Good morning, my brothers!  Last week, we talked about drawing close enough to hear God and fighting “the drift.” This week, we build on that truth and dig into a life that abides with Christ. Let’s go!

A 5-minute, 13-second read

Hudson Taylor’s “Aha Moment”

Most of us have heard of the great British missionary, Hudson Taylor, who took the gospel into inland China when few dared to go. Millions of brave Christians in China today can trace their walk with the Lord back to Taylor and his missionary organization.

His impact was transformational, and today we view Taylor as an example of a bold Christ-centered visionary - strong, diligent, a spiritual giant.

And yet, for much of his early ministry days, he was burned out, attempting to do the work of the Lord in his own strength, like many of us today.

He had buried a child. He had faced opposition, financial uncertainty, illness, and relentless responsibility. The letters kept coming, the needs kept multiplying, and the weight of leadership pressed heavier with every passing year.

Again, he was doing the work of God, but he was running out of the life of God.

Some of us know that feeling, too.

We love Christ. We believe in His Word. We are committed to our families and our callings. But somewhere along the way, we begin operating as if the results depend on us.

Hudson Taylor had a turning point, which he later described as “the exchanged life.” He realized he had been trying to be strong for Christ instead of allowing Christ to be strong in him. He had been striving to produce fruit rather than remaining connected to the Vine.

And that’s because the hope of Jesus’s words in John 15 became real to Taylor.

Remaining or abiding in Christ, we bear much fruit. Apart from Him, we produce nothing of eternal value.

That verse should give us both great joy and great relief, pointing the way to becoming more the man God has called us to be.

Because if we are honest, many of us produce activity but not fruit that lasts.

Abiding as the Secret For “Much Fruit” Guys

Andrew Murray wrote in his seminal book Abiding in Christ, “Abiding in Christ is not a work that we have to do, but a consent to let Him do all.”

Hudson Taylor saw this same truth. A branch does not clench its bark and strain to push out grapes. It simply remains connected, and life flows naturally from the vine into the branch.

The branch does not worry about fruit. It rests in the Vine. Through the Vine, all nutrients come, all strength is produced, and fruit is the natural result.

Abiding Is Receiving

Abiding is not vague spirituality. It is the steady posture of receiving what we cannot generate ourselves.

We receive strength when we are tired. We receive clarity when we are confused. We receive conviction when we are drifting and courage when we are afraid.

We do not manufacture these things.

We receive them.

Murray described abiding as “the continuous act of receiving.” That language reframes everything. We are not called to power up. We are called to plug in.

And if we are disconnected, no amount of effort will make up for it.

My Fax Machine Moment

I can remember a moment early in my business career that, to this day, makes me laugh. It was the early 1990’s, and I needed to send an important fax to someone. I couldn’t get the fax machine to respond. Pushing buttons, turning the machine on and off…nothing worked.

I asked our secretary to come over and give me a hand. She came over, looked behind the machine, and had it working in 3 seconds. I asked her what she did to fix the broken machine.

She laughed and said simply, “I plugged it in.” I shook my head and cracked up with her.

How often do we try to do the work of the Lord without being plugged in to our power source, God Himself?

Jesus Modeled Dependence

Jesus Himself said, “The Son can do nothing by Himself.” If the Son of God lived in constant dependence on the Father, then self-reliance in us is not strength. It is spiritual arrogance.

Hudson Taylor did not reduce his calling. He did not step away from leadership. He simply stopped trying to be the source of what only Christ could supply.

We might need that same shift. We might need deeper connection.

What Abiding Looks Like for Us

Abiding looks like beginning our mornings with presence, not performance. We come to the Word not to check a box as we discussed last week, but to encounter the living Christ. We ask Him to speak before we ask Him to bless our plans.

It looks like honest prayer.

Not polished language. Not theological correctness. Honest dependence. We acknowledge His greatness, we praise Him for His character, and admit where we are tired, tempted, anxious, or proud. We ask for His guidance.

It looks like quick repentance and immediate obedience. When the Spirit nudges, we respond. When He convicts, we confess. When He prompts, we move.

Abiding is not passive.

It is responsive surrender.

The Fruit We Cannot Fake

Jesus does not command fruit. He commands abiding. Fruit is the evidence of connection, not the result of pressure.

When we remain in Him, love grows naturally. Patience strengthens steadily. Courage stabilizes quietly. Peace deepens even when circumstances remain hard.

Hudson Taylor still faced loss and opposition. But the pressure no longer defeated him because he was drawing from a deeper source.

The branch rests.

The vine sustains.

A Question We Must Ask Ourselves

Are we producing activity or cultivating intimacy? Are we busy for Christ while slowly drifting from Christ? When was the last time we sat before Him without an agenda or distraction?

When was the last time we simply remained?

We cannot lead our families from spiritual emptiness. We cannot fight private battles without divine life flowing through us. We cannot build something eternal on a foundation of self-effort.

And the best part of it is this: we don’t need to because, connected to Him, we can endure anything. We can accomplish all that He has for us. We can be the men He has called us, uniquely, to be.

A Simple Challenge for This Week

Let’s make this practical together.

For the next seven days, let’s protect the first fifteen minutes of our morning. No phone. No scrolling. No noise. Just Scripture open and hearts attentive.

We ask Him to search us. We ask Him to fill us. We ask Him to produce fruit we cannot manufacture.

And throughout the day, we return.

When pressure rises, we whisper His name. When temptation surfaces, we cling closer. When success comes, we give Him credit.

Abiding is not an event.

It is a rhythm of staying connected.

Hudson Taylor discovered that his strength was not in heroic effort but in hidden communion. And if we are honest, that is what we need as well.

We do not need to strive harder.

We need to stay closer.

Remain in Him.

And let Him live His life through us.

  -WIll