What Does It Really Mean to Abide in Christ?

I really thought I had a green thumb. My indoor plants thrived during the winter this past year. I found myself repopulating several different plants – even giving away two large pots as gifts. My watering, tending, and caring for the plants was something I started to really enjoy. I even started talking to them. 

So when spring rolled around I told my husband I wanted to grow a garden. We started with seeds, and then bought some raised beds to keep the dog out of the dirt. I spent several weeks attending to the little tiny plants before putting them into the soil outside. Because of my excitement, I probably put them in the ground too early. It was late April and early May when I spent a warm day transferring the seedlings into the raised beds. 

The very next week we had a cold front move through and frost warnings made me panic. I covered my plants with sheets and prayed they would survive! It is now June and I’m not sure if all of them will live. My green beans and squash seem to be doing ok and my broccoli might pull through. But oh, my tomato plants! They are on the struggle bus. The summer heat is in full effect and I’m wondering if I will get any fruit after all of my work. 

Instead of just letting my plants grow, I find myself working hard, worrying, and wondering what will happen to them. Sometimes I approach faith the same way. For many years, in fact, I felt that my faith would grow with working harder. Not until the Lord forced my life to slow down did I realize that growth actually happens in abiding not striving. 

Summertime is my time to go at a slower pace. School is out. We get to sleep in and relax. I’ve really tried to protect my children’s summers with less activities and more free time. For me, I  crave a slower pace. Not necessarily less busy—but deeper. I find myself wanting less rushing and more rootedness. Less noise and more peace. Yet even in my relationship with God, I often slip into striving instead of simply remaining with Him.

That’s why I keep returning to Jesus’ words in John 15:

“Abide in me, and I in you…” (John 15:4)

What Does “Abide” Mean?

^“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4–5

Jesus is talking here in the Gospel of John. He is speaking to those who love Him and desire to follow Him. The word Jesus uses to describe the Christian life is abide. Abide means to remain steady, stay connected, to dwell with or continue. The image we find here is one of rest, not hurry. Imagine a visit with God that involves sitting down, and just chatting. This is not performance-based Christianity. Jesus uses relationship language. 

Jesus does not say, “Achieve for Me.” He says, “Remain in Me.”

“To abide in Him is not a work that we have to do as a condition for enjoying His salvation, but simply the consenting to let Him do all for us.” — Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ

Many Christians live exhausted because we think spiritual growth depends entirely on our effort instead of our connection to Christ. 

Abiding Is Often Quiet and Ordinary

Not a lot of Christians talk about the idea of abiding and what it means practically speaking because, let’s be honest, abiding is boring. Abiding means small moments, ordinary routines, and hard work. Yes, abiding is about discipline. Don’t get me wrong, striving and discipline goes together, but abiding requires a different type of discipline. It means we return after being distracted. We let go of performance and embrace connection. 

Abiding can look like opening Scripture in the morning, even though we might be half asleep. It might mean whispering prayers in the middle of the night, even though it feels like we are talking to the ceiling. In the midst of motherhood, a change of summer schedules, and ordinary life we find God there. Abiding is training our minds to return to God over and over again. In prayer. In Bible memorization. Abiding is less about intensity and more about nearness. 

No one sees abiding and this is why people hesitate to talk about it. Abiding looks different for different people and changes with seasons. As a young mom my abiding was different than it is now as a mom of teenagers. Being close to God will look different for those who work outside the home or are retired or widowed. Jesus didn’t call just one type of disciple to this life of abiding – He called all us. As we dive into this summer series, I want to encourage you to remember that abiding is not a set routine but a mindset. 

The Fruit Comes Later

I’ve been thinking and reading and studying the idea of abiding for most of my adult life. I read Andrew Murray’s book, Abiding in Christ, almost twenty years ago. Growing our faith is a slow process and discouragement seems to keep showing up for me. Often I look at my life, especially my mistakes, and think maybe I should be farther along. But that is the beauty and comfort of abiding. 

Roots grow before the fruit appears. We often don’t see how God is shaping us, especially in “dark seasons” of our lives. But just because we can’t see the growth doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Friend, God is working – maybe slowly – but He is working faithfully too!  Some seasons feel fruitful. Others feel hidden. But remaining with Jesus is never wasted.

Psalm 1 talks about this as the author reminds us of this. He is describing the man who delights himself in God’s Word. That man will be “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)
Notice that this tree will be watered constantly – by streams of water. Steady nourishment of God’s Word keeps us healthy and growing. The most encouraging part of this verse is the promise of fruit “in season.” Not all of the time – but fruit will come! 

On the podcast, you can find a mediation of Psalm 1 and the image of a rooted, flourishing tree planted beside living water. Take a listen here. 

Jesus is not asking us to manufacture fruit on our own. He is inviting us to stay close to Him.

Maybe this summer doesn’t need to become another season of striving harder spiritually. Maybe it can simply become a season of staying near Jesus.

A Prayer for Abiding with Jesus

Lord,
Teach me to remain close to You. When I am impatient with my growth or discouraged by what I cannot yet see, remind me that fruit grows slowly in the hands of a faithful Gardener. Help me not to strive for perfection, but to stay connected to You day by day.

Grow in me what only You can produce—peace, gentleness, love, patience, and steady faith. When seasons feel hidden or quiet, help me trust that You are still working beneath the surface. Root my heart deeply in Your presence so that my life may bear fruit in Your timing, not my own.

Thank You for never rushing me, never abandoning me, and never growing weary of drawing me close again. Keep me abiding in You this summer, one ordinary day at a time.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.