Short and sweet thought for the week…
On the surface, the word abide seems like something passive, not requiring much effort. We just exist in the glow of God’s love. There is some truth there, I guess. After all, Websters defines it as to dwell, reside, remain, stay, or continue.
The Greek word for abide in the New Testament goes a little deeper. It’s “meno” and means not only to stay or remain but be true to, persevere, walk with, get close, be near, and withstand. Abide is a verb which means it requires some action.
Jesus tells us to abide in His love by keeping His commandments (John 15:9-10). We are told if we abide in God’s Word, we are truly His disciples (John 8:31). This has a two-fold meaning because not only are we to abide in God’s Word, we are to abide in Jesus who is “The Word” (John 1:1-4). Plus, we are to let Jesus abide in us. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. If we nourish ourselves through what He offers, we bear much fruit. That’s one of the fringe benefits of abiding in Christ, because without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Throughout John’s writings, we learn that abiding in Christ is a deliberate choice and takes a bit of conscious effort on our part. It requires a close relationship with Him which means to know Him intimately. Abiding means we absorb His teachings and emulate His example of love. Abiding means we persevere when we feel like giving up. Abiding means we ask Him to fill us with His thoughts, motives, desires, wisdom, discretion, and discernment. Abiding means we yield to His will and not ours. Abiding means we confidently trust Him in every aspect of our lives.
I think abiding in Christ means we love Him more than anything else. May our desire be to make our heart His home. If we abide in Him, He will abide in us (1 John 4:13).
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as he walked.” ~1 John 2:6
