ABIDING IN JESUS
To abide in Jesus is to live close to His heart. It is not enough to know about Him. We must know Him. We walk with Him as friend with friend, trusting His hand and resting in His love (John 15:4–5). The branch does not strain to bear fruit. It simply stays connected to the vine, and life flows through it. So it is with the believer who abides in Christ. His strength is not in effort but in union. His peace is not earned but received. His fruit is not forced but formed (Galatians 5:22–23).
To abide is to linger in His presence until His peace becomes the very air we breathe (John 15:9–10). It is to listen for His whisper in the stillness of the soul (Psalm 46:10). The world is restless, but His presence quiets every storm (Mark 4:39). Enoch walked with God until heaven became home (Genesis 5:24). Mary sat at His feet while others hurried past the moment (Luke 10:39–42). Those who dwell with Him find rest that cannot be stolen and love that cannot fade (Matthew 11:28–29).
The secret place of the Most High is not found by travel, but by trust. It is the inner life of a soul surrendered (Psalm 91:1–2). There, under the shadow of the Almighty, fears lose their power and faith grows strong. To abide is to give Him every room of the heart and to keep no door locked against His love (Revelation 3:20). It is to let His Word take root until His thoughts become our thoughts and His will becomes our way (John 15:7; Philippians 2:5).
Abiding means surrender. It means laying down every weight that hinders and drawing near in prayer (Hebrews 12:1; James 4:8). Even our Lord withdrew to quiet places to commune with His Father (Luke 5:16). If He sought that stillness, how much more must we? To read His Word is to feed on living bread (Matthew 4:4). To pray is to breathe the air of heaven (1 Thessalonians 5:17). To worship is to dwell in His beauty until the heart is full again (Psalm 27:4).
Those who abide do not chase after blessing—they live in it (Ephesians 1:3). They find their joy not in what He gives, but in who He is (Psalm 16:11). The abiding soul learns that God Himself is the portion of the heart (Lamentations 3:24). The more we rest in Him, the more we reflect Him (2 Corinthians 3:18). We shine not with our own glow, but with His (Matthew 5:14–16).
Let every day begin with this desire: to abide. To walk slowly with Jesus (Micah 6:8), to speak His name often (Psalm 34:1), to keep our thoughts near the cross (Galatians 6:14), and our hearts open to His Spirit (Romans 8:14). For life is not truly life without His presence (John 14:6). He is the vine, and we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. But with Him, all things are possible (John 15:5; Matthew 19:26).
Lord Jesus, teach me to abide. Let Your life flow through mine. Keep me close enough to hear Your whisper and quiet enough to know Your peace. Fill my heart with Your presence until Your love becomes my breath and Your will becomes my way. Abide in me, Lord, as I seek to abide in You. Amen.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
