Abiding in Christ

One of the most important factors in our walk with Jesus Christ is to abide in Him. The more we abide in Christ the more we will have peace, joy, victory over sin, and be effective for Him here on earth. Abiding in Him will transform our life and those around us.

Jesus calls us to Abide in Him. In fact, in John 15:1-11 He calls us to abide in Him ten times. Hmm, maybe we should consider abiding in Him.

¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. ⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:1-11

Abide

To wait for-We as Christians need to spend much more time waiting on God. By this we mean spending time with God, seeking His will, not jumping ahead of Him. To wait on God is to actively trust His timing, seeking Him through prayer and obedience, and relying on His strength rather than your own.

To endure without yielding-To be determined to experience Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s presence.

To bear patiently-To abide in Christ when we don’t feel like it. To be patient waiting for Father God to reveal His will and Himself to us.

To continue in a place-We need to spend more time, staying in Jesus’ presence. When Jesus is ‘in the room’ we need to stick around, not be in a hurry to leave. We should have a heart to obtain all God has for us in that divine moment. Makes me think of the song In the Room by Matt Maher. “I just want to be in the room…I am not leaving till you do.”

Synonyms: Stay, continue, bear
Abiding: enduring, continuing

Being Instead of Doing

To abide has to do with the concept of ‘being’ instead of ‘doing’.

Doing in relation to the Christian walk is: reading your Bible, going to church, praying, witnessing, doing good works, fleeing sin, etc. These are all good things to do as a Christian. These are things we should be doing. If we are not doing these things our walk with God and others will suffer. However, if we are doing these things just because we are suppose to, or we are doing them in our own strength, or we are doing when we should be being, we will not have victory or peace and miss out in having an intimate relationship with Christ.

Mary and Martha
In the story of Mary and Martha, it was not wrong that Martha was working on preparing a meal, everyone needs to eat, but it was the attitude and timing. Martha was upset with Mary not helping, totally ignoring what was going on outside the meal preparation. Jesus brings correction to Mary to remind her of the greater value of spiritual engagement over the minutiae of service. It could be said it was not necessarily wrong that Martha was preparing the meal, again, the meal needed to be prepared, and the disciples cannot be with Jesus the whole time and a meal get prepared. But it was her frustration with Mary, she not understanding the connection that was taking place between Mary and Jesus. Martha could have still abided with Jesus. She could be preparing the meal and praying for Mary, praying for the disciples, and meditating on the love of Christ for her, singing a praise song to Jesus. It does not need to be either/or.

Reminder-If we are not careful, we can become works oriented instead of Christ oriented.

Being

To Abide in Christ is to be in the ‘being’ mode. We still are doing the things that God has called us to, but we are doing it in His strength. Abiding in Christ is about having an intimate relationship with Him. The relationship is more important than the things we do or don’t do. The more we are abiding in Him, the more we will be faithful. We will hear His voice clearer, not be works oriented, and have more peace in our life. To abide is to experience His presence. Jesus was not physically far from Martha. She could have stopped for a moment to capture the special time, and be blessed in the presence of Jesus. Again, she could have experienced His presence in the midst of doing ministry.

Benefits of Abiding in Christ

What if the only benefit is to be in a loving relationship with the Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient Creator God, represented as Our Heavenly Father, Jseus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit our Comforter. Wow! Let that sink in!

Benefits
-We will bear much fruit.
-God will give us what we desire, because our desires will be His desires.
-We will be His faithful disciples.
-We will abide in His love. Wow!
-Our joy will be made full.

Abiding in Christ is a Process

At times it can be hard to connect with Jesus. Don’t get discouraged if it seems hard to just ‘rest in Him’. Enjoy the mountains, the ocean, the blue skies (even the thunder and lightning), the green pastures (even the hot desert). As you enjoy God’s creation, you will sense His presence. Abiding will come. Stop and ‘smell the roses’, maybe longer than your flesh may want to.

Warning Regarding Not Abiding

We cannot read John 15:1-11 and ignore the warnings regarding not abiding in Christ.
-We cannot bear fruit if we are not abiding in Christ.
-The truth is we can nothing for the Kingdom if we are not abiding in Him.
-If not abiding in Christ there can come a time that were are cast out, thrown into the fire, and burned. Some will say that this just means there will not be any fruitfulness in our life, we are just ‘existing’ in Christ. Maybe. But it also can mean if we are not abiding in Him, we have lost a relationship with Him, salvation requires being in relationship with Christ, cast out and fire certainly sounds like judgment, eternal judgment. For sure, it should be a strong warning we need to abide in Christ.

Abiding in Christ Podcast

When Jesus is in the room, Hang with Him.

Even when your world is falling apart, even when your a mess, especially when this is the case, Jesus wants to ABIDE WITH YOU!

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