Abide in Me

“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.” John 15:4

A young Christian was asked to share the difference between how he lived before salvation and how he now lives. After several minutes, he replied: “Before, I never had a sense of peace; now I do. I’m learning to abide in Jesus.”

Resting or abiding in Christ is the key to the Christian life. However, it is not always easy. Even mature Christians can find abiding in Christ difficult especially when faced with circumstances that tempt them to respond without waiting for God’s guidance.

In John 15, Jesus used an analogy of the vine and branches to clarify the point of the abiding life. He explained that He is the vine and God is the vinedresser. We are the branches. As branches, we cannot live independently of the vine. We must abide in Christ to receive spiritual nourishment and strength.

It would be nice if when we became Christians, God equipped us with perfect knowledge and obedience, but He doesn’t. The Christian life is one of continuous growth and maturity. As we grow, God trims away anything that does not reflect the nature of His Son.

And as He trims, we find we have been given a new way of living - a life that abides in the love and admonition of God.