30DaysOfBibleLettering - Round 4 Sample

Abide in Me,  and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4 ESV

To abide in Christ is to remain in Him – it is to obey the call of the Gospel and to continue living as He would have us to live.  Yet how easy it is to not abide in Him as we ought and instead aim for other things, even good things. Striving after Christ can subtly be replaced with striving after godly attributes like patience, self-control, or kindness.  And while we might, in our own strength, attain to these wonderful traits for a brief time, they will eventually wear away if we are not chiefly abiding in Christ.  Christ is the vine, and He commands us to abide in Him, to rely on Him, to fill our hearts and minds with His words, to remember His Gospel, to live for His glory above all else, so that we might be able to bear fruit, and fruit that remains (John 15:16).  It is as we abide in Christ that the fruit of the Spirit will flow from our hearts, our minds, our actions, and our tongues.

It is as we abide in Christ that we will be able to say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).  And what was Paul able to do?  He was able to be content in all circumstances - not because he had simply set his mind to be content, but because, as Paul abided in Christ the vine, he received the strength to rejoice and be content in his circumstances.  So let us not be deceived by checking off a list of Christian do’s and don'ts.  Let us be checking our hearts instead.  Are we abiding in Christ?  Are we in His Word?  Are we relying on Him for the strength to obey?  Are we striving to live for His glory, all while resting in Him and trusting Him?  May abiding in Christ and bearing lasting fruit be true marks of each of our lives so that God will be greatly glorified.

by @grace_word