Word of the Week - Abiding (Living in the Presence)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

In the 4^th and final entry of my mini-series on – Abiding - spiritual principles and excerpts from Bruce Wilkerson’s book “Secrets of the Vine – Breaking through to Abundance” (see prior entries below), I want to end with some practical tools, principles, insights and encouragements for this most important and fruitful aspect of the Christian life. The author shares that the pleasure of abiding – and the extraordinary benefits have had tremendous impact on how God has worked through his life and ministry over the past 15 years.  Yet none of it was a result of working harder.  In my own walk of faith I can relate with Bruce on this, it is not about doing more it is about being intentional in connecting and staying connected to God through the person of Jesus.

The Person of Abiding – Abiding is all about the most important friendship of your life.  Abiding doesn’t measure how much you know about your faith or the Bible.  In abiding, we are actively seeking, longing, thirsting to see, know, love, hear and respond to a person, the person of Jesus.  More abiding, means more of God in your life, more of Him in your activities, thoughts and desires.  It seems that most believers don’t really believe God likes them.  We believe He loves us from a theological sense because God loves everybody, but we don’t feel particularly liked by Him.  This is a mindset that keeps us from wanting to spend time with Him.  We need to see Jesus as our best friend who desires to spend time with us and likes us, the good the bad and the ugly.  What we appreciate in a best friend is exactly what God offers.  He is trustworthy and patient.  When He looks at you.  He does not call to mind the sins you’ve asked Him to forgive.  He sees only a beloved friend and worthy heir.   If we really abided in His love, we would come away feeling nourished, so cherished, so liked, that we would desire to spend as much time Him as possible.  

The Principles of Abiding – Abiding begins with visible spiritual disciplines, such as Bible reading and prayer.  Yet we can do these things for years without connecting with the Lord.  We can read a book about a person but not really know the person who wrote the book.  The challenge in abiding is always to break through from dutiful activities to a flourishing relationship with God. 

• Principle 1 – To break through to abiding , we must deepen the quality of our devoted time with God
  • Set apart the kind of time that will build relationship.  Give God your first and best. 
  • Savor God’s word to you – read the Word expecting that God has something specifically for you to hear each day
  • Talk and Listen to Jesus as a Person – He desires to be in relationship with you so see Him as a friend and communicate with Him from that mindset
  • Keep a daily written record/journal of what God is showing you and doing in your life – It is encouraging to record what God is doing in your life and definitely worth writing down
• Principle 2 – To break through to abiding, I must broaden my time of connecting with God – taking it from a morning appointment to an all-day attentiveness to His presence
  • Practicing the Presence – Brother Lawrence , a seventeenth- century lay Christian who worked in a monastery kitchen, describes his presence of abiding in God.  Brother Lawrence had a mindset of practicing the presence of God in all things.  Remaining in Christ by inviting the Lord into everything he did. 
• Principle 3 – We have an enemy that will try to keep us from the power of abiding.  The following are some of the misconceptions that need to be overcome
  • Abiding is not based on feelings.  Communing with God is relational not sensational.  There will be times we feel something special and other times we will not feel anything special.  This is normal and to be expected.  Abiding is an act of faith.
  • To stay connected to the vine of Christ we must be willing to obey Him.  “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love”  John 15:10
• Principle 4 – More for less.  When we abide, God can supernaturally multiply your time and efforts. Abiding more and doing less is how God does His work in us and through us.  This is the essence of our walk of faith.
  • Abiding helps us sense the leading of the Lord.  This is how we learn to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and become familiar with His ways, which are not our ways. 
  • Abiding helps us tap into all of God’s spiritual riches. 
  • Abiding give us the “rest” we need to bear a much greater yield
  • Abiding carries with it a promise of answered prayer

Joyful Abundance – In abiding in Christ, “God will do immeasurably more than you can ever ask or imagine by His power at work within you”  Ephesians 3:20  

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 1-5

I hope you have benefited from this over the past few weeks.  I am certain that if you make abiding in the Lord your top priority you will experience the Joy of producing abundant fruit in Christ.

Have a great week….

-Duane