Be With Jesus:

Abide In Jesus

"Abide in me, and I in you..." - John 15:4a ESV

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." - Isah 26:3 NKJV

Abide In Jesus

A Letter of Encouragement for Disciples of Jesus

Dear friend and follower of Jesus,


You were not meant to strive your way into closeness with Christ—you were made to abide in Him. To stay. To remain. To dwell.

“Abide in me, and I in you... apart from me you can do nothing.” - Jesus, John 15:4–5

These are not the words of a demanding taskmaster. They are the tender invitation of a Savior who longs to be your life-source, your strength, your rest.


Andrew Murray says:

“Abiding in Him is not a work that we do—it is a rest that we enter.”

Abiding  is not the frantic reaching for God, but the quiet confidence that He has already reached for you—and still holds you. It is not striving. It is remaining—settling your soul into the reality that Christ is in you and you are in Him. It is trusting that His life flows into yours moment by moment, like sap through the vine.


Hudson Taylor learned:

“It is not by trusting my own faith, but by trusting His faithfulness that I live.”

Taylor, missionary to China, discovered that abiding is not about holding tightly to God, but about realizing He is holding tightly to you. Let go of trying to sustain your own spiritual life. Instead, let Christ sustain you. 


“The branch does not worry and toil and rush here to seek for sunshine and there to find rain. No; it rests in union and communion with the vine... Let us then enjoy the holy calm and joy that come from abiding in Christ.”

To abide is also to live in the truth that you are loved right now. Not once you get it all together. Not once you’ve achieved some imagined level of maturity. You are invited to stay with Jesus as you are—because He is transforming you from the inside out.


Dallas Willard reminds us:

“Grace is not opposed to effort, but it is opposed to earning.”

Abiding is not passive. It means actively turning your attention toward Jesus throughout your day. In every decision, every thought, every fear—look to Him. Speak to Him. Stay with Him.


“The first and most basic thing we can and must do is to keep God before our minds.”

To abide is to set the gaze of your heart on Jesus, again and again, throughout the ordinary hours of your day. It’s not about grand spiritual performance—it’s about staying connected to the Vine (John 15), letting His life flow into yours.

 

John Piper puts it this way:

“The branch does not produce fruit by being busy—it produces fruit by being connected to the Vine.”

Your fruitfulness doesn’t come from pressure—it comes from presence. Stay close. Linger. Make room. You don’t have to rush. Abiding allows the life of Christ to shape your words, your love, your work, your witness.


A.W. Tozer exhorts: 

“We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.” 

This is not a heavy yoke but a freeing one. As you learn to abide, you’ll find the world loses its grip, and Christ becomes your dwelling place, your rest, your joy, your power.


Dane Ortlund encourages:

“To abide in Christ is to collapse into His arms again and again.”

Don’t wait until you feel strong to abide. Come as you are. Weary, weak, distracted—He is not discouraged by your need. He is drawn to it. His heart is gentle, and His grace is sufficient.

He is not only the destination of your journey—He is the journey itself. And He is with you, even now.


So today...

Breathe deep.
Whisper His name.
Let His Word dwell in you richly.
Don’t rush out of His presence—stay.

Christ in you, the hope of glory.

You in Christ, forever held.

This is the secret. This is the way.

Abide in Him. 

Abide in Jesus Bible Verses