Abiding in Christ

The Apostle John, so in love with our Lord Jesus, experienced abiding with Christ in person and passed this experience along to us in His letters. He spent hours of unbroken fellowship with the Lord. He considered himself one of Jesus' best friends, beloved by Him.

We too can enjoy this same intimate relationship with Jesus, because He lives IN us by His Spirit. To abide in Christ literally means to dwell in Him, not to wander off, and to stand as if rooted to the spot.

Jesus said He was equal with God (John 10:38). The Pharisees were offended by this declaration, because they did not understand that they too could enjoy unbroken fellowship with God through Christ and His Spirit.

God dwelt in Jesus in the same way that He dwells in us (John 14:11). His character and nature are evident in our life as we mature spiritually and continually die to our old carnal nature (John 14:10).

Although Jesus literally and physically returned to His home in Heaven, He did not abandon us alone on this earth. He gave us His Spirit as our comforter and guide.

Jesus will return for us in time for our wedding feast as His Bride (John 14:18-20); but until then, His Holy Spirit sanctifies us more each day as we believe in Christ and remain in this vital union with Jesus and our Father.

We live and function in the same manner that Jesus walked with our Father during His lifetime (1 John 2:6-27, 3:6). If we desire to live in His will, He provides us with what we need each moment of the day.

We can do greater works simply because we, as His Body, are greater in number and He abides within all of us. All He needs is our availability and obedience to His Spirit on a continual basis as we walk in His will (John 14:3-15).

We eat His flesh and drink His blood, ingesting Him into our spirit, soul and body and drawing our nourishment from Him (John 6:56). We are united with Him and He is our whole life (Colossians 3:4).

Prayer:

Father God, You cleanse us with the blood of Jesus, our perfect Lamb of God (John 1:29). Thank You for choosing to give us His righteousness in place of our old, carnal nature and making us a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We covet our time with You as You provide us with holy fellowship with You throughout the day.

Help us to continue in Your Word, for Your Word is life to our spirit and soul (John 8:31; 1 John 2:19-24). Remind us to keep Your commandments for they lead us on the path of holiness and help us to avoid the destruction reaped from a life of sin and degradation (John 15:9-10).

Thought for the Day:

Christ's life flows through us, just as the nutrients of the Vine empower the branches to bear fruit; but if we break fellowship with Him and grieve His Spirit through sin, pride or rebellion, we lose this perfect union until we repent. 

- John 15:4; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Manifestation of God

Most of humanity does not know Jesus as the Christ, nor do they care at all about Godly principles. Hypocrisy in the lives of so called Christians exacerbates this problem.

If unbelievers see no distinction in their daily walk with that of a professing Believer, this disillusions them. They want nothing to do with Christ or with us.

We have a problem with our connection to the Vine (John 15:5). We may even have a false hope of Heaven, because we never truly repented or made Jesus the Lord of our life.

If, however, we are grafted into the Vine, their reason for rejecting His truth may be that we are hiding His light within us and they cannot see it (Matthew 5:15-16).

Once we surrender our identity over to the Ruler of the universe, God makes a huge difference in our habits, language, personality and interests.

When we fully submit to God for Him to use as He pleases (Isaiah 29:16), our life takes on the character of Christ. This is when people see us as authentic Christians. We are a manifestation of God on the earth.

We have God’s peace in trouble, His perseverance in trials, His love for our persecutors and His joy during periods of grief.

They see us exhibiting patience in trying times, using self-control when others give in to debauchery, displaying meekness rather than having a haughty attitude, relating to others with kindness and basing our life and decisions on faith in our faithful God.

We lay down our preferences and care about the needs of others over our own agenda, without compromising who we are in Christ.

Others see truth and reality in our lives. We are capable of this behavior, not because we are exemplary human beings, but because of God's Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5:16:25).

This is when other people want for themselves what we have within us.

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus prayed that no one would snatch us out of Your hand. You are greater than all, and we are perfectly safe in Your everlasting arms (John 10:28-29). Fill us completely full of Your Spirit and keep us as the apple of Your eye (Ephesians 3:16-19; Psalm 17:8).

Draw us close to You and never let us go. Your unfailing love is our priceless treasure and we run to the refuge of the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 36:7). When we draw near to You, and resist Satan's efforts to sidetrack us, he has to flee from Your presence within us.

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit is our source of power; and we can ask Him to manifest Himself in and through us all the days of our life; so that others see Christ in us.

A Difference Maker

We all know that when we come to the saving knowledge of the truth of the Gospel, and truly repent and believe, we are converted.

God moves into our heart by His Spirit and He makes all things new (2 Corinthians 1:22). He never leaves nor forsakes us and walks with us through every moment of our life (Hebrews 13:5).

However, few people realize the purpose for our complete immersion in Christ inside and out. We treat Him like our personal genie to grant all of our wishes.

At conversion, the life which we now live in this human body is experienced through the faith of the Son of God who loves us and gave Himself as a ransom for us (Galatians 2:20). 

Jesus and I are not separate beings, but a sanctifying immersion of us as one entity (John 17:21-22), walking in God's Spirit and doing only those things for which God created us (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:15-25).

We gradually submit our will, goals and plans for our life to His purpose for us. We no longer live for our pleasure or pursuits, but for His Kingdom and by the direction of His Spirit.

We are an expression of Christ in this world, doing His will in every facet of our existence at home, work and play. He flows from His river of life within us (John 4:14).

This new life does not depend on us, except for our submission and obedience (Philippians 2:12-13). It is all by His Spirit within us (Galatians 3:1-3).

However, once we fall in love with Jesus we want nothing more than to obey His Word and to walk in His Spirit. 

Wherever we go and whatever we do we have the opportunity to draw everyone to Christ or to repulse them by our words and behavior.

If Christ is in us, shining through us, we exhibit His way, truth and life (Colossians 1:27; John 14:6). He is the light shining into the darkness all around us. He serves the lost world through us and uses us as a difference maker.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us Your Son and Spirit and for giving us a new life, devoid of sinful and selfish pursuits and focused entirely on You and Your Kingdom. We accept this wondrous gift, offered from Your heart of compassion toward us as sinners (Romans 5:8).

Thank You for working in us and giving us both the desire and the ability to want nothing more in life than to live for Your pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). We trust You entirely with our life; and at the time of our death, we are assured that to be absent from this body is to be immediately present with You in Your eternal Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Thought for the Day:

God raised us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places now as well as in eternity; it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in and through us; Christ is our whole life. 

- Ephesians 2:6, 3:3-4