Have you ever heard a scripture hundreds of times and one day you hear it differently? Yesterday was one of those days for me. In Sunday School we discussed what it means to “abide” in Christ. I have known the definition of abide for years: to remain stable or fixed in a state. However yesterday I understood the meaning even more. Read now the context of the scripture as written in the NIV.

““I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

NIV uses the word “remain” to mean abide. Now read The Message version of the same passage.

““I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken. “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:1-4‬ ‭MSG‬‬

The Message version uses the words “live”, “make your home”, and “joined.” All of these words help paint a picture of how encompassing it is to abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is not just praying during my devotion time, but approaching every aspect with prayer and discussing it with Christ as my friend. I must use the lens of Christ to see EACH person. I must work EVERY task with the hands and feet of Christ. Then as a result of abiding in Christ I can better display the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The beautiful statue in the picture was donated in memory of one of the matriarchs of our church. This week, the image of the statue will remind me of my new insight of what it means to abide in Christ. On this Mindset Monday may each of you have a heightened awareness of abiding in Christ. May we each share every aspect of our day with our Jesus and as a result, may others see Christ through us.