Word of the Week - Abiding
Note: I was serving this weekend at JH Outback, so I didn’t have the time I needed to put together the next installment on “Prophecy”. I plan to send a few more “Word of the Week’s” on Prophecy in coming weeks. This week I am sharing one of my go-to life messages on Abiding. I did an abiding talk this weekend at Outback that prompted me to share this message.. If I would only share one message with my fellow believers, it would be this message.
“I am the vine you are the branches, if you abide in me, I will abide in you, and you will bare much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” John 15:5 (Jesus)
I had the privilege of serving with my wife Amy and some great friends at the Birmingham Outback www.jhoutback.com this weekend. JH Outback is an amazing family focused ministry that I love and highly recommend. I was again reminded of what God has done in my life and my family over the past 22 years since I gave my life to Christ and began abiding. For the first 33 years of my life, I was not abiding in Christ, and I cannot point to any spiritual fruit from that period of my life (nothing). By the grace of God and being part of great ministries like JH Outback, Church of the Highlands, Heritage Forum, Highlands College and others, God has produced amazing spiritual fruit in my life, family, ministry, and business over the last 22 years. There is no doubt in my mind that this is all God’s work and the byproduct abiding in the vine of Christ.
Abiding in Christ - I truly believe that a daily abiding relationship with the Lord is the single most important thing we can do after we make a decision to follow Christ and receive the gift of salvation. This is where our faith becomes active and we receive the power and benefits knowing God. The word Remain is used synonymously with Abide in several translations, simply put it means to stay connected and become one with the Lord. What is interesting about this quote from Jesus, is how He makes it clear that there is a condition for us to stay connected to Him, we must go first and be the initiator/pursuer. He says that if we Abide in Him, then He will Abide in us. God wants to be our first priority. “Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be added unto you” Matthew 6:33 I am convinced that abiding is an active process that manifest in daily actions of pursuing the Lord, which allow us to respond in love to what Jesus did for us on the cross. Abiding is not just an idea or a nice thought or feeling, it is truly a passionate pursuit to connect with the Lord and remain in ongoing relationship with Him.
What it looks like to Abide - So what does it mean to Abide in the Vine of Christ and how do we actively connect with an invisible God. Similar to connecting with another person in relationship, there is no one right way to abide in Christ, the biggest thing is that we make it a priority and daily pursuit. Here are a few examples of how we can abide/connect with Jesus:
1) Prayer - talking with the Lord daily and intimately, 2) God’s Word / Bible - reading or listening to the book He gave us that tells us about His very nature and what He cares about, 3) Praise & Worship – letting Him know how great He is and how much we appreciate what He has done for us, 4) Ministry - making a point to care about what He cares about by loving and serving others, 5) Evangelism / Discipleship - telling people about Him and how great He is, 6) Fellowship of believers - encouraging each other in our walk of faith, and 7) simply thinking about Him and meditating on who He is and who you are in Him.
Fruit of Abiding in Christ - The best part of all of this is that the Lord blesses us with amazing fruit/blessings when we stay connected to Him in an abiding relationship. These are fruits/gifts that we cannot manufacture for ourselves, they are simply a byproduct of His very nature at work within us. They include but are not limited to: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. Who would not want these wonderful gifts that are the fruit of God’s spirit being produced in us so our lives become a blessing that produce Kingdom fruit. “Therefor by your fruits you will know them”. Matthew 7:20 The spiritual fruit of our lives is truly the evidence of God power at work within us.
“God will do immeasurably more than you can ever ask or imagine, in and through you, by His power at work within you” Ephesians 3:20 but this only happens if you remain connected to the vine of Christ.
For His Glory,
-Duane