Abide

"Remain in the same place or position over a period of time. To reside, stay, live, lodge, tarry, or dwell."

This sounds equal parts refreshing and terrifying. Refreshing assuming one is remaining in this same place over time because it is a great place to be. Terrifying if it’s not such a lovely place and I am forced to remain there.

I am not much for sitting still. At any given moment I have multiple lists running through my head of all the things that need to get done. Once I sit, my mind has me moving onto the next thing almost immediately.

Can anyone relate?

That first sentence in this post is the definition for the word ABIDE.

John 15:4-5 says, “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. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

I’ve read this passage a million times. And I thought I understood it; Christ is the vine and I can only do good if I am connected to Him.

But how often have I taken action or done something under the assumption that simply because I think I know Him I am doing the right thing?

We can solve, find, or fix, all the day long. But without abiding—remaining in, dwelling in, tarrying in—all our efforts are in vein, as we can only bear much fruit from abiding. We aren’t called to do without abiding. The “solution” to any challenge begins in the abiding.

This is not to say we are released from taking action. And I can’t say it is an easy thing to do, but remaining in Him is the only way fruit will come from our actions. The branches do not produce the fruit. The Vine produces the fruit the branches bear.

If our deep desire is to bear fruit, sometimes we need to resist our doing and simply remain in the Vine. Let’s be fruit bearers by abiding in the One that delights in us, sisters.