April 21, 2015  – “A” is for Abide

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandment’s and abide in his love.” John 15:9-10

“During the life of Jesus on earth, the word He chiefly used when speaking of the relations of the disciples to Himself was: “Follow Me.” When about to leave for heaven, He gave the a new word, in which their more intimate and spiritual union with Himself in glory should be expressed. That chosen word was “Abide in me.” There are many earnest followers of Jesus from whom the meaning of this word…is very much hidden. While trusting in their savior for pardon and for help, and seeking to some extent to obey Him, they have hardly realized to what closeness of union, to what intimacy of fellowship, to what wondrous oneness of life and interest, He invited them when He said, “Abide in me”. Andrew Murray (1828 – 1917) Daily Thoughts on Holiness “For All The Saints” volume III

That word “Abide” is a relational word. It means to “live in” – to live in Christ and Christ to live in us. The word, “abide,” is a dominant word in the Gospel of John and is repeated often. Seventeen of the eighteen times the word “abide” occurs in the New Testament are from the Gospel or Epistles of John. What might be a relatable term that makes sense in our lives today? How about “dwell” – or maybe “immerse” – we are to immerse ourselves in G*d’s word, in our relationship with Jesus.

How would you immerse yourself in G*d’s word? Would you look to read every day and to study in depth what you are reading? How would you immerse yourself in your relationship with G*d? Would you pray more, read more, look for G*d in more places in your life? How might you “abide” in the love of G*d? Would you seek to be more loving to all people, even those who are really hard to love? And how would that look in your life? “Abide in my love”, Jesus says. Remember, this love is not conditional, it is not withdrawn, it is not hidden – it is there for us to claim, to embrace, to feel in the very depths of our being.  When we abide in Christ, and Christ abides in us, we have all that we need to be people of G*d.

Pastor Dave