I Want to Abide in Christ |

John 15:5 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 chapter 15 is an excellent chapter! It has so many great things in it! If you have time today, read it over. It’s only 27 verses. A couple of things caught my attention this morning. First of all, Jesus says to abide in Him, because without Him we can do nothing. You know, I’ve felt very powerless lately. Not that I can lose my salvation, but that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to accomplish anything of true, or eternal, value. I got to thinking, maybe I’m not “abiding in Him”? I wondered how I could abide in Christ? Of course, I do abide with Him always as far as my salvation goes. I can’t lose that. But Jesus seems to indicate it’s something other than salvation. He says in John15:10 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. So, it would appear that I can abide by obeying His commandments. By keeping His commandments, and abiding, I will also have full joy (John 15:11) The commandment that Jesus stresses that we keep is found in John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Love one another…that seems to be the thing I struggle with the most!

So, to “abide”, I must keep His commandments, particularly loving others as Christ loved me. If I do these things, He will give me full joy. I will also bring forth fruit, and that fruit will remain. (John 15:16)

One more interesting thing about this chapter, is that Jesus explains why we are hated. Let me say, I hate being hated! I want everyone to love me, or at least like me. I try to be thoughtful and kind. I do my best to go to a person immediately if I think I’ve hurt them in some way, and apologize. I do all I can to keep and make friends. But, some folks just don’t like me. Jesus says in John15:18-19 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated mebefore it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love hisown: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of theworld, therefore the world hateth you.

I think that’s prettyclear. We, as believers, are in the world, but not of it. We march to the tuneof a different drummer, you might say. We are out of step with society atlarge. Our lives revolve around God’s Word, God’s House, and our families. Notclimbing the ladder at work, not spending time on the lake, or buying thelatest fashions, or whatever. This seems strange to the world.

Not only are ourpriorities different from the world’s, but we believe there is a Heaven, and aHell. People don’t like to think that there is a Hell, but God’s Word saysthere is. We had a lady leave our church because my husband said that a certaindenomination rejects the Gospel, therefore, those people are going to Hell.This didn’t sit right with her. She liked someone from that church, and didn’twant to think about their going to Hell. Instead of witnessing to them, sheleft the church. I don’t understand. It wasn’t my husband’s opinion, it wasGod’s, based on His own Word!

I want to abide inChrist, not depend on my own strength to see things accomplished for him. Evenif it means I am hated.

One thought on “I Want to Abide in Christ”

Anonymous says:

September 5, 2011 at 3:55 pm

You are so right. I like to abide in my own thoughts, activities, and interests instead of God's word and His thoughts/instructions. Thank you for posting this challenge.
Love,
Mother

LikeLike