Abiding in God’s Love
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1Peter 1:23
You have been born anew, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
John 15:9
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.
1John 2:27
but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in him.
1John 3:24
All who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he has given us.
1John 4:13
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his own Spirit.
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines abide as:
to stand fast; remain; go on being; to stay or reside (in or at); and abiding as:
continuing without change; enduring; lasting.Abide. That word has knocked around my head during the last 24 hours. Abide. I think even the word itself is comforting. But it is more comforting still, and reason to rejoice, that Christ invites us to abide with Him. And that He has given us testimony that when we choose to abide in Him and in His word, the world cannot harm us, it cannot turn us away from the truth, it cannot destroy our will. Because when we abide in Christ, we are enfolding ourselves in His saving grace and power. We are hiding ourselves away from sin and worldly cares and influences.
When we abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit blankets us with supernatural protection. John 15:9 quotes Jesus’ invitation, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.” And abiding in His love is often the only way we can defeat our own demons, our own struggles, our own faltering faith. God’s word is unchanging. We can stand fast in His promises. We can endure anything because of what Christ endured on our behalf.
Abide in Him. He has given of us his own Spirit.
I hope your day is spent abiding in the Father’s love, made visible and perfect in Jesus Christ.
Mary
