Abiding the Way Jesus Did

Bible Reading

John 15
Ephesians 5

Devotional Thoughts

John 15:10 “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”

John 15 is a very familiar passage. We are commanded to “Abide in Christ.” Abiding is one of those Christian terms that we use, but how well do we really understand what it means?

Jesus said in John 15:10 that he was “abiding” in His Father’s love by keeping his Father’s commandments. How did he do that?

• John 4:34 I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
• John 5:19 Truly I say to you, the Son can do NOTHING of his own accord, but ONLY what he sees the Father doing.
• John 5:30 I can do NOTHING on my own… I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
• John 6:39 I have come down.. not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
• John 8:29 “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him
• John 14:10-11 The words that I say I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his work…”

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches, whoever abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus modeled that. He lived it out and proclaimed it.

In Eph 5:1 we are told to be imitators of God. Eph 5:8 Walk as children of light. We are also told in Eph 5:17-18 walk under the control of the Spirit. These are all ways of describing the same thing. Abiding in Christ. The resurrected life of Jesus within you, using your hands and feet to do His work. Just like Jesus did when he walked this earth.

When we are living that way, when God is the treasure of your heart and, as the song says, you are seeking him as a precious jewel, and He is your all in all, then the words of John 15:7 will be true, “Ask whatever you desire and I will give it to you…” The reason that will be true is because what you will be desiring will no longer be your own selfish ambition, you will be desiring the things that God wants, because He is your treasure.

Declarations

• Abiding is following Jesus example, confident in God’s control of my life, so much that I don’t seek my own will but desire His will be done in everything
• Apart from Him and abiding in Him, nothing I accomplish will be of any eternal value.
• When He is my treasure and my desires, interests, pursuits, are completely wrapped up in what He wants, then what I ask for, will be what He wants, and therefore I can be confident He will grant the request.