Abiding
DECEMBER 13, 2021 | 3.5 MINUTE READ
JAMES BALLARD, ASBURY STUDENT INVOLVEMENT DIRECTOR
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:15–17 (NLT)
Usually, when we think about “abiding” verses, we are quoting John 15, but in my journey with Jesus, these verses in Colossians have been a foundation of abiding in Christ. There is a central theme of being thankful, worship with thankful hearts, everything we do giving thanks to God the Father in this passage. Gratitude is a foundation of abiding.
Stay with me here for a second. Everything we have is a gift: our calling, our vocation, our income, another day to breathe—and, most importantly, through Jesus Christ we are called sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father wants to be with us. His love for us is immeasurable. How can I not be thankful that even the idea of abiding is a gift?
Gratitude puts everything into the perspective that what I have is a gift from my Heavenly Father.
Gratitude changes everything. When I am thankful, I am more open-handed with the gifts that God has given me, like His calling on my life, the vocation He has led me to, the income He has blessed me with, and the next day He has given me. When I forget to be thankful, I start to tighten my grip on my calling, my vocation, my income, and my days. Gratitude puts everything into the perspective that what I have is a gift from my Heavenly Father. These things are not mine to have but to steward, and I will gladly lay them aside if God calls me to do so because these gifts are all His. What are you grateful for?
As we open our hands to God with gratitude, “let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.” Abiding does bring peace, but only when we allow it to “rule” our hearts. The language of “rule” denotes reign, or kingship, over our hearts. King Jesus wants all of us. We all want to have “peace” in our lives, but the peace that comes from Christ requires a full surrender of our lives and hearts coupled with gratitude.
Are we creating space every day so we can dwell deep in the message of Christ through teaching, accountability, Scripture, worship, meditation?
Many times we let our circumstances dictate if we have that “peaceful” feeling, but the peace from Christ is not dictated by our circumstances. As Paul writes in another epistle, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7 NIV). When the peace of Christ rules in our surrendered, grateful hearts, He is our Peace. There is a great worship song that says, “The God of the mountain is the God of the valley.” The location and circumstances has changed, but God our Rock and Peace is still the same. Are there things that you need to surrender to God?
With grateful, surrendered hearts, “let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.” The NIV says “let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” Dwelling, filling, abiding, or sitting in the message of Christ with gratitude in our hearts. Through peace, surrender and gratitude, we have been talking about our posture with the God. With dwelling, we are moving into how we grow in Christ. Are we creating space every day so we can dwell deep in the message of Christ through teaching, accountability, Scripture, worship, meditation?
As we learn to live with grateful, surrendered, and dwelling hearts in Christ, we are called to missional action.
Everyone is different in how they connect with God. Some of you can wake up at 5 a.m. and pray in a closet. Some can spend a long time in Scripture in a nice chair. Others connect with God on a hike. Maybe you commune with God through songs. Maybe you need to chew on or meditate on a passage of Scripture for a couple days, weeks, months, or even years. How can you create space for yourself to let the message of Christ dwell in you deeply?
As we learn to live with grateful, surrendered, and dwelling hearts in Christ, we are called to missional action. “Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Abiding in Christ is at the heart of the Great Commission and the missional heart of God. After the famous abiding passage in John 15, Jesus says in John 17:17–19:
Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. (NLT)
As we let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, let the message of Christ dwell in us deeply, and do and say everything as a sent representative in Christ, may we always be thankful and live with gratitude in our hearts. It is only then that we can truly abide in Christ and be made holy by God’s truth.
WHAT NOW?
Pray: Spend time praying over these questions and listening for guidance from the Holy Spirit:
- What are you grateful for?
- What do you need to surrender to God?
- How can you create space for the message of Christ to dwell in you deeply?
Go: Put these answers into action. Figure out how you abide best with God, then go out and start doing what you’ve learned!
Author Bio: James Ballard is the WGM Student Involvement Director at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is passionate about University of Kentucky basketball, barbecue, coffee, cultivating culture and empowering leaders. James and his late wife of 20 years have one biological son, Josh, and several hundred adopted children at Asbury University.