1 John 2:26-29

1 John 2:26-29
English Standard Version (ESV)

  A good way to picture what it means to abide in Christ is "receiving and trusting all that God is for us in Jesus Christ."  It's passive and active -- first of all, we receive what God gives us, and then we trust in that, and that trust spills over into the rest of our lives. 
  Not long ago, we went for a hike in a state park, and there was a small lake with an earthen dam at one end of the parking lot.  At the end of the dam, there was a small spillway that fed a stream we hiked along.  It was beautiful and peaceful.
  I think of our lives as the pond -- God fills us with grace, and we all let that build up.  We receive it, grateful for what God has done, and at a certain point we grow to understand that grace isn't just for us to keep -- it's meant to go forth.  And so we find a way for that grace that we have received to go out into the world, to spill over out of our hearts and minds.  We trust that God will provide plenty for us, and so in trust we open ourselves up to the world and shower love upon others.
  The hard thing about truly selfless love is that we can't control it once we send it out into the world.  We risk being hurt, being vulnerable, or coming into relationship with those who are different than us.  It can challenge us -- but we are always continually being filled with grace, and we have to trust in the God who leads us out into the world.  God never promised that it would be easy --but to abide in God means to trust and follow.