Why Should You Abide in God’s Word?

Why should you abide in God’s Word? The Word of God is what we are all about here at Do Not Depart. But why?

Jesus tells us that abiding in His Word is evidence of our discipleship…

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 ESV (emphasis added)

And John writes that His Word can abide in us…

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14 ESV (emphasis added)

But what does “abide” mean? Menó (μένω) is the Greek root word for the words translated as “abide” in both of the verses above. Menó means to remain, to stay. We abide by staying.

Can you really stay in God’s Word all day, every day? When you read and meditate on scriptures, when you memorize His Word, when you fill your ears and heart with praise, you indeed abide throughout your day.

Our ultimate goal in abiding in God’s Word is not to have a lot of words floating around in our heads! It is to grow in our love for and knowledge of  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and learn how to walk in His ways. We aren’t called to abide in the Word so we can tick off a checklist of “ways to be righteous.” In His Word we seek His face and His will.

This month your Do Not Depart team will dig into scripture and contemplate a few of the many reasons God gives us to abide in His Word. We pray you will be encouraged to strengthen your commitment to abiding in His Word and keeping His Word abiding in you!