Every disciple will pass through three levels of relationship with Jesus Christ, each one in response to an invitation. “Come to Me” (Matthew 11:28) is the first one. It is Christ’s simple invitation to find rest and relief from the awesome burden of sin, the first and most necessary step in anyone’s life. The second is “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), an invitation to a closer relationship, a relationship of master and servant. Christ needs workers to carry out His purposes for this age, and this second invitation is His plea for help. The third is “Abide in Me” (John 15:4), and it refers to the deepest relationship any human can have with Jesus. It is the key to victorious Christian living, and it is the greatest way in which we can glorify God.
What does it mean to abide in Him? I think it means three things: First, a conscious awareness of His presence at all times. That does not mean direct verbal communication with Him, but the feeling that He is there, as a child playing is aware of its mother’s nearby presence. Second, it also means a careful consultation with Him about everything that affects us. That consultation may be in direct prayer, or else in scanning the Bible indirectly for any message He has for us there. The important thing is to keep the lines of communication open with Him so that we are instantly ready to receive any necessary message sent from Him. Third, it means a continual enjoyment of Him as a person. That means He is a joy, a delight to us at all times; the very thought of Him fills us with pleasure.
Lord, help me to graduate up the scale from convert, to ambassador, to confidant. To abide in You is to ride the high places of the earth.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).
Daily with the King 