“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

Abide (Def): (Gr.): Meno: To stay in a given place, state, relationship, or expectancy

Think of the peace of mind, safety for the soul, and calming for the nerves of the body abiding in Jesus brings to us. It is the place to breathe easy. The place to think soberly. The place to rest a racing mind, a pounding heart from anxiety and fear from the trauma of the day. Abiding in Jesus does all of that.

Abiding is a mutual experience. We abide in Jesus and the words of Jesus abide in us. Words so precious in the form of promises made, kept and fulfilled. Prophetic words that assure us concerning what is happening in the moment and what is about to happen in the days to come. Jesus said:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God'” (Matthew 4:4).

Deuteronomy makes this very plain:

“And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

Abiding has benefits beyond those mentioned above, for there is a deeper benefit of producing, or bringing forth the fruit from the Life of Christ in which we abide. Jesus used the analogy of the Vine and Branch. Our abiding in Him is as the branch abides in the Vine. Jesus spoke these words to us:

“Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

As we do abide in the Vine the richness of the Vine flows through us from within the Life of the Vine, the Life of Christ. Jesus said:

“Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so, shall you be My disciples” (John 15:8).

Think of this fruit from the Life of Christ in which we abide: (a) the fruit of the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:22-23); (b) the Life of Christ in His ministry to bring salvation, healing, deliverance, wisdom, godliness, authority, and power (cf. Ephesians 4:11-12; John 3:16-17; Luke 19:10; Acts 1:8); (c) laying down our lives for the sake of the Brethren (cf. Hebrews 2:9; John 15:13). This is the fruit of the Life of Christ flowing through us to the world.

Abiding accomplishes God’s will through us, as Jesus declared:

“You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you” (John 15:7b).

The phrase “ask what you will” does not refer to some selfish wish list we use to get what we want from God. No, asking what we will is in accordance with the mind of Christ in whom we abide. We ask in accordance with the agreement between the mind of Christ expressed by His word given to us and our speaking forth that word received from Him to the Father; and the promise is when you ask in this agreement, “what you will, shall be done to you”.

Abiding is Life. Abiding is fruitful. Abiding is beneficial to us, to the church and to the world. Brethren, let us abide in Him and let as the Apostle has written in his Epistle to the Colossians:

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, Hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Yes, let us abide in Him, let us stay in that wonderful place in the heart of Jesus, let us abide in that state in which we were called, let us live the relationship we share in the Life of the Vine, let us live in full expectation of bearing the fruit of that Life, and may the Father’s will be fully expressed through us in our life and service to Him.

______________________________