Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:4a NKJV)
The verb “abide” in Greek… means “to
take up permanent residence, to settle in, rest.” To abide in Christ means to
stop trying to earn His acceptance or to work to justify our right to be His
person. We are to relax and receive His grace. That becomes very practical in
dealing with our problems. Each day’s problems become opportunities to trust
Him and receive renewed grace. We do not need to be strong, clever, or
resourceful to abide. Instead, we are to abandon ourselves to Christ, trusting
Him with our problems, and accept His assurance that He will assume
responsibility for us and our problems.
I like the way J. C. Ryle [in his “Expository Thoughts on the Bible”] interpreted
the meaning of Jesus’ command to abide in Him: “Abide in Me. Cling to Me. Stick
fast to Me. Live the life of close and immediate communion with Me. Get nearer
and nearer to Me. Roll every burden on Me. Cast your whole weight on Me. Never
let go your hold on Me for a moment. Be as it were rooted and planted in Me. Do
this, and I will never fail you.”
-- Lloyd J. Ogilvie in “If God Cares, Why Do I Still Have Problems”
#4680
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