I like the word ‘abide’. In this verse it has a very peaceful meaning attached to it because it refers to remaining with Jesus and stopping everything else just to be with Him for a while. We all get so busy in this post-covid age and overload our schedules that we often miss out on our sleep and constantly wake up tired. Our hyper-activity is relentless at times and the pressure to accomplish six impossible things before breakfast is causing us a lot of stress. We all have hopes and dreams, ambitions and goals that we want to pursue but if we get obsessed by them, we’ll end up being possessed by them, and this is not what God wants for our lives.
To abide in Jesus is to let go of everything that drives us and let Him lead us. It means stepping back from who we think we need to be, to become what God wants us to be. In the end, whatever we accomplish, build, or achieve will mean nothing in eternity, but the fruit of faith that we bear by abiding with Christ – that will delight God and bring us everlasting joy. This is what Jesus means when He says that ‘apart from me you can do nothing.’
Today is Sunday. God set it apart so that we can abide with Him and His Son. It’s not just a sacred day with religious obligations, it’s also a trysting place, a thin space when everything in heaven and on earth is meant to stop and abide in God’s presence. It’s a day to step back from the busyness of life and let God embrace us peacefully and lovingly, in order to reset our lives and recharge our spirits.
Point to ponder: Am I willing to abide in Christ today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
help us to let go of our relentless activities and driven ambitions in order to
experience a sacred piece of eternity in our finite world. Allow us to abide in
and with you, so that we may renew our faith and reconnect our souls with God.
In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a
retired Scottish presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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