One of my favorite books…
I have often thought this verse expresses the key to a happy, victorious life. Happy? Victorious? I’ll bet that neither are words that you would immediately associate with most of the professed Christians that you know. Therefore, my conclusion is that we Christians have not mastered the art of abiding. I’ve been a Christian for 44 years, but for the large majority of them I’ve been a Hopalong believer. I ran my own life and allowed Jesus to hop on board when I needed Him (crises, illness, loss, tragedy). Oh yeah, I’d give Him the perfunctory Thank You when things went well, too.
When I retired, I resolved to make my relationship with Jesus my top priority. That quickly led to the stunning realization that He is with me, present, every moment of my life (see earlier blog post: “I am with you always..” October 6, 2019). Becoming aware of His presence and responding to His presence is what abiding is all about.
That has been my goal, and I frequently avow that goal, but I cannot say I’ve attained that goal. Hardly. Is it even realistic to hope to abide in Him? I believe it is, but not in the way that I have expected—I am not moving up into some higher consciousness, like an enlightened spiritual being. Rather, He is drawing nearer to me, making it easier to call to mind, say a prayer, remember a verse, see the situation from a larger viewpoint—as though He is joining me in my life instead of trying to transport me to another.
And then comes the astonishing revelation: every time you listen and do what He wants, there is a positive effect (what He refers to as “bearing fruit”.) Maybe not always apparent at the moment, but always inevitable and usually evident in retrospect. “My yoke is easy…” Man, I have struggled with that verse most of my life! I think I get it—the yoke is trust–you have to trust Him more than yourself.
Do I have to know I am abiding in order to be abiding (abiding is an active verb)? Absolutely not. Do you have to spend every moment with your wife to know you are married? I accept that I am married and am grateful for it: I want to carry that awareness into every moment I am living. I believe that I am abiding: I want to carry that awareness into every moment I am living.
It is a slippery slope—if you think you’re abiding, you’re probably not. You’re like a water skier who thinks he doesn’t need the rope and so he lets go. You can’t will to abide and you can’t fake it. There are activities that nurture the sense of abiding, the awareness. Prayer, of course, and spiritual reading, and service. It is a wonder when you do something nice for someone and see the face of Jesus in the person’s response. However, you can’t pick your spots to abide. Paul says: “…whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus..” Breathing is probably a good place to start.
It is another one of God’s wonderful paradoxes: my number one goal for the rest of my days (abiding in Jesus) is something that is already true.
Ah, I see myself in the first parts of your writing! A hopalong Christian, I think most of us would fall into that category. Oddly, I, too, have been searching to be closer to Him. I want to bear good fruit! I want to be a light for Him. It is a struggle, though. My thoughts and actions are not always Christ-like; and, at times, I am fruitless. I think I have the occasional, tiny fruits that are ok. But I want to bear huge, beautiful, sweet ripe fruit. But what if I am nothing but a tiny, growing vine on the side? I will lean on Him and keep beating what fruit I can. He didn’t demand a harvest from me. Just a steady supply of good fruut. If I can do more, I pray He guides me to do so.