A characteristic of one who follows Jesus is to abide in his words.

Jesus was talking to some Jews who had just believed in him.  His initial instruction to them is “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31 ESV).  So how does one abide in the word of Jesus?  To abide means to remain, to continue, or to dwell.  One could say that the person who abides in the word of Christ lives his or her life by discovering and following the teaching of Jesus.

The term “word” refers to Jesus’ teaching.  Not just his teaching in the Gospels but also his teaching throughout the Bible.  It is easy to read that sentence and become intimidated.  How can one have the time to fully understand the teaching of the Bible?  Jesus, in his interactions with various individuals distilled the teaching of the Bible into two very clear yet complex commands.

In Mark 12:29-31 Jesus reminded his hearers that the most important command was to love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” In other words with your entire being (see Deuteronomy 6:4-5).  The second command was to “Love our neighbor as yourself” (see Leviticus 19:18).   Loving God and loving people is a very clear cut principle that reflects the teaching of the entire Bible.  But it is easier said than done.

To love God will require one to be intentional and take time to read the Bible.  The one who loves God will communicate with him in prayer.  We love God when we spend time with other Christ followers in corporate worship and instruction.  We show our love for God when we serve him with our abilities. To love God means my life revolves first around my faith relationship with him.

To love people means that I show compassion, kindness, grace and generosity to others.  It means that I pray for them, even when I don’t like them.  It means that I find ways to point others to Jesus as the answer to the deepest need of their life.  It means that I work to see that the person who really irritates me is still a creation of God, whom he loves and was willing to give his son to die for.  It means that when I have wronged someone I ask their forgiveness and when I have been wronged I grant forgiveness.

I will know if I am abiding in the teaching of Jesus if I am growing in my love for God and love for people.

Today’s Tip: Be Intentional in your relationship with Jesus

Choose one of the following and work on it this week:

            *Begin in the Gospel of John and read one chapter a day.

*Pray for the person who seems to irritate you the most each day.  Ask God to bless their life and to teach you what it means to love them.

*Choose one of the following chapters and work on memorizing it:  Psalm 23; Psalm 139; Isaiah 53; John 3 or James 1.

Share with a friend what Jesus has taught you as you have been intentional in learning to abide in his words.