This, too, is Abiding with Christ
You don't have to go to church to abide. Reading your Bible is not the only way of abiding in Christ. Abiding is a collaborative experience, and Christ abides with you as well.
Sorry for the late post today, friends! Last week got away from me, but better late than never, right? I hope this helps you as you navigate your week. Last week's and this week’s podcast episodes will be up by the end of this week if you prefer to listen.
I had been doing well in my exercise routine through May and June. Then I lost my mojo, and it’s been difficult to find it again the last couple of weeks. I’ve struggled to make time for the things that matter—reading my Bible, connecting with friends, going to church, and caring for my body.
I got up this morning with enough time to go for a walk before the summer sun unleashed its excessive heat. It took everything in me not to crawl back into bed for 30 more minutes. My husband and dog were sleeping so peacefully, and I wanted desperately to join them, but I won the internal battle of my mind and put on my walking shoes.
As I walked through our neighborhood, so many little things caught my attention—the full moon still high in the sky, little field mice scurrying across the sidewalk, birds and mosquitos swarming the local pond, and I remembered. Yes, God is with me here too. He’s not only present with me when I read the Bible or attend church on Sunday. This—moving my body and breathing in through the lungs He created—this, too, is abiding.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 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.
John 15:4-5 ESV
The Word: Abide
G3306 | menō
This word is used 120 times in the KJV and translated as “abide” 61 times1. Other translations include dwell, remain, continue, tarry, and endure.
to be kept
remain, stay
to continue to be present
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines this meaning as it pertains to John 14:10 that God is in Christ, “to dwell as it were within [God], to be continually operative in him by his divine influence and energy” and for Christians, in 1 John 2:6 to be “rooted as it were in [Jesus], knit to him by the spirit they have received from him”.
I love that verbiage of being “knit” to Christ. I think that far too often, Christians take this concept of abiding in Christ and demand certain practical outcomes: go to church, read your Bible X amount of times, don’t cuss, tithe weekly, and pray unceasingly. I don’t think those are bad practices, but it is important to understand the heart of abiding first and live out these ideals in light of how Christ abides with us, not as a way to achieve a euphoric connection to God through our works and successes.
My favorite part about this concept as we see portrayed in John 15 is the simple phrasing “and I in you.” Jesus promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him, and here, when we abide in Him, He will abide in us. Abiding is a two-way street, and Jesus is already in the doorway waiting to be let in.
God’s presence is all around us, but most importantly, God abides within us when we put our faith in Him. Abiding with Christ is simply the outpouring of embracing God’s presence in our lives.
I met with my Spiritual Director once, and we discussed spiritual practices. If you’re not familiar with that term, it is any action that is focused on drawing close to God. A few familiar spiritual practices are contemplative prayer, Bible Study, worship, and lectio devina. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for more ways to connect with God and some of these practices have been so fruitful.
When I told her I was trying to find more spiritual practices, she asked me this question that I consider constantly now:
What if everything you did was actually a spiritual practice because there's nothing you do where God is not with you and actively a part of what you’re doing?
We’re focused often on the presence of God, but are we aware of our presence with God? We know God doesn’t leave us or forsake us, but do we take that into consideration with every little thing we do?
Have we compartmentalized God so much that we only recognize His presence when we’re at church, reading the Bible, discussing Scripture, or praying?
Going back to Thayer’s definition and examples, I love the idea of “rooted” in relation to “abide” because it shows a strong foundation, sourced in something specific, but constantly growing and reaching for more sunlight, more fruit, more joy. Abiding with Christ doesn’t need to be a boring spiritual practice that convinces us we’re “good Christians”.
Someone on Threads asked what should be an obvious and rare trait Christians exude because of who we are and who we worship, and my first thought was joy.
If our practices of abiding in Christ don't bring us a refreshed joy in any and every circumstance, then we’re not rooted in the right vine.
With that in mind, consider what brings you that type of true joy. For me, it’s kayaking on the open water, challenging my mind with a puzzle game, reading a thoughtful non-fiction book, going for a drive with my husband, or trying a new coffee shop. None of those things are explicitly Christian activities, but God is written all over them because God is written all over me.
If you truly believe that God is within you, then you’ll begin to recognize His fingerprint on everything you touch. Okay, I’m letting the Christianese get away from me, but it’s not lost on me how powerful this concept is.
God abides with us, and we are the branches, rooted in the vine, so we must abide with Him to stay fruitful, healthy, and hopeful.
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue (menō) in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 (NASB)
Does “continuing in my word” mean “reading the Bible”? Reading the Bible is a crucial part of our faith as we ought to fully know what we believe and stand for, and it is God revealed to us through the written word (why wouldn’t you want to read it?!).
However, to “abide in” the Word might mean more than just reading it.
Consider Jesus’ words here “Then you are truly my disciples.” Later at dinner with the disciples, he said, “By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35).
If menō means to continue or remain in Christ, it likely insinuates that we ought to become the living vessels of Christ’s words.
Abiding means doing anything in life with the recognition that God is with you, and living in light of that beautiful truth through the expression of the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So, whatever you do today or this week, continue to be present with God and learn to see His delight in your little or big joys. Whether it’s reading a good book, watching a movie, knitting a scarf, or playing a video game, do it for the glory of God.2
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB
May you recognize God abiding with you this week, and may His presence in and around you evoke joy enough to abide with Him more intentionally. This beautiful song is a great pair with this article, so I hope you enjoy it, too!
I do believe that even non-Christian things (music, movies, books, etc) can bring glory to God. Everything we do is a spiritual practice because it’s doing something to form our spirit. It can either bring us closer to God or closer to other spirits.