For a long time, I’ve read John 15 once or twice a week, focusing especially verse four: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Abiding: to wait, to endure without yielding, to bear patiently, to accept without objection; also, to conform to, to stay with, not leave.
We are to follow Christ without turning back, to patiently wait on Him and His timing, and to accept what he brings into our lives without complaining or bitterness. That much is plain to see.
But, do we realize that Christ also abides in us? He is the source of all our works, he is the source we get strength from for spiritual activities. We get so caught up in the idea of “abiding in Him” we forget that “He” abides in us. Don’t lose sight of the fact you have a powerful Spirit in you; willing and ready to work, never leaving, enduring inside of you. Don’t ignore it!
