Thursday, April 18, 2013

5 Tips for Abiding in Christ

As the semester winds to a close, I got to thinking about the importance of abiding or remaining in Christ. This has historically been one of the areas of my Christian life that I struggle with, yet God is always so faithful to remind me of its importance. A lot of times, I find myself relying on my own strength, personality, and ability. Here are 5 practical ways that I have found helpful to remain in Christ throughout the day. This list isn't exhaustive but just a few thoughts...

"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. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." 

John 15:5-7

1. Recognize your need for Jesus

This is where it all starts for me. If I wake up aware of my own sin, brokenness, imperfection and need for Jesus, my day is already off in the right direction. The days when I am unaware of my need for Jesus are the days when I struggle most with abiding in Him. How / why can we abide or remain in Someone we don't desperately need?

2. Pray

Prayer is so crucial in maintaining a vibrancy and intimacy in our relationship with the Lord. There is a really good chance that on the days when I have spent set aside time in prayer, abiding comes easier. Prayer helps merge and fuse together our hearts and desires with God's. It allows us to see the world not through our own eyes but with fresh eyes of faith as we commune with the Creator of the Universe. If we are abiding, our prayers will be for 'Your Kingdom to come, Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven' (Matthew 6:10).

3. Read the Bible!

'For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart' (Heb 4:12). Pretty simply, on any given day, my mind is either being influenced and shaped by the culture or by God's Word. Being immersed in the Scriptures is so critical to abide in Him. How do we know who this Jesus is that we follow until He reveals Himself to us through God's Word? I have been amazed in the past 2-3 years by certain passages of Scripture. It is shocking, profound, and we must see it for ourselves rather than have someone else constantly feed us from it.

4. Obey 

Sin breaks fellowship with God. If we read our Bibles and know them backward and forward that is great... but James makes it clear that we must, 'be doers of the word, and not hears only deceiving yourselves' (James 1:22).

5. Preach the Gospel to ourselves all the time

The reality is we will not be able to measure up to God's perfect standard. When we fail, we must continually remind ourselves of the truth of God's Word. Cling to some verses like, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8) or "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). In the words of John Bunyan:

Run, John, run, the law commands 
But gives us neither feet nor hands, 
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids us fly and gives us wings
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love." (John 15:9)

Stege Wheeler

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