abide Archives - Sharla Fritz

What does abiding in Christ mean? First, it means connecting. Second, it means keeping. Third, it means remaining.

When my husband graduated from seminary, his first call as a pastor was to a church in Missoula, Montana. He had asked for placement in the northeastern part of the United States. So naturally, the powers that be thought Montana would be perfect.

When we first arrived in the city, we immediately wanted to leave. We knew no one. Our family was all in the Midwest or the Northeast. We were lonely and disillusioned. But God asked us to stay–to remain.

This word–remain–helps me understand the concept of abiding in Christ. Lately, I’ve been studying the word abide: What does it mean to abide? What does abiding look like in real life? How can abiding change me?

One of the English meanings of the word abide is “to dwell or reside” as in “I abide in a quaint but remote mountain village.” When you abide somewhere you live there. You stay there. You remain there.

To abide is to remain.

South African pastor Andrew Murray wrote:

It is faith in what Christ is, more than anything else, that will keep you abiding in Him…there is nothing wanting but just my consent to be what He has made me, to remain where He has placed me. I am in Christ.

To remain is to accept who I am in Christ–to not try to be something I’m not.

To remain is to be content where I am–to not fight the place or position God has placed me in.

To remain is to trust God’s goodness, His timing, and His plans for my life.

3 WaysAbiding in ChristCan Change Your LifeRemaining

Remaining sounds easy. And it is–if you like where you are.

But when the place God has placed you is filled with difficulty–you simply want to move on.

When we first moved to Missoula, Montana we wanted to leave. We did not want to stay. The heartache of loneliness made us want to move on.

But eventually, we grew to love Missoula. Its setting in the Rocky Mountains is stunning. The people of our church were welcoming. The ministry was rewarding.

Remaining was not easy, but in the end, it was worth it.

As I continue to study what it means to abide in Christ, I am learning that it means to remain where He has placed me. To accept His plan for my life.

This changes my life. If I make the decision to abide, I don’t spend my energy trying to move ahead of God’s will. I don’t constantly struggle against my place or position in life. Instead, I focus on what God wants me to do where I am right now. I remain in His love, drawing on His strength to produce fruit where He has placed me.

To abide is to remain.

Next step: Is remaining easy or difficult for you right now? Ask the Father to give you the strength to remain and produce fruit where you are–whatever your place or station in life.

I have three grandsons. They are all born to the same parents and they all live in the same household. Yet they each have a distinct personality.

One of the ways they differ is in their “cuddle factor.” One grandson prefers to be loved from afar. You need to grab a hug and then let him go. Even as a toddler, he would often try to wriggle from my grasp. Another grandson loves to be held. He is generous with hugs and loves to snuggle during storybook time. The third grandson is somewhere in the middle. He will tolerate hugs, but not too many.

In my own spiritual life, I sometimes act like each of these grandsons. Let me explain.

During my study of the word “abide” I began with John 15:5:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I learned that the Greek word translated abide in that verse is the word meno. I was surprised that one of the meanings of meno is “to be held, kept, continually.”

In my previous blog post on abiding, I talked about how my focus has often been on producing fruit instead of abiding. I have concentrated on doing “important” things for God, instead of staying connected to Christ.

But the meaning of the Greek word for abide informs me that not only can I not produce fruit on my own, I cannot even abide in my own strength. To abide is not to hang on tight, but “to be held.” To abide is not continually keep my grip on Christ, but “to be kept.”

What’s the difference?

I am not the one doing the holding or the keeping. Jesus is.

South African pastor Andrew Murray puts it this way in his book Abiding in Christ:

The soul has but to yield itself to Him, to be still and rest in the confidence that His love has undertaken and that His faithfulness will perform the work of keeping it safe in the shelter of His bosom.

and

Abiding in Jesus is nothing but the giving up of oneself to be ruled and taught and led, and so resting in the arms of Everlasting Love.

I have to admit that I am often not very good at this abiding thing. I am often much more like the grandson who resists being held. It seems too passive–too static. Give me a four-point plan and I’m ready to take action. But to sit still and listen to the Lord? To admit I can’t do it by myself? That’s hard to embrace. (Pun intended.)

I’m asking God to help me be more like the grandson that loves to be held. To teach me to rest in His love. To give me the strength to give myself up to “be ruled and taught and led.”

Abiding is keeping. But it is not my keeping. It is God’s keeping, protecting, and holding my soul. My job is to not wriggle away from His grasp. To not resist His hold on my life.

Next step: Write a prayer thanking God for His strong and loving hold on your life. Ask Him to teach you to abide in that love and to not wriggle away from His grasp.

Check out my other posts on abiding in Christ: Connecting and Remaining.

3 Ways Abiding in Christ Can Change Your Life: Remaining

3 Ways Abiding in Christ Can Change You: Keeping