Abide in Him

 

“If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples- John 15:6-8
 
I’ve read these verses many times in Scripture, but the word “abide” has always eluded me. It’s not a word in common, everyday language, so it’s a word I’m not so familiar.  So, what does it mean to “abide.”
 
In Greek the word “abide” is a word men-o, which means to “remain” or “wait.” In other word, it means to wait upon or with.  So how do we constantly wait or remain in the Lord?
 
If we don’t abide in Christ, it is like we are willing to throw away our lives on thins that don’t matter. When we try to live apart from Christ, our lives suffer. If we amass wealth or take care of our fragile bodies with no purpose or only for personal gain, our lives mean nothing. If we try to teach our children to have good manners and live a good life apart from Christ, how will they be different from the rest of the world, and how will they be able to further the Gospel here on earth?
 
According to this verse we all have to have the word of God in our hearts. We live in a country where we take reading the bible for granted. Yet, there may come a day when we can no longer publicly proclaim our faith. The only thing we will have to rely on is the word we have memorized and kept hidden in our hearts.  If we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit— fruit the world that edifies us (patience, goodness, kindness and the like) and that the world desires.

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