Abiding in Christ

“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.” (John 15:4-5)

What does it mean to Abide in Christ?

In order for God to conform us to the image of His Son (see Romans 8:29), we must abide in Christ. The phrase abiding in Christ pictures an intimate, close relationship, and not just a superficial acquaintance. This means to remain, rest, stay, wait, and continue.  Abiding in Christ is patient anticipation.  The Psalmist declares, "My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him." (Psalm 62:5)  Abiding in Christ, therefore, means to draw supernatural strength from the presence of the Lord and walk moment by moment in the leading of His Spirit so  as to bear fruit in our life. 

John 15 gives a beautiful illustration of how we are to bear fruit in our lives by abiding in Jesus Christ.  Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and a branch as He prepares His disciples for His quickly approaching death, burial, and resurrection.  Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and He is seeking to emphasize theirs and our absolute dependence on Him.

It is only by abiding in Christ that we are able to fulfill God’s purpose for our life.  The Parable of the Vine reveals how we, as believers, are to remain in Jesus, vitally connected to Him, in order to accomplish all God intends for us.  The branches can only produce fruit as long as they are connected to the vine and receiving nourishment.  They live in complete dependence upon the resources the vine provides.

It is the same for followers of Christ.  The fruitfulness God expects cannot be produced through our endeavors and determination.  God doesn’t want our focus to be on doing good things for Him but rather to focus on our relationship to Jesus.  This will result in our becoming the people He wants us to be, and achieving His purpose for us.

To reach the deeper levels of our faith—that of abiding—we must intentionally strengthen the quality of time spent with Him.  How often do we sit quietly and simply enjoy His presence?

1) Abiding is more than reading our Bible for 10 minutes in the morning.

2) Abiding grows our relationship with Him by having an all-day awareness of His presence.

3) Abiding means Jesus is no longer simply someone we read, but a living master and friend.

4) Abiding is obeying Jesus’ words to us.

5) Abiding in Christ, we begin to recognize that still small voice of His Spirit speaking to ours.

6) Abiding gives us the inner rest and refreshment we need to do the work He has called us to do.

7) Abiding in Christ we bear fruit. We experience His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Spirit works to grow these "Christ-like" qualities in us, as we learn to abide in Him.  This beautiful, ongoing, intimate relationship with the Lord is the only path to the fruitful, fulfilling life for which you were created.

Are you abiding in Christ?

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