Abiding in Jesus

What does it mean to abide? What does it look like to abide in Jesus? How are we to abide in Jesus?

In John’s gospel account, Jesus instructed his disciples to abide in him as a branch abides in a vine.

Jesus said to his disciples, “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, ESV).

We cannot do anything unless we abide in Jesus as a branch abides in a vine. When we abide in Jesus we bear fruit like a branch abiding in a vine bears fruit in a vineyard.

In their book Abiding in Christ, J. I.Packer and Carolyn Nystrom define abide this way: “Abide is an old English word for ‘remain,’ ‘stay steady’ and ‘keep your position.’ What it means to abide in Christ—that is, always to be resting on him, anchored to him, fixed in him, drawing from him, continually connected and in touch with him.”

Theologian and bishop Lesslie Newbigin said, “Abiding is the continually renewed decision that what has been done once for all by the action of Jesus shall be the basis, the starting point, the context for all my thinking and deciding and doing.”

As followers of Jesus we are called to abide in Jesus as a branch abides in a vine so that we may be fruitful followers of Jesus—like a fruitful vineyard.

May we abide in Jesus and produce much fruit for him as we remain in him and as he cultivates his fruitfulness in us.

A Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: Rogation: “O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

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