Abiding in the Word

 We don't use the word "abide" very often these days. We basically know what it means, but I am not sure we think of the full meaning when we read it in the New Testament. The word is rich in meaning. It means "to live" somewhere, but it also means to "remain." It is not just talking about the city where we live or the house in which we live. It is talking about where we spend our time. That is where we abide.

That is why what Jesus told the Jews who believed in Him was so important for them and for us today. (John 8:31) He told them, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed." Notice Jesus said "if." I don't think Jesus was assured that all of them had really put their faith in Him, even though they said they believed. I think He was giving them a way to know if they had really become a true disciple of Jesus or not. Let's consider this for our lives today.

One of the ways that we know we have really been saved is that we love the Word of God, and we spend time in His Word out of love for Jesus. A true believer doesn't have to be told to read the Bible. Once we know Jesus we want to abide in His Word. I know we can get away from the Lord, and our love might diminish for a while, but a child of God will come back to the Lord and to His Word at some point.

The other aspect of this verse is that a true disciple of Jesus is one who will live out the Word of God It will not just be something in our heads that we know. It will be what we live by every day. It will be what we spend our time on all of the time. A disciple is a learner, a follower, a person who wants to be like his or her teacher. Therefore, a disciple of Jesus will learn and live out His Word more and more the longer we live.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read John 10-12.