“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30

Recently someone looking for a definition of “Abide” read my post “What does “Abide” mean”? This is how I responded:

Abiding in Christ means that He lives His life in you – we call that “The Life” (Acts 5:20). There is a praise song that captures the abiding life: “Where You Go I’ll Go” by Brian Johnson. Part of the lyrics are, “Where You go I go, What You say I say, And what You pray I pray …”. That’s what Paul means when he writes, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me …” (KJV). And in his letter to the Philippians, he said, “To live is Christ.”  You can do nothing FOR Christ, yet you “can do all things THROUGH him”. This is the abiding Life and is described again in the Second chapter of 1 John.

As I began to think about how to define “abide” I believe it may be better to ask, what does the “Abiding Life” look like? That is, what do you see that is significant about the way someone lives when he/she is living the Life?  Our Lord, Jesus spent three and a half years showing us how to live. To fully define “abide” is  just as impossible as it is for me to define God’s love! When I abide in Him I am filled with His love. He makes His home in me – John 14:20!

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said:  “I can do nothing … ;  I have come not to do my own will … ;  My teaching is not Mine … ;  I do nothing on my own … ;  He who believes in Me does not believe in Me … ;  I do not speak on My own … ; The words I speak I do not speak … .”

When God mercifully revealed the Truth to Major W. Ian Thomas,(Author of “The Saving Life of Christ” and founder of Torchbearers International), He told him, “Although you have given mental consent to the Truth that I have been in your heart, and have accepted it as a theory, you have lived totally ignoring the fact. You have been busy trying to do for me all that only I can do through you.” Major Thomas prayed, “If Thou art my life, and this is true, then Thou art my victory, Thou art my strength, Thou art my power, Thou art my future! Thou art the One who is going to go out now, clothed with me to do all that I have been so hopelessly trying to do in the past!”  (Excerpt from “They Found The Secret”, by V. Raymond Edman, Copyright © 1984 by Zondervan)

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the secret to you and give you understanding as you read His Word. Pray His word back to Him. Pray Ephesians 1:17-21 for yourself.

“In Him we live and move and have our being.”  Acts 17:28