Abiding NOT Striving

While following Jesus and abiding in Him go together, they are not the same thing. Following focuses on action, like obedience and service. Abiding emphasizes resting, remaining, living within. As we grow in Christ, we begin by following Him, just like His disciples. But as His ministry on earth began to draw to an end, He asked them to abide in Him like a branch abides in a vine. He asks us to do the same. The way we train children in the lessons of right and wrong, following Christ teaches us the basics of how we function in our Christian walk. But at some point we must move from milk to meat. We must allow obedience to flow from something rather than depend on it to get us to something.