The "How-to" of Abiding PT 1

The "how-to" of abiding begins not with a work, but ' with an attitude to be maintained. We live in an attitude of abiding, deeply aware that He is our life. First, we are to be constantly mindful of our true condition were we to be outside of the Vine. There are very few today who can actually say that they know themselves, but we must undergo this very unpleasant process. The Apostle Peter is a classic example of someone who did not know himself. He could make such confident assertions as, "I will never deny you, Lord," and yet that was the very thing he did. He did not know himself.

Take a teenager who assures you that he can go to the party and not give in to the peer pressure to take drugs and drink; that she can have a boyfriend and not become sexually involved. Such statements tell you immediately that this person cannot be trusted, for he or she does not know him or herself.

Coming to know oneself and accept the fact that in one's body dwells no good thing is not easy, and often is accompanied by much suffering. However, once the lesson is learned, Paul's command will be gladly received: "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant . . ." (Philippians 2:5-7). The first step, then, is to know ourselves and carry the attitude of absolute dependence that comes from this knowledge throughout the day.

- Mike Wells