Digging Deeper – Abiding in Christ
May 6th, 2009 | 
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We’re going to look at John 8:31-32 again. I want you to see how much you can learn from asking questions and looking at key words.
John 8:31-32 MSG
So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, “If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
Let’s look at v. 31 and break it down a bit. Notice that there is an “if . . .then” statement. IF we abide in His word, THEN we are truly His disciples. So it seems that there is a way we can check to see that we are truly disciples of Christ: abiding/continuing in His word. It’s not so much a condition of discipleship but a manifestation. It distinguishes someone who is a genuine follower from someone who merely professes. Ok, so what does it mean to abide? Now that most everyone has internet access it’s relatively easy to check out the rendering of words from Greek to English. I’d recommend using the website www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html. From this you can look for any word in the Old (Hebrew) or New (Greek) Testament. For our purposes here, I’ll tell you that abide is translated: to dwell in, to live in, to take up residence in, to remain steadfast, to tarry, to continue to be present. Now lets plug that definition in the place of the word abide.
“If you abide [dwell in, live in, take up residence] in My word, you are truly My disciples.”
I guess the closest thing to a point of reference to this is our homes. We live in them. We have taken up residence in them. We abide in them. Dwell in them. Continue to be present in them. What does that look like? We are comfortable. We find safety there. It is our refuge. We sleep, eat and entertain there. We KNOW our home. So Jesus says we must do this with His word also. We need to go there, live there. It is to be our shelter, our refuge. We are to KNOW it. And we are to live it.
More next week when we look at knowing the truth and being set free by it.
Posted in Devotional
This is excellent, Felicia! Great job!
I love the Strong’s website referenced! I will use it often. Thanks!
Our homes are one of the few environments we can control–maybe not every single room (i.e., my teenage daughter’s, my husband’s office, etc.), but certainly we have a huge influence over the climate and comfort level in our place of residence. “Home is where the heart is” and that is so true because if our hearts are in Jesus, then our home will reflect that. Invite Him in–there are many ways to do it. Here are some examples: Illuminate your rooms with His light–maybe a prism in a window that casts rainbows in your room (see Genesis 9:17) Enjoy soft praise music in the background (this is especially useful during “stressful” times of the day when we need to renew our minds–for me between 4 and 6 PM)–see Romans 12:2 or listen to contemporary worship songs on your iPod when working out or doing housework. Make a fragrant offering in your home–maybe display an open alabaster jar with scented oil (John 12:3) or a scented candle (Yankee Candle has a good linen smelling one that I like because it reminds me of the curtains in the tabernacles-see Exodus 26 and the garments worn by the priests-see Leviticus 16). Sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit can be invoked through our senses and these are just a few ways we can surround our families and homes with Him. The Bible is full of examples (check out pomegrantes for your bedrooms!). Comfort and safety lend to a secure place for ourselves and our loved ones. The world is anything but that, so our home (both the one here and the one that He has prepared for us-John 14:2) provides a place of security that is grounded on the Truth. Abide, yes, yes, yes!
This is such fruit for life! THANK YOU–I absolutely LOVE this because it reminds me of my funeral song; you know the one already picked out so no one will do it for you? Mine is an old TRUTH song called “Where Your Glory Dwells”. It’s based on Psalm 27:4-6 and speaks of calling out to the Father asking to dwell/abide with Him forever–to eternally stand in awe of His beauty, surrounded by Him! It’s good to remember that His glory dwells in His living Word, too, and I can abide similarly in it here and now as a disciple of Christ! MMMMM-Thanks again! Good Word!