Abiding in Love
The atmosphere of love changes everything it touches — even when unseen, its presence is undeniable.
Devotional Credit: Excerpt from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
In today's reflection, E. Stanley Jones brings us to a vital, living reality: abiding in Christ is fundamentally abiding in love. Drawing from John 15:9–10, Jones emphasizes that we are united with Christ to the extent that love is the atmosphere in which we live and move.
He reminds us that correct doctrine (orthodoxy) and good behavior (orthopraxy) are important, but they are not the supreme tests of abiding. The ultimate measure is love: "Do I manifest love in my contacts with others?" If love is absent, even in the presence of correct theology or moral conduct, then Christ’s life is not being expressed.
Moreover, Jones stresses that it is not just any kind of love, but the particular love Christ demonstrated — a self-giving, sacrificial love that is both source and expression. Just as the Father loved the Son, and the Son loves us, so we are called to abide in that same current of divine love, letting it become the fruit of every interaction.
Abiding in Him, therefore, is not a cold theological concept — it is a living, breathing experience of love flowing through every part of us.
Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
Remain in My love, for My love has been poured into your heart through the Holy Spirit who has been given to you. As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; abide in My love. Above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for you. By this all people will know that you are My disciple, if you have love for one another.
If you speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, you are a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. Faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love. Bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, for My love never fails.
Therefore, be rooted and grounded in love, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Stay in Me, and My love will course through your words, your touch, your glance, your life. Let your whole being breathe love.
(Scripture references: Romans 5:5; John 15:9; Colossians 3:14; Romans 12:9; Ephesians 5:2; John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13:1, 13; 1 Corinthians 13:7-8; Ephesians 3:17-19)
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine walking into a room that has just been painted. You can’t see the paint drying, but you immediately notice the scent — it fills the space invisibly, changing the very atmosphere. In much the same way, when a person abides in Christ’s love, it changes the “atmosphere” they bring into every room, every conversation, every interaction. People may not be able to pinpoint it right away, but they sense it: love has been here. It lingers, it blesses, it breathes life into the space.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that abiding in Your Son means abiding in perfect love. I rejoice that love is not something I have to generate on my own — it is the overflow of Your life within me. As I walk through this day, I trust You to express Your love through me naturally and fully. Let the unseen fragrance of Christ be the quiet testimony in every encounter, and let Your love become the atmosphere of my life. Thank You that I am already rooted and grounded in Your love, and I walk in it joyfully today.