Abiding ... So Simple Its Hard

There has been a lot of talk about Abiding around IHOP. It seems that its something Lord is doing in a lot of people. Personally the Lord has been teaching about this word "Abide".  Here are my thoughts on it. The dictionary says the word abide means to remain, continue or to stay; to have one's abode or dwell.

The word abide in the New Testament isn't something that can be defined simply in words but more in concept. Jesus teaches us about abiding through out His life with parables. Also in teaching us how His relationship with the Father was.


In John 14:10-11, Jesus teaches us that He doesn't do anything or speak in His own authority but in His Father's. He goes on to say that the Father is in Him and that He is in the Father.  "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me"


Later Jesus tells us that if we keep His word then He and the Father will come make their home with us. This is through the Spirit of Truth that Jesus says will come and dwell with us and in us and will abide with us forever. John 14:15-17


In John 15:1-6 Jesus teaches us how this works with a metaphor of a vine. He says that He is the vine and we are the branches. Here Jesus establishes that we can not bear fruit without remaining connected to Him. Just as the branch of a vine can not bear fruit if it isn't connected to the vine. Jesus says, in verse 4, "Abide in Me, and I in you." We are to rely on Jesus like a branch relies on the vine to give it life and substance. If we find ourselves ever out of that place of full reliance and are leaning on our own abilities we must correct it. Jesus is wanting us to live in like manner as He did with the Father. John 14:10-11, "I am in the Father and the Father is in Me." Not living in our own authority but only in His. Continually receiving love from Him. 


Jesus even takes it a step further. He tells us in verse 6 that if we don't continually abide in Him that we will be cast out as a branch is thrown into the fire and are burned. This is a very heavy statement. I believe it speaks on two levels. First, I believe that Jesus is speaking of an eternal punishment that will be rewarded to all who don't abide in Him. I also think that Jesus is teaching us how to keep ourselves from, as we say, "burning out." If we rely on our own abilities while trying to produce we will always fail. 


The good news is found in verse 1 and 2. Jesus identifies God as the vine dresser. When reading these verses and mediating on the concept of abiding its easy to loose hope and think that there is no chance that you could be fully surrendered to Jesus here is where hope is revived. God is the vine dresser who is going to prune us into the very brach that we need to be. Even if it hurts a little and for a short time, the end product is amazing. 


I think that we make this whole abiding thing really complex in our heads when it really shouldn't be. Jesus says in verse 5 that without Him we can do NOTHING. So we need to stop trying so hard. 


Luke 18:17, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Here Jesus teaches us that only those who receive the kingdom as a child will enter it. But what kind of child. The kind of child is found in verse 15, "Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them." An infant. Not a five year old or a ten year old but an infant. An infant is a person who is fully reliant on their parents. They can't feed themselves, clothed themselves, or even wipe themselves. We must be like infants to enter into the kingdom. If we aren't fully reliant then like in John 15 we will be cut off. 


Since Katrina is pregnant, lately I have been looking at it like an unborn baby. An unborn baby is abiding in it's mother's womb. The baby is connected, literally, to the mother and fully reliant on the mother for nutrition and life. 


So, in conclusion we must FIRST receive love from Jesus, taking moments in our day to just let Him speak to our hearts, love on us and wash us with His word (Eph 5:25). Then in response to that love, love God with ALL our being. Then, and ONLY then, we can in turn love people.