Reformation: Gospel, John 8:31-36                              

John 8:31-36

It is a blessing that the Lord gives outstanding servants to the church. I work among several each day. My life is made rich in Christ as our Lord shares himself with me through them. I pray there is a mutual and comparable exchange. Then there are those who are given perhaps a larger scope, but whose contributions are felt just as personally. I would commend to you the writing and teaching of just such an individual: Chad Bird of the organization 1517. What a blessing he and his work are to many. Please avail yourself of his gentle demeanor and tireless instruction (www.1517.org).

Having said that, I want to attribute the title of our meditation this morning to Chad’s teaching on abiding in Christ which comes from our week’s gospel reading. Chad recently pointed out that to abide in Christ and his Word is simply to “stay put.” He emphasized how quickly we run to our self-made lists of what we do to show Jesus that we are indeed abiding. No such list is necessary. Abiding is simply staying in that place you know Jesus and his promises are found. Simple. Beautiful. Challenging, surely. But secure and filled with delight. Christian, stay put.