Abide

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit because apart from me, you can do nothing.

John 15:7-8 If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you will receive it. This is how My Father is glorified when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be My disciples.

To abide means to:

remain, stay, await, continue, endure

to exist permanently in a relationship, inseparably united.

How do we prove we are followers of Jesus Christ, and what is the fruit that glorifies Him?   

Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

When you are living in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, the fruit of His Spirit will be evident in your life. There should be love instead of bitterness, malice, and unkindness. Joy should replace gloom; peace should replace unrest; patience should outweigh impatience. There must be gentleness instead of harshness, goodness instead of moral evil, meekness instead of pride and arrogance, and self-control instead of yielding to the lusts of the flesh.

Regardless of what you profess, if these qualities are not present, you are not living in fellowship with God. As we abide with God and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will manifest these fruits in our lives.

So, I now have two new questions to explore:

1. How do we live in fellowship with God?
2. How do we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit?