Jesus, in John 15, directed His true disciples in this way, “Abide in me, and I in you.” He went on to add, “I am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.“

The abiding life is the only life of a true disciple. There is no other option for living in Christ, living as His true follower. Abiding in Christ is the co-mingling of the lives of Christ Jesus and His true disciple. It is an intimate, conversational communion that has all the elements of a true, deep intimate companionship. Love. Trust. Submission. Surrender in all things. Deep dependence. Conversational communion.

Such intimate abiding is built upon a change in our thinking, an adoption of new operative attitudes that govern daily living. Love for our God above self and all other loves. An active faith expressed in deep trust in Him for every detail of life. A deep humility that produces daily submission, surrender, consecration (holiness), and dependence.

If these operative attitudes are present in us, they will be expressed in deliberate actions. Deliberate devotion to Christ throughout every day. Deliberate consecrating of self and all aspects of living to Him. Deliberate imitation of Christ, empowered by His life and not one’s efforts in the flesh, and made visible in obedience and total dependence on Christ.

In fact, all true devotion, consecration, and imitation has its source and sustenance in Christ, not in us. We get to these by humility, submission and surrender to Him every day. We get there not by trying harder, but by dying harder.

The presence or absence of these deliberate actions will expose the nature of our attitudes. If the actions are present in us and growing by the grace brought to us in the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the attitudes are truly operative in us by that same Spirit. If the actions are not present and growing, these attitudes are not what we think they are; they are merely opinions. Opinions never lead to abiding. Only full commitment and consecration can do that. Apart from abiding in Christ, the life of Christ living in and through us by His indwelling Spirit, we can do nothing.

Image via author, Pyramid Lake, Selkirk Range, Idaho