“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. [. . .] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.”
– John 15:5,7
To abide means not just to take part in or comply with, but to actually be immersed within that which you are abiding. Abiding means to become so much a part of something that one is solely dependent upon that one thing. In this case: Christ.
This is what Christ has been teaching me over the past month specifically. Less than two weeks ago much of my days were filled with anxiety and restlessness over circumstances and relationships surrounding me. Eventually I became so immersed in the conditions around me that my trust began to waver. I started to become so depend on my own discernment and wisdom to carry me through that Christ became second thought.
It did not take long to realize that I could not carry on. My circumstances has led me to the point of not even caring to be a team leader anymore. I was anxious, tired, and frustrated beyond hope. Now a statement like that may seem over-exaggerated but if you think about it I would have to agree. When your dependence and strength come from anywhere other than the Spirit of Christ, you are a sunk ship in the midst of a relentless, roaring ocean of chaos: that was me.
My point of revelation did not come until mid last week while standing in front of the bathroom mirror. I was about to go outside and have a conversation with someone who I really did not feel like talking with at the time. As I stood there looking back at myself I said, “God, I need your strength and love because I’m not sure how to give it right now.” Immediately He brought me back the above verses and this was His response to me. “Son, the love that you have for this person is weak and feeble in comparison with the love I have for them. You cannot give it in of yourself; you must first abide in Me. When you learn to abide in me, then the love which you give will be My love poured out through you to them, and that is a love which you can never give apart from me.”
Such simple words, yet words of unshakable truth, which shall never fail. Unless my entire life is in complete submission to Christ, unless all that I am is bound up in His life, then all that I do will crumble and burn. Abide in Me. This is what He asks and when we choose to abide in Him, His life will penetrate our own and shine through into every life we come into contact with.
These words are simple, yet true. Therefore, I encourage you to take a moment and ask, “Am I abiding in Christ? Is He my first and only source of strength?” You will know the answer to this question as soon as you ask it. As for me, my faith lies in Christ and in the hope I have through the conforming of my life to His will. Apart from Him I can do nothing! I choose to abide.
