When I was a child I had a very good friend that I saw about every other day. We became so in tune to what the other person was thinking that we could complete each other’s sentences. It was really neat.
Have you ever been that close to anyone?
Being able to know what the other person was thinking was very simply the result of abiding in each other’s company for hours and hours. Any time you abide in the company of another that much, you learn how they think and vice versa.
It’s great to have friends like that because you grow to trust them, and they are easy to be around. You may even find them to be quite comforting. Those types of friends are few and far between. The older we get, the busier we get. The less time we have for those lazy summer days that we cherished as a child – even if it was only one here and there.
As Christians, we have another opportunity to abide. We have a chance to have a personal relationship with Jesus, and we have the opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit working through us if we let Him.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 15:4-5
As we read God’s Word, we can choose to let it penetrate our hearts and change us. We can abide with God as we pray. We can choose to slow down and spend time with Him and listen for answers. As we abide, we also learn to ask according to God’s will.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:7-8
As Christians, we also have the opportunity to abide in the love of the Lord.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
John 15:10
You see, we can choose to abide in many ways. Clarity in our lives comes from abiding. What’s right becomes much clearer and easier to do. Our anxiousness subsides, and our fears diminish. Faith and trust flourish, as we grow closer to the Father.
LIFE APPLICATION
Key Focal Verse:
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 3:16-17
Today’s challenge is to abide in Christ to the point of not wanting to be anywhere else. Abide in prayer until you find peace. Abide in God’s Word until you understand clearly the message of the passage you are studying. Abide in God’s love until the only opinion that counts is His.