“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me.” -John 15:4
Have you ever been so engrossed in something that you can zone out everything around you? It could be a good book, your job, a hobby. Something where the hours just pass by because you’re so deeply involved in what’s going on in front of you. You’re invested in what you’re doing, you’ve become intertwined with it.
What about plants or trees? We had to dig up a tree at our home once. We cut down all the branches down to the stump and then had to begin to dig and dig to get down to the roots to be able to pull the stump out. Once the stump was loose enough my husband hooked a tow strap to it and attached that to the tractor. With lots of pushing and pulling we were finally able to pull the entire stump out, roots and all, but it left behind a big hole in the ground. How about the flowers we plant? In order to have good blossoms the roots need to be planted deep in the ground.
One way we can abide in Jesus is to become deeply rooted in His love. Like we get engrossed in books and hobbies we need to long to be connected to God, enough so that when the world is crazy around us, we don’t see it because we are focused on Jesus. The Bible tells us that when we abide in Jesus, we can become deeply rooted in Him and like those big trees or beautiful flowers we will grow, and God’s love will show through us.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”
Our hearts are the center of our life, it keeps us alive, controls our feelings, and is our very soul. When God breathed life into Adam it began at the heart. We can hurt with our heart and act on instinct with our heart good or bad, but most importantly we love with our heart. God is love and gave us part of Himself in our creation, which is to love like He loves.
With our hearts at the center of who we are, wouldn’t it make sense that the best way to abide in Jesus is to incline our hearts toward what God has to say in scripture. God spoke through each writer in the Bible helping them put to words what He wanted each of us to hear. Each story, each parable, each promise was given to us to learn, to grow and to become more like Jesus.
The more we hide God’s Word in our hearts the more we can overcome the sins and temptations the devil throws at us and the more we learn to fully trust and rely on God. If we commit God’s Word to our hearts like we commit our love to our families and friends, then we can say we are abiding in Jesus.
I found this acronym for the word abide that we can apply to our lives with God, especially when in prayer with Him.
A- Ask for guidance for love. For your faith to be made perfect. - Ephesians 1:4
B- Believe He will answer you, that He is there for you, that He loves you. - Isaiah 41:10
I- Invest more time in reading God's word and meditating on it. - Psalm 1:2
D- Direct your attention to Him whenever you feel confused or afraid. - Psalm 34:4–5
E- Enjoy Him in the beauty around you, in music, and loving others. - Psalm 37:4
Let's look at the last couple benefits we can get when we take time to read God's Word as we continue our study through 1 Timothy. The Bible becomes something you crave:
The more you read God’s Word, the more you truly recognize you need to read it. It’s not just a good book to read—but you really crave it—and you really miss it when you don’t read.
The funny thing is, you start to notice too how reading the Word impacts your day and your relationships. The craving, the peace, and the patience are all benefits to reading the bible.
You start to know your faith and live your faith: Instead of just remembering bible stories or things that others have said, the Word really starts to come alive for you. It starts to transform your thoughts and guide your steps for everyday living. Secondly, your faith is something that you know and live. You know the truth because it’s guided by God’s Word. It’s not based on what others say or what the newest Christian author claims in their best selling book. God’s Word is living and active, sharper than a double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). This also emphasizes the importance of reading the Bible—so that you really know Truth. And this is something we all need especially these days because it is so hard to discern whether someone is being truthful or not with us.
So let's continue our study as we read 1 Timothy 1:18-2:15
Study 3- 1 Timothy 1:18-2:15- https://www.docdroid.net/aiBB7ho/study-3-docx
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