John 15:3-4 (NKJV) – You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Jude 1:21 (NKJV) – keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Christ told us to abide in Him. He shared this with us out of His love for us. The fact that He Himself mentioned it means it is something he desperately wanted to make sure we know. Abide means “accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation)”. Synonyms are, “comply with, obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, stand by, act in accordance with”.
Knowing what the word means, we can understand the reason we have to abide is because the work Christ Jesus did for you through His death, burial and resurrection is not just a one-off reality. It is a continuous reality and He did what He did so that we would live a life that shows that we are one with Him in action and mind.
Hebrews 10:14 (NKJV) – For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
By His offering on the cross, He has made available everything needed for your sanctification. At the same time, the reality remains that you are still being sanctified daily because you live in an evil world and are bombarded daily with thoughts and suggestions intended by Satan to influence you out of that place of abiding. Because of these continuous attempts by Satan to undermine your sanctification, the Father has placed us in a continual state of being set apart as He consistently washes us of the filth Satan and the world try to throw on us.
PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the need for me to abide in you, so I can remain sanctified in this evil world. Help me to rely on your grace constantly in Jesus name. Amen.