Ship and Art Platform on this rock in the ocean.

I am still in my heart forming all the right ingredients to eventually just go, I think God is behind the forming part. He is also continually pursuing my heart. Something is bubbling to the surface, something is brewing...

I am focussing on these different areas now:

• 1. To get more intimate with God (as a life style)
• 2. To live in a giving economy and not a getting economy (the getting economy is the one we normally live in)
• 3. Hello, I am here! I would like to have a partner to share life with and continue or combine dreams with.
• 4. To generate several sorts of continuous income.

1. To get more intimate with God

There is a bible verse where it says to go back to the time where you just became a Christian. That time when you were so on fire for God and so excited, that time you really felt God grabbed you.
Well, I am discovering that you can have this 'high' all the time. God would love you to. These times of glory. I am excited of the fact that the Lord Jesus Himself gives this as a guarantee.  He explains how in the gospel of John, chapter 15. This passage about the True Vine has all these ingredients in it that I would like to dissect up-close the coming months. It kinda could lay out my life style: to be one with Jesus as Jesus is one with the Father. To really stand still at what He is praying for in chapter 17. In chapter 17 he repeats stuff from chapter 15 but re-affirms it with God himself. So I have really solid guarantees to hold on to, on how to be 1 with God. One thing is to abide in Jesus
What does abide mean? we don't use it on a daily basis but we have a dictionary

abide |əˈbīd|

verb

1 [ intrans. ] ( abide by) accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation) : I said I would abide by their decision.

2 [ trans. ] ( can/could not abide) informal be unable to tolerate (someone or something) : if there is one thing I cannot abide it is a lack of discipline.

3 [ intrans. ] (of a feeling or a memory) continue without fading or being lost.

• archaic live; dwell.

ORIGIN Old English ābīdan [wait,] from ā- ‘onward’ + bīdan (see bide ).

I want to accept what Jesus did and said
I want to act in accordance with His Word
I want to continue my life with God without fading or being lost
I want to dwell in His presence

Another verb used in bible translations instead of abide is remain

remain |riˈmān|

verb [ intrans. ]

continue to exist, esp. after other similar or related people or things have ceased to exist : a cloister is all that remains of the monastery.

• stay in the place that one has been occupying : her husband remained at the beach condo.

• [with complement ] continue to possess a particular quality or fulfill a particular role : he had remained alert the whole time.

• be left over after others or other parts have been completed, used, or dealt with : [as adj. ] ( remaining) he would see out the remaining two years of his contract.

I want to continue to exist as the person God wills me to be

I want to stay in the place (spiritually) where God wills me to be

I want to continue to posses a particular quality and to fulfill a particular role: the ones God has given me and placed in my heart 

I want to continue with God plans,  after Jesus has completed his mission and dealt with eternal death and condemnation already, the way is made ready for us to continue God's plan.

Good. 

Jesus wants not only to remain and abide in him

but also to remain and abide in

His Word

His Love

He also says HOW to remain in his love, he is not making it complicated: by obeying his command.

He also says WHAT that command is: to love one another. 

Here you have it. But of course the way to love one another is still something hard, or actually simple, but just hard to execute. Especially if you have the wrong mindset and don't have the Holy Spirit active. So the more we become like Jesus, the easier it gets to love one another. And the Holy Spirit does the work, like a battery in a device. See, the Holy Spirit prompts us to act, if we allow him.

But you need to be sensitive and open for him to get you going. Is my opinion. So I think I must listen carefully to God, and spend time with Him sharing my thoughts and prayers. And then when the Holy Spirit prompts me, I just respond. 

But this is not all the time, every day YET. Can you imagine a life where it is?

Nowadays I am waaay too distracted. I get distracted all the time too easily, seriously. Internet is a big part of it, all the different ideas and things I want to do distract me. I was living in a city that distracted me so much, just by living there. I left that city. Now I am waaay less distracted living on this island but I need to be careful! The distractions are creeping up to me here too. I need to re-focus regularly and set my priorities asking for  God's wisdom. (I just got distracted now by a friend who send me a Whatsapp message)

I am getting some help from other sisters in Christ. One sister, she will get married soon by the way, helped me in how to manage my time and set priorities. Another sister she is my biological aunt, she is always busy with goalsettings and I learn a lot from her too. Then another American sister, i don't know her at all, but she writes devotions and I read them. She wrote a book that I am going to read as soon as it arrives in my mailbox. The book is called A Sudden Glory, by Sharon Jaynes. I already read a chapter and I was so inspired already.

Next thing i will attempt: pick a spot outside where to meet with God regularly. You know, most of the time I just meet with God in my room. 

When I just got back on the island I would sit outside in the morning sun. Or I would climb the mango tree and sit in there. (I still like this spot, but it's a bit uncomfortable for my butt) 

I have a sweet neighbor girl, she has a secret place where she meets with God at 6am whenever she gets the chance. She wanted to share with me this spot too. But she likes to give her word, but to keep her word, she is not there yet. So I'll just ask her. I want to give her one of our premium mango's anyway.

Okay, I will write point 2 and 4: about the giving economy and about me generating income in the next blog. Finally in the blog that follows I'll expand more on point 3: the husband. I see you smile. Hm.