Living With Jesus, Not Just for Jesus

“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 (ESV).

One of the most commonly overlooked promises in Scripture is one of the simplest: God is with us.

Not occasionally. 

Not only when we feel it. 

Not only during worship or morning devotions.

Jesus’ promise: “Abide in Me, and I in you,” is an urgent reminder for each of us—a comforting assurance that we’re not alone. But abiding is not an activity to perform—it is a relationship to experience. Abiding isn’t something we master; it’s Someone we notice.

Jesus describes the normal Christian life as one of relationship—daily companionship with Him. It is not a mystical upgrade for the spiritually advanced. He invites us into a continual awareness of His love, presence, and companionship throughout the ordinary rhythms of our day.

Many Christians are familiar with the concept of abiding, but few actually experience the joy and freedom it offers.  To abide is to move from concept to experience—from knowing about Christ’s presence to living in it. 

Abiding Is the Heart of Christian Life

In John 15, Jesus offers a picture that is both simple and profound: a vine and its branches.

Branches do not strive, perform, or anxiously produce fruit alone. They remain connected to the vine to receive all the essential nutrients needed for fruit production.

Jesus’ invitation is the same for us. He invites us: remain, stay close, stay aware, stay in His love.

“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, ESV

Fruitfulness is not the result of more effort, but more presence—His presence in us, and our presence with Him.

The Beauty of Ordinary Awareness

Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century monk whose longing was to experience God in the ordinary, everyday life, models this awareness beautifully. Working in a busy kitchen, peeling potatoes, washing pans, and preparing meals, he discovered a profound truth:

“We can make our heart a chapel where to retire every moment to converse with God quietly, simply, and lovingly.” ¹

Brother Lawrence’s life became a living example of what it means to abide. He discovered that: Abiding is not something we do once a day—it’s a posture we carry everywhere.

Abiding in Christ does not remove us from life; it weaves Christ into the fabric of our lives. Dallas Willard captures this beautifully:

“The ‘with-God life’ is the heart of the Bible… a life of unbroken fellowship with the living God.” ²

This “with-God life” is what Jesus is describing in John 15—not constant religious activity, but constant relational awareness.

Abiding Is Not Escaping the World—It’s Finding Christ Within It

Some Christians assume abiding happens only during quiet times or retreats. But abiding in Christ is not withdrawal from ordinary life—it is recognizing Christ in ordinary life.

• When you fold laundry… Christ is with you.
• When you sit through a meeting… Christ is with you.
• When you comfort a child… Christ is with you.
• When you feel discouraged… Christ is with you.
• When you are stuck in traffic… Christ is with you.

These moments might feel insignificant, but they are sacred invitations. Christ is not waiting for us in the extraordinary. He meets us in the ordinary.

Growing with Christ means learning to see Him in the small moments, not just the spiritual ones. 

As Henri Nouwen writes: “The real ‘work’ of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me.” ³

Abiding stems from listening—listening for His love, His comfort, His presence—not in dramatic experiences but in the quiet center of our souls.

A Whisper That Changed My Day

A friend once told me, “I’m trying so hard to live for Jesus that I forget to live with Jesus.”

As we discussed his daily routine, it became clear how he was constantly rushing from one task to the next, praying on the run, reading Scripture for sermon preparation, and trying to “fit God in” where he could. He confessed, “By lunch, I feel empty.”

I invited him to experiment with a simple practice. “Set an alarm on your phone every few hours. When it goes off, pause long enough to whisper: ‘Lord Jesus, You are here.’”  

He later told me, “I didn’t realize how often I lived as if He wasn’t with me. That one sentence is changing how I see everything.” Sometimes one simple sentence—‘Lord Jesus, You are here’—can reorient an entire day.

That is the power of cultivating awareness of Christ’s presence.  

It moves us from striving to abiding, from pressure to peace, from spiritual performance to relational presence. It transforms a conceptual understanding into an experienced reality.  

The Gentle Rhythm of Abiding

Here are a few simple ways to cultivate daily awareness of Christ dwelling in you:

1. Begin your day with presence, not performance.

Pray, “Jesus, I choose to abide in You today.” Let that be your starting point.

2. Pause throughout the day.

Before a meeting, conversation, or task, whisper, “Lord, be with me here.”

3. Invite Jesus into the ordinary:

Driving, cooking, scheduling, working. Regularly remind yourself: He’s already here. Abiding opens our eyes to this reality.

4. End your day with gratitude.

Ask, “Where did I notice Jesus today?” Naming those moments strengthens awareness for tomorrow.

5. Hold the truth that Christ abides in you.

Even when you forget Him, He does not forget you. Your awareness may shift, but His presence does not. Abiding is mutual — He in you, and you in Him.

Why Abiding Matters

Without abiding, we feel exhausted—full of pressure, performance, and spiritual striving. When we abide in and with Christ, we become peaceful—full of companionship, grace, and joy.

Jesus does not say, “Produce fruit and then come to Me.” He says, “Abide in Me… and you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5). Our spiritual vitality flows not from our effort but from our connection. We bear fruit not by trying harder, but by staying closer.

An Invitation to Go Deeper

1. Where in my daily routines do I most easily forget that Jesus is with me?

2. What difference might it make if I pause to acknowledge His presence in the ordinary moments?

3. When have I recently sensed Christ’s companionship in an unexpected place?

4. How is the Spirit inviting me to practice the “with-God life” this week?

______________

1. Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, trans. John J. Delaney (Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1977), 35.

2. Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (New York: HarperCollins, 1988), 249.

3. Henri J. M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (New York: Crossroad, 1992), 44–46.