Abide means to dwell, stay, remain, wait for. John 15:4 in the Amplified says, “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. (Live in Me, and I will live in you.) Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”

Here’s a dramatic example of what vital union means. I sawed off a low hanging branch in my backyard, and left it lying on the ground. 1/2 hour later I noticed that the leaves on the branch were totally wilted. I cut it off from its life source!

Job 7:17-18 says, “What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?” Psalm 8:4 says, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?”

Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image…” We are created for relationship with our Creator.