How to Remain in Jesus

"What does it mean to abide in Jesus?" someone asked A. B. Simpson.

Simpson replied, "It is to keep on saying minute by minute, 'For this I have Jesus!'"

The unspoken implication is "For this situation I have Jesus and He is enough. He will provide the wisdom, peace, protection, guidance, comfort--all I need." The more we acknowledge Him and delight in His living in us, the more we realize that, indeed, having Him is enough.

Even if we have no sense of God's presence, the Spirit is in our hearts, and we should act accordingly. As we learn to acknowledge Him in all our ways, the consciousness of His presence will become more real. We often do not begin with feeling--but, by faith, we live as though He were within us.

So if we desire to abide in Christ, we treat Him as if He were in us, and we are in Him. He will respond to our trust and honor our confidence. To the degree that we recognize His presence and rest in Him, we abide in Him.

The more we expect the guidance of the Spirit, the more His presence becomes real to us. If we have received the Holy Spirit, He is perpetually within whether we sense His presence or not. He promises to be with us always. As we cultivate an awareness of His presence, we become increasingly aware of Him.

Jesus, help me live with an awareness that "The Lord is near" (Philippians 4:5).

"When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love" (John 15:10).