Abide | Part 8 of 8
Abide: Learning to Live in Christ | Part 8 of 8
About this series
For years, I’ve read phrases like “abide in Me,” “remain in Christ,” and “in Him.” I believed them, but if I’m honest, I wasn’t always sure what they looked like on an ordinary Tuesday. This series isn’t written by someone who’s mastered abiding. It’s written by a fellow traveler who has become convinced that Jesus offers something deeper than simply trying harder. Together, let’s open God’s Word and discover what it really means to live in Christ.
Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4
Eight weeks ago, we began this journey with a simple question: What does it really mean to abide in Christ? If you’re anything like me, you may have hoped there would be a simple answer—a checklist, a formula, or a few habits that would make everything click.
Instead, I think Jesus has been inviting us to something much better.
Over these past several weeks, we’ve seen that abiding isn’t another spiritual discipline to master. It’s not about earning God’s approval or trying harder to become the person we think He wants us to be. It’s about learning to live from a relationship that already exists because of what Christ has done for us.
We’ve talked about finding our identity in Christ instead of our failures, surrendering instead of striving, recognizing the Shepherd’s voice, and inviting Jesus into the ordinary moments of everyday life. We’ve also been reminded that when we drift—and we all do—His grace is always calling us home.
As I reflect on everything we’ve studied, I keep coming back to Paul’s words in Colossians:
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3
That’s an incredible statement. Paul doesn’t simply say that Christ is part of our lives or even that He should be the most important part of our lives. He says that our very lives are hidden with Christ.
I don’t know about you, but I’m still learning what that means.
There are mornings when I still catch myself relying on my own wisdom before seeking His. There are days when I become distracted by work, responsibilities, and the pace of life. There are moments when I realize I’ve slipped back into measuring my walk with God by how well I’ve performed instead of how closely I’ve walked with Him.
Maybe that’s why I don’t think abiding is something we ever graduate from. It’s not a lesson we finish; it’s a relationship we continue to grow in. Every new season of life becomes another opportunity to trust Jesus more deeply, depend on Him more fully, and discover that His grace really is sufficient for whatever we’re facing.
As this series comes to an end, my prayer isn’t that you’ll remember something I wrote. I hope you’ll remember the invitation Jesus gave: “Abide in Me.” Those three words are just as meaningful today as they were when He first spoke them. They invite us to stop striving, stop pretending we can do this on our own, and simply remain close to the One who is our life.
The series may be ending, but the invitation isn’t.
In fact, I have a feeling we’re only beginning to understand what it truly means to live in Christ.
Sit With This
As you look back over the past eight weeks, what has God been teaching you? More importantly, what is one thing you want to carry with you into tomorrow? Ask the Lord to help that truth move from something you know to something you live.
Prayer
Father, thank You for meeting us throughout this journey. Thank You for patiently teaching us what it means to abide in Christ. As we move beyond this series, help us continue walking closely with You each day. May our lives be marked not by striving, but by a growing dependence on Jesus, and may the fruit You produce in us point others to You. Amen.
– End of Series —
