Learning to Abide

Before you teach anyone else about God, you first need to know Him yourself.

When I first entered the ministry, I realized how quickly studying the Bible could become a mere academic exercise or preparatory obligation. Whenever I would make the time to open the Word, I constantly drifted toward thinking about how that passage related to anyone other than me.

Like the flight attendant who instructs you to put on your oxygen mask in danger first before assisting anyone else, I want to warn you as well. You can run up and down the aisle of every environment you find yourself in, but eventually, you will run out of oxygen. No amount of compassion will make you invincible to the needs of your own soul. Your unwillingness to care for yourself will actually deprive you of the opportunity to minister to more in the long run.

How to Abide

Jesus told His disciples a pretty critical piece of instruction for those passionate about helping others: “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 15:5). You might want to do great things for Jesus, but if you refuse to spend time with Him, you will be rendered helpless. How do you abide with Jesus? I am so thankful. He spells it out clearly for us.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:7

Abiding with Jesus means that we are consistently aligned with Him. While that sounds great theoretically, what does that mean practically? Jesus’ description of this abiding was simply the Word and prayer. For His words to abide in us implies that we know them. We have read them, meditated upon them, memorized them, studied them, applied them, and shared them. That type of understanding of God’s truths also changes how we pray. Knowing God’s Word will make my prayers sound more like Him. I adjust my perspective with His, and my requests dramatically change.

This type of abiding is essential for anyone who truly desires to be faithful to Jesus, but it will not happen by accident. So, what is your plan for getting His words abiding in you?

How to Answer

The direction of your personal study of God’s Word should be obvious. I didn’t say that you could never miss a day. I am not indicating that if you miss one quiet time when God is furious, you will never recover, and somehow, an angel just lost his wings. You will be inconsistent. You will start a New Year’s resolution only to need a restart by January 3rd. I don’t think anyone expects perfection from you, but it is wise to clarify progression.

A simple indicator of how diligent you are regarding your time in the Word is that you should be able to answer this question at any time in your life:

“So, where are you studying in God’s Word currently?”

Is that it? Shouldn’t there be a better question? I don’t think so. Because that simple question provokes a telling answer every time. If the response is the sermon series you are preaching or listening to, that gives an indication. If the answer is pulling out a great lesson that you learned a few months to a few years ago, that reveals that you did have a fruitful time in the past but are lacking it in the present. If you awkwardly give an abstract answer of a concept of God but cannot give a simple book of the Bible you are working through, that shows that the guilt is there, but you just don’t want to admit it.

How to Plan

So, where are you studying in God’s Word currently?

That is the question. Jesus said that before you build a tower, you might want to sit down and consider how you will do it (Luke 14:28). Reading the Bible is no different. If you are currently struggling with making progress through God’s Word, it might simply be because you don’t have a plan to go through it.

There is no time for regrets about the past; what must you do now? What will you begin studying today and start making progress through in the days to come?

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