Am I Abiding in Christ?
Picture this with me. You’ve just finished up a long day at work or a trying trip out with your children. You’ve experienced total chaos, you’re exhausted and mentally spent. Where do you want to go? Do you want to go to the most crowded, loud, and unsafe place? Or do you yearn to return home to rest in the quiet and comfort? I’d be willing to bet that after a day of chaos you are longing to go home. After all, home is where you find rest, right?
Life can often be this way. Day in and day out we are faced with chaos. We look around in our secular world and all we see is destruction, violence, conflict. No one seems to agree on any particular belief. Everyone is in a constant rush, going to and fro. We lack personalization and connection in our “connected” world. It’s exhausting, right? And just where do you go to find rest from the never-ending cycle? Home.
Just like our physical homes provide rest, so, too, can our everlasting God. When we are most weary, we can abide in Christ and find rest. But, just what does the word “abide” truly mean? According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “abide” means to stay (in a given place state relation or expectancy): continue, dwell, endure, to be present, remain, stand, tarry. As you can see, the word “abide” has many definitions, but all of them mean to stay or to continue in a place. The word, itself, appears in the Bible over 127 times and in 105 verses. That should strike us as important, right?
You may be asking yourself “what is the connection here?” or “why is it so important that I abide in Christ?” Friends, we are all weary. We’re tired from the constant mental, emotional, and physical battles we face. As moms, or even just females in charge of our homes, we are tasked with the emotional hurdles of running our homes and caring for the people we love most. We keep up with bills, appointments, schedules, and all the things in between. And the whole time we are faced with opinions from the secular world about who we should be, what we should do, how we should look, think, speak, etc. Life can often be burdensome. But, my sisters, abiding in Christ can provide true rest for our weary souls.
The Psalmist, David, experienced many weary situations throughout the course of his life. However, he continuously reinforced that fact that Christ is our safety and rest. David shared in Psalm 23 “He restoreth my soul:” In our weary world, God provides a safe place to rest and restore ourselves so that we can face another day of building God’s kingdom. Over and over again, in Psalm, David repeats that God is our strength, our redeemer, our sustenance.
How do we abide in Christ? One of the most practical ways to abide in Christ is just to develop a relationship with Him. You must be actively seeking to establish a line of communication with Christ. Reading your Bible and praying daily is the most clear way to start! Jesus says in John 6:56 “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” While this isn’t talking about literal flesh and blood, Jesus is reminding us here that in order to dwell, or abide, in Him, we must actively take in His word.
Another way to ensure that we are abiding in Christ is to live a faith-filled life. What does this mean? This may mean that you just choose daily to follow Christ. Living a faith-filled life may mean that we listen to and heed God’s direction in our lives. But, living a faith-filled life may also mean that, even when we don’t have the answers, we step out in faith that Christ will provide for us, no matter what. This, for some, means giving up everything to follow God’s call. Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us some direction in how to live a faith filled life. David says “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.” Living a faith-filled life is supposed to be simple. Just trust God, don’t rely on yourself to understand things, and allow God to order your steps. So, really, just listen to God’s direction.
As John 15: 10 says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things will be added unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” My friends, I pray that you will be able to abide in Christ so that you can experience His presence, joy, peace, and restoration. Abiding in Christ is such a sweet place to be!
Reflection
How often, in the daily crazy of your life, do you stop to reflect on God’s goodness or pray that His peace will overcome you?
Do you view Christ as your place of rest?
Do you spend daily time in communication with God?