“Created to Abide in Jesus”  

This past Sunday, my wife, Pastor Carolyn, gave an inspiring message about the importance of abiding in Christ. 

In this article today, I look forward to sharing some of Carolyn’s inspiring key points and her heartfelt story of abiding in Jesus, highlighting an important message about discipleship.

I Am the Vine, and You Are the Branches (John 15:1-17) 

Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (NKJV) 

Let’s pause here for a moment. What is Jesus referring to when he uses the term ‘fruit’?  

The Fruit of the Spirit includes qualities like Love, Joy, Peace, and Kindness. There is also fruit that comes from our obedience to Him, such as sharing your faith, praying for others, and serving others.  

Here is another benefit of abiding in Christ: we are united with Him without any fear of separation! 

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 NLT  

Jesus continued in John 15, 

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and  your joy may be full. John 15:7-11 NKJV 

As we abide in Jesus, and he in us, we will 

• Bear much fruit, demonstrating that you are a disciple of Jesus. 

• Ask for whatever we want, and it’ll be done for us. 

• We will bring glory to the Father. 

• We will stay in the love of Jesus (remember Romans 8:38-39).  

• The joy of Jesus will be in us, and our joy will be complete. 

• We are empowered to keep His commandments. 

From the moment we place our faith in Jesus, we are abiding in Him.  

We should strive to continue growing and strengthening ourselves in this truth. We are all created to abide in Him, to bear His fruit in our lives, fruit that lasts, so that we may be transformed and live in His love. From this place of abiding, we are called to love others deeply with a sacrificial love. 

We are uniquely designed by God and created in His Image, yet each of us is different. Therefore, everyone’s journey is unique; it’s our personal process with God. 

Your time in Him will become a special part of you, something you’ll cherish deeply. It’s truly more valuable than gold, shining with purity and splendor. 

Our journey begins at conception in our mother’s womb: I know that God created me to abide in Jesus, and He in me. Each of us was created to abide in Him. 

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16 NIV 

Each of us was created by God to receive His love, love Him, and then love others. 

As a child, I was surrounded by love and many joyful moments. However, I also faced challenges, pain, sorrow, rejection, abandonment, and abuse. Satan opposed God’s plans for me. Despite this, the comforting presence of Jesus was with me, and my soul and spirit sensed it; He supported me. 

At age 8, I asked Jesus to be my Lord, forgive my sins, and cleanse me. This was a defining moment for me. I was like a small, fragile branch firmly connected to the vine. God always intended for me to grow, become stronger, and stand firm amid diversity. I was made to love Him and to experience His love.  

As I continued my journey through my teenage and young adult years, I experienced little growth in my spiritual walk with the Lord. I wasn’t taught what it means to abide in Jesus. I was weak and allowed sin to steal the joy of my salvation. 

As I turned my face and eyes back to Jesus, I was able to repent, learn from Him, and become stronger in my faith. I was His branch, growing and bearing His beautiful fruit. However, I hadn’t paid much attention to the truth Jesus taught in John chapter 15—that it was essential to stay in Him, and He in me. He never left me; His patience was unceasing as I grew in my life with Him.  

As life continued to unfold, time moved forward, and my marriage, family, activities, ministry, and good works for the Lord persisted, all while my love for Him remained strong. I spent years learning, growing, being pruned, and developing further. However, I became too busy, and then something changed. I started to experience a profound loneliness I had never felt before, one I could barely recognize. Despite knowing His words and promises and trusting in Him, I found myself in that lonely, dark place for a very long time.  

I knew I could trust Jesus, and my faith kept me going.  

God was guiding me to a deeper understanding of what it means to abide in Him. I needed to grow closer to God again, and it was heartbreaking to realize how independent I had become from Jesus in my daily life.   

Then, he gave me a dream, and the Lord clearly showed me that I was on a path with forks ahead of me. Since I can only walk one path at a time, this was frightening.  

What’s wrong with the path I’m on? God, don’t let me choose the wrong one. I said, “Choose the path for me.”  

I was afraid I was going to have to choose a path! I knew something more urgent was coming for me. I was entering a time in my life when I would need him deeply. Spoiler alert, He was with me all along and comforted me during my fear of decisions.  

Soon after the dream, I had a life-changing encounter with the Lord and a vision of Him on the cross, experiencing His complete covering and being found in Him. This moment marked the start of my journey to surrender to His process of teaching me to stay in Him. 

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you.”  

Over the next year or two, He began guiding me onto the right path—His path. It was a journey filled with hardships, trials, and sorrow, yet also illuminated by the beauty of His love for me. My desire for Him grew stronger. He didn’t just teach me but also led me to a deeper trust in Him than I had ever known before.   

Everything about Him became essential. I needed more; more of His word, more prayer, more praise, more worship, more fasting, more listening and obeying, and repenting. 

The encounter I had with Him on the cross gave me understanding of the goal He was leading me to, to deepen my love for Him by understanding what it means to abide in Him and Him in me. 

One morning, I woke up and kept hearing these words over and over.  

“I am a lamp unto your feet, a light on my path.” Psalms 119:105-106 NIV  

God spoke to me! He presented His word before me, promising to illuminate my path. This was my next step to grow closer to Him, even if I didn’t realize it at the time.  

In another dream, I clearly received a message from the Lord. In the dream, someone nearby stood up, turned around, and said, “You are deserved.” Jesus understood my heart and knew what I needed to hear. I only seek His acceptance, not that of others. We all deserve His love — not because we earn it, but because, through Jesus, God has made us worthy to receive His love and presence. 

I couldn’t get enough of the Lord in my life. I read His word, listened to it through the night with my AirPods, praised, prayed, fasted, and used anointing oil; but I knew He wasn’t finished. I felt like I was still missing so much understanding of what He was doing in my life. 

I had to keep waiting for Him and stay open to whatever my Lord wanted to communicate or reveal. I was actively involved; I was in His crucible. 

Psalm 66:8-12 NIV and Psalm 66:15-20 NIV, these scriptures have been a meaningful part of Pastor Bob’s and my life for years. 

Psalms 66:8-12 NIV 

Praise our God, all peoples,
    let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
    and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
    you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
    and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads; 

we went through fire and water,
    but you brought us to a place of abundance. 

Psalms 66: 16-20 NIV 

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
    let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
    his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
    and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
    who has not rejected my prayer
    or withheld his love from me! 

Then, gently, the Lord revealed to me one of my sins that I was unaware of. I had an idol. That might seem like a small thing, but this idol of mine was shifting the love I was supposed to give to God toward my idol instead. I cried, I repented, and I was deeply grieved by this.   

He spoke gently to me and reminded me that his grace is sufficient, and I was thankful to him for showing me. Even though this was painful, I was wrong, and he was going to make it right. 

Now I understood I needed to listen carefully to His voice; if one thing was off, likely others were too. I spent time with the Lord. 

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you.”  

I had the same dream twice in one week about a sand pit and sinking into it. However, each dream involved a different level of sinking. In the second dream, I sank a shorter distance. 

How did I end up on the sand? Or was He warning me to stay on the rock, His word, and trust Him—through adversities, sin, rejection, and fear? I needed to stay on the rock; I could trust the Lord and His word no matter how dreadful the storm had become. 

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you.”  

Still, hopelessness crept in. How long, Lord?! 

So, the Lord gently asked me if I was willing to lay this part of my life on the altar and trust Him.  

He guided me to read Genesis 22:1-19, and I realized the parallels between my life and that of Abraham and Isaac.   

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”,“Here I am,” he replied. 

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 

He was graciously giving me insight so I would know how to pray and trust in him. Was my love for Him greater than anything else? 

He said, “Lay this situation, your idol, on the altar. Are you willing? I will help you.”    

I understood that this was a test of loyalty and faithfulness to the Lord.

He taught me that once I lay it all on the altar, it’s not for me to decide when or if I pick it back up; I am to remain still in Him until I hear a word from God. How long? I needed to trust in Him more than ever before. 

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you.”  

Final Thoughts 

• Each one of us is created for God—to love Him and be loved by Him. 

• Created to stay connected to Jesus and abide. 

• We will stay connected to Him, and He will stay connected to us, so we will never be separated from Him. 

• Designed to produce fruit that influences those around us. 

• Allows us to obey Him and love others. 

• To live in His love, which is unshakable joy. 

• That we would mirror the sacrificial love of Jesus.