Abide in Me.
So… Sunday-only Jesus misses the mark.
Sunday and Wednesday night, Jesus comes up short, too.
Even Sunday, Wednesday night, and pre-dawn daily quiet time with Jesus is not enough.
Continuous union is the goal, not intermittent check-ins. Disciples must intentionally remain connected to Jesus from the moment they wake to the moment they fall asleep. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are to pray, rejoice, and give thanks without ceasing. Scripture paints a clear picture: we are to cultivate a continual rhythm of God-consciousness and ongoing inner communion with Him as we strive to live in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus.
Whoever abides in Me and I in Him
While the language of John 15:5 is strong, it’s also an incredible invitation to experience God in a radically new way. Religious life no longer centers on ethnic heritage, the temple system, or the nation of Israel. Under the New Covenant, believers are called to abide in Jesus. The command to abide shifts the motivation for obedience from duty to attachment. Jesus inverts the equation: good deeds are no longer a way to earn God’s favor but the natural byproduct of living in communion with Him.
This mutual indwelling—we in Him and He in us—transforms both our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Through abiding, we follow Jesus in community and on mission, living out both the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
John 15:5 concludes with a sobering warning: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” The emphasis, however, is not on failure but on dependence. The Christian life is not about trying harder but remaining closer. So lean in… there is a deeper, richer reality ahead. One where, as C.S. Lewis described it, the inside is larger than the outside.
Greg Mizel
Executive Director