Remember the elements of three: First, God is love. Second, those who abide in love abide in God. Third, God abides in them. Abide—we don’t say the word much anymore. Someone once painted a word-picture for me of abiding being like leaning against a large tree and letting yourself sink into that tree. That’s abiding.
Abiding means staying in touch with God. Jesus did that in his life. He sometimes separated himself from other people, even from his disciples, so that he could reconnect with God. That time away, that time set aside, also provided an opportunity for God to be in touch with Jesus—time for Jesus to listen. Listening deeply supports the being in touch. And you may have to rearrange your life to achieve that time apart.
A woman drove to physical therapy twice a week. It was only twenty-five minutes away, and she sometimes stopped in the town to go to a store or to check the used-book shelves at the library. But most of the time she drove there and came back home. At home she always had a list of tasks to accomplish.
One day as the woman drove home from therapy, she realized that halfway home she passed a small, peaceful-looking lake. On this particular day she pulled into the fairly vacant parking lot. It was cold and she stayed in her car, but she took some time to see the lake. In those set-aside moments, she also took time to connect—to be in touch with God—to abide.
At the close of the passage, the author issues the challenge to love. Verse 19 declares that we love because God first loved us. And verse 21 puts a must into the words: “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also” (emphasis added).