John 15:4-5
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Hanging in our kitchen is a chalkboard where, in recent years, my “word of the year” has been written. Before the last day of the year arrives, I begin to ponder and pray over what word will challenge me in my walk with Him, and how it will make a difference in the lives of others for the glory of God. In the past, the words have been “Hope,” “Inspire,” and “Influence,” and most recently, the word for 2023 was “Invest.” Glancing at this word throughout the year reminded me of the who, why, and how to focus on four particular groups in which I wanted to make a difference by investing in their lives: a women’s group where I lead a Bible study; a Facebook page and website where daily devotions I have written are posted; another Facebook page* where I interact daily, bringing inspiration and mentoring tips through written word and Live events; building relationship more intentionally with friends and acquaintances. Now that 2024 is here, the word I have chosen is, “Abide.”
There are 182 instances where the word “Abide” appears in the Bible, even across translations and different versions of the Bible, a fact that should cause us to take special note. Doing a Bible search, one can find statements about Jesus abiding in us, and our abiding in Him. To abide in Christ means “to remain, continue, stay; to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting; to wait for.” Firstly, the fact that Jesus actually abides with us offers great encouragement for us to better abide in Him. He loves us so much and wants us to spend more devoted time with Him. Secondly, for us to better abide in Him does require a personal commitment on our part—whether long or short periods in our day—to spend dedicated time with Jesus. When we do this, a transformation begins to take place in us as the Holy Spirit begins His work of convicting us of sin, producing a changed heart, and cultivating the good fruit from the vine.
Let’s take a look at the practical ways this transformation can take place, and then the benefits offered by abiding in Him. Transformation takes place when we:
• Abide in Him in prayer: set aside a devoted time of prayer with God, offering praise and thanksgiving, and lifting up requests to Him, a vital part of our abiding in Him. We are in a relationship with Him, so He loves it when we speak to Him regularly and honestly with hearts and ears inclined to hear His answers, guidance, and wisdom.
• Abide in Him in God’s Word: every word that comes from the Bible is meant for every generation, so spending time learning more about His attributes, character, and what He has done for His people broadens our knowledge and understanding of Who He is, a vital part of abiding in Him.
• Abide in Him by serving: God has given each of us gifts, passions, and talents to be used to invest in the lives of others and to build up God’s kingdom and for His glory. Working for the Lord requires us to abide and depend on Him daily with our relationship with Him growing even deeper.
• Abide in Him by calling upon the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit indwells each believer as our Helper. He empowers us, equips, convicts, speaks, leads, transforms, and cultivates good fruit. He never leaves us; we are sealed in Him the moment we place our faith in Jesus. Call on His power daily.
The benefits we receive when we abide in Him:
• New Life: it starts with having a new relationship with Him, which results in a new birth, forgiveness of sin, and being clothed in a robe of righteousness.
• Peace with God and the Peace of God: having the issue of salvation settled results in having the assurance that we are His for eternity. The result is that we have peace that passes all understanding, no matter our circumstances.
• Bearing fruit: Jesus promises that when we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit and that apart from Him we can do nothing.
• Answered prayer: we can be assured that our prayers are heard and answered according to His will.
• A joyful heart: when we place our faith in Jesus, joy fills our hearts. Happiness is fleeting and comes and goes, but a joyful heart remains.
As I march forth—or at my age, it’s more of a slow walk—into this New Year, I pray that I will remain steadfast by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill my mind with His Word, to direct my will, transform my affections, lead me to obey His teaching, rest in His love, and—here’s the hard part—submit to His pruning. Abide in the Lord, dear readers, and receive the blessing of knowing God more intimately. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do this year!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us understand the word “Abide” more fully. As each of us commits in our own way to remain, stay, and endure to the end, we are mindful that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. We confess that there are times when we go our own way and do things in our own strength. Forgive us, Lord. Remind us daily to abide in Jesus more fully, and help us submit to any pruning that needs to take place as we know it leads to better growth. With humble hearts, we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
*The FB page I mentioned is Tea For All Reasons; the link is here:
https://www.facebook.com/teaforallreasonswholesale/
