John 15:5 – “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (NLT).
“In order to live an abundant and fruitful life, Jesus told His disciples they needed to stay connected to Him as their source of life. The same is true for us – we can’t do things on our own and expect to bear fruit” (Jesus Centered, by Steve Brown, p. 15-16).
Author Steve Brown also says, “For some reason, just like my attempts to earn right standing with God, I often think I need to live out the Christian life on my own. I try my best, but I can’t find what it takes from within me… to be Jesus-centered, we must abide in Jesus” (p. 16).
How do we abide in Jesus? Abiding begins as we acknowledge our complete dependence on Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (NLT). Abiding sees us move from being self-reliant to Jesus-dependent.
As we abide, we need to ask God where He is at work and how we can participate. He promises to show us the path He wants us to take.
Thomas Aquinas once wrote: “Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe, to know what he ought to desire, and to know what he ought to do… for Aquinas, right beliefs were insufficient. Right beliefs and right action were also insufficient. It is the transformation of our desires – the inner orientation of our hearts, tied with belief and action – that are demonstrations of the life of God within us” (Lectio 365, January 28).
The ‘inner orientation of our hearts, tied with belief and action’ leads us to an abiding lifestyle. As we abide in Christ we line up our head, heart and hands toward Him. Here is a good example of an abiding prayer: “God, would You integrate us so that we would be holy and wholly given over to You” (Lectio 365, January 28).
What one degree change is God asking you to step into as you abide in Christ?
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Kevin Nethercott serves as director of Youth Unlimited/Youth For Christ North Perth.
