Reflections on Abiding

Last week we reflected upon "Abiding: When the Soul Learns to Remain." We considered that after

the soul has been stirred, disrupted, reoriented, illuminated, taught discernment, and learned yieldedness,

another invitation quietly emerges.

That invitation is simply to remain.

Jesus did not first invite His disciples to accomplish.

He invited them to abide.

Abiding is not inactivity. It is learning to live from the Presence rather than merely visit it. It is

discovering that transformation is not produced by striving but by remaining connected to the True Vine.

This week we hear from one who has been walking that path.

Response from B.P.

"Remaining and abiding was one of the most powerful things I learned, yet one of the quietest moments I

experienced while going through a class called MasterLife.

So many things began to change in me and in my life when these two realities—although connected—

began to take hold.

I looked forward to getting into God's Word and longed to be in His presence.

What we then called my daily 'quiet time' became the foundation for prayer and meditation.

It was there that I poured everything out before God, and He graciously poured Himself into me.

That daily time with Him now sets the course for each day. It gives me direction and guidance.

Some days the fruit of that quiet time is very noticeable.

Other days the work is much quieter, almost hidden.

Yet every day reminds me to continue the journey.

I am reminded that God chose me before the foundation of the world, and what God chooses, He also has

the power to change.

Changed heart.

Changed mind.

Changed body, soul, and spirit.

A God who is able to completely make me over.

I feel God's Word walking with me every day with confidence in His promise never to leave nor forsake

me.

The days and nights spent with Christ have developed into an intimacy that causes me to thirst and hunger

for His Word like the deer that pants for streams of water.

In this I will remain.

I have seen the goodness of God, and there is no other place I would rather be.

For I know that with God all things are possible, but apart from Him—separated from the True Vine—I

can do nothing."

— B.P.

What stands out in B.P.'s reflection is not merely the discipline of spending time with God, but the

transformation that quietly unfolded because she remained there.

She reminds us that abiding rarely announces itself with dramatic moments. More often, it shapes us

through ordinary days faithfully lived in God's presence. Some days we can clearly trace what God has

done. Other days His work seems almost hidden. Yet whether visible or unseen, He continues His work

within the soul that remains.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful observations she makes is this: "God chose me... and He chooses what

He has the power to change."

That single sentence captures the hope of abiding.

We remain, not because we have perfected the journey, but because we trust the One who is faithfully

completing His work within us.

Closing Reflection

As I reflected upon B.P.'s words, one thought continued to return.

Abiding is where spiritual practices quietly become spiritual life.

Prayer becomes conversation.

Scripture becomes companionship.

Silence becomes communion.

Waiting becomes trust.

The Presence of God gradually ceases to be merely a place we visit.

It becomes the place from which we live.

Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when He simply said,

"Abide in Me."

Not as a command to accomplish something.

But as an invitation to come home.

May we each continue learning to remain there.

Pastor Polk