Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker.
What if peace isn’t something you find, but something you build? … Abiding in Jesus isn’t about trying harder or doing more. It’s not about producing or striving. It’s about being with him in the place where your mind naturally dwells. Seeking him where your spirit rests. It’s about what kind of nest you build in your daily life. When we abide in Jesus—when we place our minds in His presence—we begin to bear fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. And from that inward transformation, we can impact the world around us. But when we let resentment or self-pity or striving set up camp in our thoughts, we become like a withered branch, disconnected from the source (remember, I am the vine, you are the branches?). Today’s invitation isn’t to perform. It’s abide. Not to produce, but to be held.Don’t let your heart be troubled. So today take a deep breath. Let our shoulders drop. Ask you untroubled heart “Where is my mind abiding today?” Then choose to build your nest on the greatness of God. Let this day be an experiment in abiding.
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]
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