You Were Made for Communion
You weren’t just saved to serve—you were saved to abide in Christ’s love.
From the beginning, God’s desire was for fellowship, not just function. The love He offers isn’t a distant promise; it’s a present reality. As 1 John 4:16 says, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
Abiding in love is not about doing more—it’s about staying near. When you rest in His love, striving gives way to peace, and performance is replaced by presence. This is the root of spiritual fullness.
Love Is Your Constant Companion
Scripture doesn’t merely invite you to observe love—it invites you to walk with it.
“By this, love is perfected with us…” (1 John 4:17). The Greek word meta (“with”) suggests that love accompanies you. It’s not an abstract force or fading emotion. Love is a Person who journeys beside you, holds you steady, and reminds you who you are.
Abiding in love means you’re never alone. Through sorrow or celebration, confusion or clarity, divine love guards your soul and anchors your identity.
As you grow, this love doesn’t just inspire you—it surrounds and transforms you. It becomes the atmosphere in which you live and move and serve.
Knowing and Believing the Love of God
To abide in love, you must first receive it personally.
1 John 4:16 outlines the path:
- “We have come to know the love God has for us.”
- “We have believed the love God has for us.”
Many Christians know about God’s love, but still live as though they must earn His favor. But love can’t be earned—it must be received.
Believing God’s love means trusting that it remains even when you fail. It means letting love rewrite the story you’ve believed about yourself.
Abiding in love starts when you no longer see God as disappointed in you—but delighting in you, because of Christ.
Abide and Bear Fruit
Jesus makes this truth unmistakably clear in John 15: “Abide in Me… for apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
You weren’t designed to manufacture spiritual results. You were made to bear fruit by staying rooted in love.
Abiding in love means letting His presence nourish every part of your life. Your joy and peace grow—not as goals you chase, but as fruit that flows naturally from divine connection.
Your identity is not an accessory to your faith—it is the core. And when you are grounded in that identity, fruitfulness follows effortlessly. Not by striving, but by staying.
Identity Fuels Purpose
You were created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10)—but notice the order: you are first formed, then you function.
Your spiritual industry doesn’t establish your worth. It expresses your identity.
Abiding in love means working from intimacy, not for approval. You don’t have to hustle for purpose. When your identity is secure, your output becomes Spirit-led and fruitful.
True purpose flows from presence. And your presence with Christ is what fuels everything else.
Priesthood: Your New Job Description
1 Peter 2:5 describes believers as a “holy priesthood.” This isn’t metaphorical—it’s your new job description in Christ.
As a royal priest, abiding in love means you carry that love into every role you fulfill. You offer spiritual sacrifices not just in church, but in everyday faithfulness—in parenting, in friendship, in service, in worship.
Instead of priestly garments, you now wear the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, and more. These are not goals to accomplish; they are the result of abiding in love.
You serve not from obligation, but from overflow.
Living Stones with Purpose
God is building something beautiful, and you’re part of it.
“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house…” (1 Peter 2:5). That means your voice, your gifts, and your presence matter deeply in the body of Christ.
You are not a passive bystander. You are a shaped, positioned, and empowered part of God’s plan. And your unique function flows from your identity.
Abiding in love empowers you to live purposefully—knowing you belong, knowing you’re called, and knowing you’re cherished.
Insight Journal
- What’s one area of life where I strive to prove my worth rather than abide in love?
- How have I “known” God’s love without fully “believing” it? What holds me back?
- What would it look like to carry out my daily responsibilities as an act of priesthood?
- Am I chasing fruit (joy, peace, purpose) or abiding in the vine that produces it?
- Where might God be calling me to show up as a living stone in the body of Christ?
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Excerpts from iProcess by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis © 2023. Download your copy today!
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Read more about iProcess: identity in Christ, intimacy with Christ, industry for Christ.
