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And now, little
children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his
coming.- 1 John 2:28
The Bible speaks a lot
about dwelling and/or abiding in the Lord. In our text
above, it says that if we abide in Him we will not be
ashamed at his coming. To abide means to rest, or dwell. To
continue permanently or in the same state; to be firm and
immovable. To remain, to continue. To dwell means to abide
as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live
in a place; to have a habitation for some time or
permanence. So, to dwell and abide in the Lord is to rest in
Him, continue in Him and live in Him. How do you abide in
the Lord, well, through His Word. Look at I John 3:24,
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in
him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in
us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. And John
15:7 & 10, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you....If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my
love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and
abide in his love. The Word of God plays a big role
in our abiding in the Lord; if we do not strive to obey
God's Word, there is no way that we can abide in Him.
Another verse to go along with that is I John 2:6,
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to
walk, even as he walked.
Now, let's look at some
benefits of abiding in the Lord ( I am sure that this will
not be a definitive list). There is safety in dwelling in
the Lord; Psalms 91:1, He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow
of the Almighty. If you read all of Psalms 91, you
will see the refuge, the safety, the delieverance that the
Lord gives to those who abide in Him. 2. You will bear
fruit; John 15:4 & 5, Abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in
the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye
can do nothing. 3. If you abide in Him, you will
not dwell in sin; look at I John 3:6, Whosoever
abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen
him, neither known him. 4. You will know that you
are saved. Look at II John 1:9, Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,
hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son. And lastly, you
will not have to be ashamed when you stand before Him at
his coming as we mentioned at the beginning. Are you abiding
in Him?
Until next time, may the
Lord bless you richly.
Sis. Tanya
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