John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?

When it comes to making a battle plan toward abiding in the Lord, we have to ask what it means even to abide. It is easy to talk around abiding in the Lord but it becomes more difficult to ascertain what that really means.

Abiding means to dwell. We are to dwell in the vine and dwell in His word. Another sense of the word can be described as belonging. He is the source of my strength and my being. Like a puzzle piece belongs in the puzzle to make the full picture, so I belong in the Lord. There is a verse I tend to think about when I think of the practical side of abiding.

    5      Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
    And lean not on your own understanding;
    6      In all your ways acknowledge Him,
    And He shall direct your paths.
-Proverbs 3:5-6

We are to bring all of our ways before the Lord and surrender them. We must not simply do what we believe is right, but what He says is right. We acknowledge Him in all of our ways. But even more than that, we need to see that He is our spiritual sustenance. Our lives are lived in light of the cross. We are cleansed, sanctified, and pure in His sight. We are to live our lives out of what Jesus has done. We are not defined by ourselves, but by Him.

So where does this place me as far as application goes? Consistency in the word and in intimate time of prayer is key. I receive from the Word that form of nutrient that sustains me and I dwell in that place of prayer where I bring all of my ways before Him and submit them to Him. I listen for the voice of the Lord and let the vinedresser prune me and water me. I entrust myself to the Lord.

What application are you implementing?