Jesus says in John 15:5, "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."
What does it mean to abide in Christ, and what does it bring into our lives?
If you ask a Christian what his highest calling in life is, he will probably talk about his profession, family, ministry or gifts and skills. While these are all great things, the main reason for our existence is not simply to pursue life but to pursue all that life has to offer with Christ. To pursue profession, family, ministry and calling apart from Jesus will not only be hard but even most likely less fulfilling.
In all things, Jesus calls us to abide in Him and to walk in Him through everything. Colossians 2:6 tells us, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him."
What does "abiding in Christ" really mean? To understand more what it means, we must know what it doesn't mean.
It doesn't mean you won't have problems
Many times in the Bible, God makes it clear that Christianity is not a storm-repellent. In John 16:33, Jesus says, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
Sure our lives may bring bumps and bruises, but we know that in Jesus, we can weather every storm.
It doesn't mean you will be perfect
You walk in Christ and submit your life to Him, but still every so often you fall back in some sort of sin and you wonder whether you're really abiding in Christ. While it may take a while to address certain sin issues, know that when you truly put your faith in God's grace for the redemption of your spirit, Jesus is with you, will cleanse you, will lead you to live more and more like Him every day.
It doesn't mean that you won't doubt
So many Christians believe that because we're now under God's grace, we all of a sudden have hyper faith that's bigger than a mustard seed.
But truth is, no matter how long you have been in the faith, chances are there will be moments where you will doubt. However, that doesn't mean that you aren't in Christ.
But as we continue to walk with Jesus, He will gradually address areas where we doubt so that we will stop worrying about the same things over and over as we allow Him to work in our hearts.
