To Abide
1 John 4:12-16 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
I’m sure you have heard the saying, “Words are cheap.” You may not realize that this phrase is attributed to Charlie Chaplin. It means, of course, that it is our deeds that count.
Today’s scripture tells us we can know God’s love always abides in us if we abide in love. To me, love is not the key word here. Instead, the key word is abide.
- Relationship over Effort: Abiding is not a special level of Christian experience but the position of a believer who is “in Christ,” depending on Him for life and spiritual nourishment, similar to how a branch derives life from the vine.
- Remaining in His Word: To abide means allowing Jesus’ teachings to reside in you, guiding your actions, thoughts, and decisions.
- Loving Obedience: Jesus defines abiding as obeying His commandments and resting in His love.
- Continuous Communion: It is a lifestyle of walking with God daily, not a temporary, sporadic activity, emphasizing constant dependence rather than infrequent interaction. (Got questions)
May we depend, reside and abide daily in the Savior’s love, sharing His amazing capacity for love with others, then we will truly be walking not in words alone, but in deed.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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