REMAIN IN ME - PART 3

MONDAY 02 OCTOBER 2023

When I read that Jesus said, "If you remain in me", one question that came to my mind is "who is Jesus?" Although I am born of God, which means that I belong to Christ, I still had to reconsider who Jesus really is, so that this instruction will fully come alive in me. Before you remain in someone without reservation, at least, you must know their true character. Therefore, if you can answer that question in your heart genuinely, then you don't have to ever worry about anything, as you remain in Him.

And beloved, I found out that He is forever faithful and trustworthy; the very Son and wisdom of God from heaven. More of Jesus' attributes are listed in James 3:17 (NASB), which reads, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy." And the golden news is that while deciding who to contain in Himself, He chose me. Hallelujah!

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."

Jesus is wise, loving, considerate, compassionate, discerning, spiritual, generous, miraculous, peaceful and faithful. If you remain in Him, He becomes your solid background, and His heightened presence will engulf your existence until He comes back. To that effect, 1 John 2:28 (NET) reads, "And now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame when He comes back." So as you remain in Christ, you will continue to experience Him till the end of time.

The second segment in the versified statement, which is designed for today's discussion is: "And my words remain in you." There are three important truths we must acknowledge and imbibe about the Word "remaining" in us. The first one is that it is indicative of our effective communication and continual fellowship with the Godhead. Communicating in an active manner with the entities of the Godhead points to our underlying "inextricable" union with Supreme Deity, bearing in mind that 1st John 1:3 says, "And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (AMP).

Secondly, the vital part of our divine nature is the identity we derive from the Word of God. For instance, the Word defines some of our distinctive and distinguishing identity or features in 1st Peter 2:9, and it reads, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar treasure, holy nation, His own special people, and most prized possession" (NKJV).

Thirdly, our participation in the divine calling remains constantly effectual as we persist in granting the Word access to our human spirit. In doing so, the Word settles and gets rooted in us, thereby establishing us in the Son and in the Father. To that effect, Johannine literature stated in 1 John 2:24 - "Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father" (ESV). And in fact, John the apostle rang it as a warning bell in 2nd John 1:9 saying, "Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (NASB).

The Word is sufficiently instrumental in shaping us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes us to be wise, holy, creative, loving and prosperous, as we yield ourselves to its authority consistently. And as the Word gains the dominance or ascendancy over our minds, our thoughts are not just going to be sound, just, pure and noble, they will also interact with their source (Christ), just like Jesus said in John 10:27 (KJV), "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

When the thoughts from the Scriptures are the steering influence that saturates your mind and governs your entire life, you'll always align with the will of the main source (Christ). That's exactly the reason Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples" (John 8:31 MEV). Beloved, do not neglect the Word of God. Stay tuned for more in part 4. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 119:105; Job 23:12; Matthew 4:4; Colossians 3:16.

Guided Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I'm forever grateful that I've received Christ Jesus as my Lord, because you chose me in Him, and I thank you for the enabling grace and ability to remain in Him as I live by the Word, in Jesus' Name, Amen!