Throughout March, I studied the word abide.
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. (John 15:4-5)
Toward the end of the month, I heard the word abide in another context: Abide the shelter-in-place order.
We abide in Jesus’ presence and provision. We abide by guidelines. In either situation, we intentionally know and commit. Perhaps you say, “Nope, not me.” You don’t want to abide by the rules. You don’t want to abide in Jesus. For those who do, we experience a connection between the two. We find freedom within the confines. We see something broader than we can imagine. We reap benefits we didn’t consider. We find joy.
Abiding doesn’t happen haphazardly. It’s intentional. In whom do you trust? Where do you reside? What is consistent within your life? Where you abide, you grow and produce fruit, so the “where” matters.
Be intentional today.
“Abide” can be used for several reasons. Some of them might be the wrong reasons. One can abide, while still using common sense. I wouldn’t abide to an abusive husband. I wouldn’t abide if it is something that can cause harm in the long run. I wouldn’t abide if it made absolutely no sense to. There is no joy in abiding if the outcome is fear.
Indeed. That is why the focus to abide in Jesus is the basis of all abiding. And abiding in Jesus is sometimes not convenient or comfortable. The same is true with some of the situations we encounter in our daily lives. Of course, I am not suggesting remaining in an abusive situation. There is a huge difference between something that is temporarily uncomfortable or inconvenient and something that is dangerous and unhealthy. Again, if we refer to our relationship with Jesus, it is not always convenient or comfortable but is never abusive or unhealthy. Just simply a struggle at times, and we always have a choice upon whom to focus.