More Than Staying Close
Jesus never called us to simply believe in Him from a distance. He invited us into something much deeper. He invited us into a relationship where we learn to depend on Him every day. Instead of trying to live the Christian life in our own strength, we look to Jesus for the wisdom, strength, and grace we need. We begin to live from His life, receiving from Him everything we need to become the men and women God created us to be.
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gave His disciples a picture of what their relationship with Him was meant to look like. In John 15:1 (NLT), He said, “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.” A few verses later, in John 15:5 (NLT), He explained, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.” One thing is for sure, the disciples understood vineyards, because vineyards were a part of everyday life in Israel. They had seen grapevines growing along hillsides and knew that a branch had no life of its own. If it remained on the vine, it flourished. If it was cut off, it withered and died. So they immediately understood the illustration that Jesus gave.
Everything a branch needs to live, grow, and bear fruit comes from the vine. This is why these verses are so on point. Jesus used this picture to reveal a spiritual truth. Just as the branch depends completely on the vine for life, we depend completely on Him. He is our Source, and apart from Him, we can’t produce the kind of life or fruit that God desires. As we abide in Christ, we receive from Him the strength, wisdom, grace, and power to become the men and women God created us to be.
The Christian life was never meant to be lived through our own strength, determination, or effort. From the very beginning, God’s desire has been that we would live in continual fellowship with His Son, receiving from Him everything we need to grow, persevere, and become more like Him. This is what Jesus meant when He invited us to abide in Him.
Abiding Begins With Relationship
When Jesus tells us to abide in Him, He’s not adding a spiritual task on our to-do list. He’s inviting us into a relationship where we learn to depend on Him more and more each day. That’s not about trying harder to become a better Christian, but a lot of us think that way.
Many of us have spent years believing that spiritual growth depends mostly on our effort. If we pray more, read more, serve more, or try harder to obey, then we’ll become the people God wants us to be. Those things are important, but they aren’t the source of our spiritual life. Jesus Christ is.
A branch doesn’t produce fruit because it tries harder. It produces fruit because it’s connected to the vine. Everything it needs to live and grow flows from its source. Jesus was helping His disciples understand that this is true of us as well. We don’t become spiritually mature by relying on our own strength or determination. As we remain in Him, His life continues working in us, producing the kind of fruit that only He can produce.
What Happens When We Abide?
Jesus didn’t tell us to abide in Him simply so we could feel closer to Him. He told us to abide because that’s how we grow. As we remain in Him, He changes us. He renews the way we think, strengthens our faith, shapes our character, and teaches us how to live in a way that honors God. Little by little, the life of Christ becomes more evident in us.
Many of us have spent time trying to become more patient, more loving, or more forgiving through sheer determination. We promise ourselves we’ll do better, only to find ourselves falling into the same attitudes and struggles again. That’s because spiritual fruit isn’t something we can manufacture. It’s the result of remaining in Jesus Christ and depending on Him. As His life continues working in us, He produces the fruit that we could never produce on our own.
Jesus said:
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me… Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5, NLT)
Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Try harder.” He said, “Remain.”
As we spend time with Him, trust Him, obey His Word, and depend on Him each day, the Holy Spirit begins changing us from the inside out. Little by little, we become more like Christ. Love begins to replace bitterness. Peace begins to replace anxiety. Patience begins to replace frustration. These aren’t changes we force. They’re evidence that God is at work within us.
This is exactly what Paul was talking about when he described the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT): “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”Top of Form
Fruit grows because a tree is healthy, not because it strains to produce it. In the same way, spiritual fruit grows as we remain in Christ.
And Philippians 2:13 (NLT) reminds us exactly where this change comes from: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
This is an incredible promise. God isn’t standing at a distance telling us to do better. He’s working in us. He’s changing our hearts, shaping our desires, and giving us the strength to obey Him. That’s why the Christian life isn’t about trying harder. It’s about abiding in Christ and allowing Him to do in us what we could never do on our own.
What Keeps Us From Abiding?
In John 15:5 (NLT), Jesus made it clear that our strength comes from remaining in Him. He said, “For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Yet, one of the greatest struggles we face as believers is learning to truly depend on Him.
Self-reliance can pull us away from abiding in Christ. We begin trying to handle life in our own strength, trusting our own wisdom, and believing we can figure things out without seeking God. But we were never created to live independently of our Creator.
Distractions can also keep us from abiding in Jesus Christ the way we should. The demands of life, responsibilities, and constant noise can slowly take our focus away from the One who gives us strength.
Fear can cause us to hold tightly to control instead of surrendering our lives to God. Instead of trusting Him with our circumstances, we often find ourselves carrying burdens He never intended for us to carry.
Abiding in Christ requires us to recognize our need for Him every day. It is a daily choice to surrender our own strength and receive from the One who gives us everything we need to live and grow.
What Does Abiding Look Like Every Day?
Many people hear the word abide and assume it means spending more time praying or reading their Bible. While those things are certainly important, abiding is much more than practicing spiritual disciplines. It’s learning to live each day with the awareness that Jesus Christ is our Source. We don’t simply come to Him when we need help. We learn to depend on Him in every area of our lives.
Abiding changes the way we face each day. Instead of relying on our own understanding, we seek His wisdom. Instead of trying to overcome temptation through willpower alone, we depend on His strength. Instead of allowing fear, anxiety, or discouragement to control us, we bring those things to Him and trust Him to lead us. Little by little, we begin responding to life differently because we’re no longer depending only on ourselves.
Jesus also said, “But if you remain in me and my words remain in you…” (John 15:7, NLT). As we spend time in God’s Word, the Holy Spirit renews our thinking, reminds us of God’s truth, and helps us see life from His perspective. We begin recognizing His voice more clearly and become more sensitive to His leading.
Abiding isn’t about living a perfect Christian life. There will be days when we struggle, days when we become distracted, and days when we fail. But abiding means we don’t stay there. We continue returning to Jesus Christ, trusting Him to strengthen us, teach us, and continue the work He began in us. Over time, we discover that spiritual growth isn’t something we achieve by our own effort. It’s the natural result of a life that remains in Him.
Living From the Life of Christ Within You
Jesus did not save us so we could spend the rest of our lives trying to follow Him in our own strength. He did not call us into a life of striving, where we constantly try to do more and be better through our own effort.
He saved us so we could live with Him, through Him, and from Him.
The same Jesus who called us to follow Him is the One who gives us the strength to follow Him. As we abide in Christ, we learn that our growth does not come from our ability to produce change in ourselves. It comes from remaining in the One who has the power to transform us.
Abiding is not about doing more for God. It is about allowing the life of Christ within you to shape every part of who you are—your thoughts, your choices, your words, and the way you live.
As you continue growing in your relationship with Jesus Christ, remember that He never asks you to live the Christian life apart from Him. The One who called you is the One who will continue to lead you, strengthen you, and transform you as you remain in Him. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Abiding in Christ”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times and KLizzie, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring Christian Women to live boldly through God’s Word.
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