Abide by Ann-Louise
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 NASB
Although winter is not my favorite season, I love those quiet, cold Wisconsin Saturday afternoons when I can curl up with a good book, a fluffy blanket, and a nice warming cappuccino. Ahhh...now that's a great way to unwind from the stresses of the week. When visiting at the home of someone I've just met, kicking off my shoes and curling up in a comfy corner of their couch would be the last thing I would do.
The same level of comfort we find at home exists nowhere else. Home is the place of security; the place we find acceptance, love and nurturing. It's the place we live; where we abide. When Jesus speaks of us abiding in Him, He wants us to find that same level of comfort living in Him.
* It is in Him we find acceptance - he hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph 1:6 KJV).
* It is in Him we find love - Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us...(1 Jn 3:16 KJV).
* It is in Him we find comfort - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Cor 1:3 NASB).
The act of abiding comes with a sense of constancy and commitment - a consistent dedication to remaining where we belong and feeling "at home" in this place.
Where we come from can determine, in large part, who we become. However, if as adults, we continue to live in the memories of the home we grew up in, we will never move forward. Living in the bad memories will prevent us from moving forward to become what God has called us to be. Living in the good memories will keep us from moving forward to become what God has called us to be. Wishing we had what we can no longer have, or wishing what we had never happened is not living. It is not abiding. It is stagnation.
'Abiding' is living in the here and now; being present; being active; being a participant; being part of something. Someone once said that the Christian life is not a spectator sport. We can't just sit in the sidelines and watch as Jesus and His people go on by carrying out the will of the Father as we'd watch the Green Bay Packers carry the ball down the field, directed by their coaches.
We need to abide. That means staying in the game, following instructions, and being the valued member of the team God created us to be. It does not mean we are to be running off trying to find acceptance, love and comfort with some other team. No. We must stay with the home team and simply abide.
Hudson Taylor, who buried his wife and four of their children as he labored for the Lord as a missionary to China, came to understand the absolute necessity of abiding in the Vine, and said,
"The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine,
and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the
right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus."
We must be "in union and communion with the vine," abiding, resting in Him, for it is is in Him alone we find all we need.
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 NASB)
More Articles Home Page