Abide in Christ Jesus
Abide in Christ Jesus
By Pastor John Dawson
April is a time for plants to grow. Growing plants are used in the bible as a metaphor for the way we are to grow in Christ. Consider the image of the vine and branch that Jesus used in John 15:4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. The needed connection of the branch to the vine is obvious. Once the branch is cut off from the vine, it dies. It may look good for a while. The leaves will stay green for a time, but the dying process has begun. And as the point of the branch is to bear fruit, it becomes useless in the vineyard. Jesus’ point is that we realize how important it is for us to abide in him. Else we will be useless to the kingdom of God. And as the passage says a few verses later, such dead branches are gathered and burned in the fire.
So what does it mean to abide in Christ? How do you abide in Christ? Psalm 91 begins with these words: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” The first way to abide in Christ is to have faith in him. The psalmist trusts the Lord to be the one who protects, the one who delivers. This is our example to trust in the Lord for all areas of our life. When you have a need, to whom do you tell it? You tell it to the one you trust. Being in Christ begins with faith in Christ.
The second way to abide in Christ follows from the first way. You abide in Christ through prayer. All relationships need communication to flourish. Prayer is our communication with the Lord. Prayer is personal. You take your concerns, your pains, and your joys to the Lord. You speak to the Lord often, both in the times you set aside to pray uninterrupted, and as you walk along. Prayer is so important if you want to continue to abide in Christ. When you don’t have the habit and practice of prayer, you begin to act as though the Lord was not near. You act and react from yourself without looking to the Lord. When this happens, your words and actions will not seem Christlike. These are the times when unwholesome words come out of your mouth. Paul instructs us in Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. When you speak from your corrupting heart, out come corrupting words. When you are abiding in the Lord, you will speak words that give grace to those who hear.
A third way to abide in the Lord is to meditate on the word of God. Start by reading the bible, but you continue this by thinking about it during your day. There are so many voices clamoring for our attention. The human voice is heard constantly through the radio, the TV, and the internet. These fill our minds before we realize it. Have you noticed how polarizing these voices are? The topics are to make us angry, fearful, and distrustful of other people. The reason they are so negative is because we find this sort of stimulation addictive. The more outrageous the better, as far as the media is concerned, because that is what keeps us tuned in to their message. Talk shows and news outlets can draw us in for hours listening to the same thing over and over. Be aware that this constant diet for your mind is not good. Rather think on the things of God. It is not for nothing that we are told: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Phil 4:8).
When the branch is connected to the vine, it looks like the vine, it grows like the vine, and it produces fruit like the vine. In this way, the branch is part of the vine. This is what we are called to be. Practice these three things so that you are abiding in Christ, and let us grow in Christ together.
Pastor John