REMAIN IN ME - PART 1

FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2023

I am introducing a new topic known as "Remain in me." To remain in someone or something means to continue to exist in that person or thing, especially, if you belong to that person or thing. And when you belong to somebody or somewhere, you constantly identify with them. This identification is experienced in manifold ways.

So in this present world, we must be actively conscious of who we belong to, where we belong, and how we sustain the aura of the place we belong - with our sense of belongingness. This is because the awareness of this truth greatly influences how we experience and understand ourselves, and equally shapes our spiritual experiences in life, which entail the way we approach and handle life's eventualities, as well as, how we function within the world around us.

Reference: John 15:7 New Living Translation (NLT) "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted."

Christ is a realm, a place and a firm foundation. His communication, on account of the above versified statement, is such a useful insight. And His readiness to comprehensively utter this instructive cognizance is indicative of His desire for us to experience the best in our ever-growing "intimate" relationship with the Godhead.

Therefore, to expound our referenced Scripture with sufficient clarity, I will divide the versified statement into three segments, namely,

1. If you remain in me, 2. And my words remain in you, 3. You may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.

Beloved, "if you remain in Christ and His words remain in you", that is, if you are vitally and practically united with Him and His message fills and lives in your heart, this is your gain: Ask whatever you wish or want, and it will be granted or done for you. Why? It's because your harmonious bonding with Christ has a profitable reward. This also denotes that the mystery of divine essence and the ministry of the Word are at the heart of our effective existence in Christ.

Being found in Christ and being full of His Word in our hearts, are a vital truth that determines the level of stability we experience in our faith walk. Also note the conjunction, "If". As a conjunction, "If" often introduces a condition clause, and in this case, it suggests that "on the condition that", or, "if and only if", or "as long as" we remain in Christ, which denotes steadiness and consistency. Remaining in Christ and His Word remaining in us, are the conditions we must fulfil as born again Christians. No two ways about it!

You can't say that you abide in Christ and yet, His Word is taken for granted. It will not work because you'll not progressively experience the life of the Spirit, spiritual growth, and a successful Christian life. That's the reason when you come across Christians who are not sufficiently or constantly exposed to the ministry of the Word, you'll notice that they waver in faith, because they have no stability and firmness of purpose in the Lord.

In a nutshell, the combination of those conditions ensures a balanced system of operation in relation to our walk with God. Indeed, Christ is largely experienced in our lives as we apply the sense of both conditions. Tactically, by developing a fixed consciousness of our inextricable union with Christ and by purposefully investing and establishing sufficient authority of the Word in our lives, we become unreservedly congruous with divinity, thereby expressing the very life of Christ on earth - to a great extent. Stay tuned for part 2. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 8:31; John 15:4-5; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:13.

Exuberant Declaration: Christ lives in me, and His Word in me represents the inspiration and creative ability of the Spirit hugely and sufficiently at work in my life. Therefore, I function with the fullness of superior force of divinity in the earth realm as I remain grounded, rooted and faithful in Christ Jesus. Blessed be God!