May 2022 NEWSLETTER
MAY 2022 NESWSLETTER
ROBERT
LINDENBERGER
3325 3RD
AVENUE
MIMS,
FLA 32754
321-368-7184
I have, at times, become disillusioned with my Christian
life. I started my faith journey with
great enthusiasm for Christ and his glorious salvation. But with the passage of time, I began to
wonder why I was still struggling with the same old sins, why serving the Lord
had become a burden rather than a joy, and why I wasn’t experiencing the peace
Christ promised.
That’s the way I felt several times in my life. I was dissatisfied with my spiritual
walk. Something was missing, and I
didn’t know what it was. So I studied
the Scriptures more, prayed frequently, fasted for three days, work harder, and
yet I still felt defeated and lacked the fruit of the spirit in my life – love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control I was exhausted, and my
striving had not led me to spiritual victory.
When I was at my lowest point, I picked up a book from Anne
Graham Lotz, GIVE ME JESUS. She wrote
and reminded me to let the Savior work in me by abiding, not striving– trusting
Christ for the power to overcome wrongful ways, resting in his unfailing love,
and being ever conscious of the joy of complete salvation from all sin. Anne took this advice to heart and was
transformed into a victorious and happy Christian. Her workload was still great, but the weight
of strain was gone.
Suddenly, I had hoped.
But instead, the answer was abiding, not striving. In John 15:1-11, Jesus uses the illustration
of a vine and its branches to explain the relationship believers have with
Him. He is the vine, we are the
branches. His life flowing through us
produces fruit, not ourselves-empowered efforts.
What does it mean to abide?
In Scripture, it means staying in a condition or relationship, dwelling,
rest, and remaining in a particular place.
1 John 3:24 says, “the one who keeps His commandments remains [abides]
in Him and him. We know that He remains
[abides] in us, by the spirit he has given us.”
John is saying that an abiding relationship is a union with Christ. What happens at salvation, and the proof is
the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As believers, our position is abiding in Christ, which can
never change, but sometimes we don’t practice abiding. We are like branches weaving up and down,
striving to pump out some spiritual fruit.
We were trying to live the Christian life in our own strength, which is
impossible. We can’t truly flourish
unless we are abiding by Christ. He is
the one who transforms our character, overcomes sin, and empowers our
service. But this doesn’t mean that we
can sit back and do nothing.
What are the benefits of abiding in Christ? First, as humans, we like to be in control,
so that the abiding life may seem costly, but the benefits far outweigh any
perceived losses. All you have to lose
is striving, defeat, exhaustion, and discouragement. Instead, you’ll find rest for your soul,
fruitful service and character, answered prayer, confidence in God’s love for
you, and full joy (John
15:5-11). In essence, that describes a flourishing, victorious Christian life that glorifies God and
proves you are a disciple of Christ (v. 8.).
If you are going through a
difficult, dry, barren season, losing a loved one, and you blew it a thousand
times, there is hope: you don’t have to stay there. Each day is an opportunity to practice
abiding in Christ. Whenever I find
myself feeling weary, anxious, and defeated, I get on my knees and confess that
I am relying on myself instead of Him. His
peace fills my soul to release my hold and surrender all my concerns to the
Lord. Then, as I depend on Him, he energizes me to handle whatever I face. And he will do the same for you.
Old men dream dreams and
reflect on the past. So please allow me
to remember an answer to one of my first Newsletters, and it is ingrained in my
heart because this was from a guy I had the privilege to lead to our Savior:
Bob: Good article! My “bread” came not on a platter, but a divided unlimited tray with U.S.N. Stamped on it. Eating on the other side of that table around October 22nd, 1956, was a sailor, whom I had spied clear across the vessel and the stern of a ship called the U.S.S. Chuckawan. He was unusual in that his head was bowed, and his hands were folded. “That guy is praying? In a place like this?” He was a friendly, squared-away sailor, so I sat across from him out of curiosity, and we began to talk. He told me his name was Bob Lindenberger (“. . . But you can call me “Lindy” for short.”) Then he proceeded to tell me about his amazing transformation with his new “commanding officer”… The Lord Jesus Christ, who may come to know through a film ministry of a guy named Billy Graham. Three days later, I made that same amazing transformation with Jesus… And I’ve NEVER been the same. What a wonderful daily sustenance this Savior has provided from that day to this!
With Profound Appreciation,
Ken
Ken is with Jesus, and I
know we will meet at Jesus’ feet and give Him the glory for all He has done for
us. Kens coming to Jesus will be a
diamond in my crown, which I will give to Jesus at the wedding feast. I have nothing to live for on planet Earth,
so I tell everyone I am 87 and homesick for heaven. But, if you are hurting and need to talk, I am
available, and we can carry our needs to our Savior together.
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