“And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)
What does it mean to “abide” in Him? It’s the Greek word “meno,” which means “to remain or to stay.” In the New Testament this word is used 60 times with a strong emphasis in the book of John. Why such a strong message to abide in Him? Because the human heart is “prone to wander,” just as the old hymn says.
In our day, the humanistic message is one of independent ambition, Do it yourself! Let nothing stand in your way… persevere, achieve, conquer… then take all the glory. This mindset excludes God and exalts self. Ambition is good, but outside of God it promotes pride.
When Eve was tempted in the garden, the two great lies were this: that God lied to her, and that she could successfully do life without Him. These lies still grip our world. What makes this scenario even more difficult, is that we see Christians living and acting in this same way; not walking in the counsel of God.
To abide in Him is to “ask, seek, and knock,” with every step of our lives. “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7, 8)
May we always seek Him and abide in Him. He is the Pilot and we are the passenger, not the other way around. He is trustworthy; He knows what is best for us and He knows the way. Abide.
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