“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” – John 15:4 (KJV)

A few years ago God gave me the word abide to reflect on. I thought that I would learn the benefits of abiding with God and that it would become a building block to another word as years passed. I was correct but I was also so very wrong. You see, I didn’t have a full picture of what it meant to abide in Christ. Honestly, I still don’t have the full picture. But every day I wake up and seek God first, I learn a little more of what it means. 

This year I wrote my very first Bible study on John 15. The True Vine and Me is all about us as the branches, Jesus as the vine, and what it looks like to abide in Him. I had no idea that when God first gave me that word, it would be a stepping stone to me writing my first non-fiction piece. And I what I learned the most was God is very much into the details.

Expectations of God

One way we can learn to abide is to expect God to show up. He is a God of promises, so when He says He’ll do something, we can trust His word one hundred percent. I don’t know about you, but I need this assurance. In a world full of darkness, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious with just everyday life. But when we choose to abide in God, we can be at peace like the eye of the storm, because we are not walking this journey alone. God is with us and in the midst of our chaos. He is the calm, our refuge, and no matter what life throws at us, we can overcome it. It is not by our own strength, because we are human. But because we chose to abide in the True Vine, all we have to do is rest in His hands. He will do all the heavy lifting as we remain connected to His word, to His Spirit, to the Father.

A challenge for us

The next time life throws you a lemon, remember that God can use all things for your good. Abiding in Him comes with the promise that He will abide in you. It is a two way street that will bring wonderful fruit to your life.