Abide

A friend of mine recently asked me, “Do you think there’s a difference between a daily quiet time and abiding in Christ?” I thought about that question for a minute and realized that I do think there’s a difference between the two. 

Here’s what I mean: we use that language, “a daily quiet time,” to refer to specific amounts of time that we set aside to be with Jesus. We usually read the Bible and spend time in prayer in those moments. 

While I think that’s great and I would encourage that for any follower of Jesus, I think it’s separate from the invitation that Jesus gives to us in John chapter 15: “I am the vine, you are the branches…learn to abide in me that you may bear much fruit.” I think that is the invitation to cultivate an all-of-life-with-God kind of way of living. 

In fact, the word “abide” could also be translated, “to continue to exist.” It’s not something that we check off of our to-do list, but instead, it’s something that calls us to pay attention to God all day, and to what he’s doing in our lives. 

Then we learn to rely upon him as the source in all the things that we do. This is the invitation for you and I to learn to abide with Jesus.