Abide in Christ: The Power of Waiting and Remaining

As a believer, it's essential to abide in Christ and make yourself available throughout the process of attaining excellence. Jesus said in John 15:4, "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." This means that to be productive, you must make yourself available throughout the process.

Abiding requires concentration and patience. James 1:4 says, "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." You may start noble causes, but if you don't let patience have its perfect work, you'll fall short of perfection.

The Greek word for abide as used in John 15:4 is "meno", which has two meanings: to wait and to remain. To wait is descriptive of someone in motion who is asked to wait, while to remain is descriptive of someone who is already waiting but asked to stay back. Remaining, as captured by "meno" in Greek, happens in three senses: in reference to a place, in reference to time, and in reference to condition.

To remain in reference to a place, you need to be where God wants you to be, no matter what plans you have for yourself. Proverbs 4:26-27 says, "Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil." Please you pray for yourself right now, that your feet are established in every designated place of empowerment God has assigned for you in Jesus' name.

To remain in reference to time, you must wait patiently for God's timing. Saul waited for seven days as instructed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:8), but when he didn't come, Saul took matters into his own hands and offered a burnt offering. Samuel showed up just as Saul finished, and he rebuked him for his impatience (1 Samuel 13:8-11). Don't let forces prevent you from waiting long enough in any area of your life. Pray that you refuse to be misled by pressure in Jesus' name.

Remaining in reference to condition encapsulates your attitudes and character. Matthew 5:13 says "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men". Are there people who by their actions have made you change from the nice person God made you? This is the time to revert to the status quo. Your value on earth is permanently tied to being who God has ordained you to be. Do not let anyone force you to change your condition.

In conclusion, abiding in Christ requires waiting and remaining in the right place, at the right time, and in the right condition. Declare today that you receive the grace to abide long enough to discover what others could not in Jesus' name. Make yourself available throughout the process, concentrate, and let patience have its perfect work in your life. And in the end, you shall be perfect, lacking nothing in Jesus' name!

Feel free to join me on today's edition of Igniting Your Day.