Day: December 2, 2025

Posted in John

Abiding in Christ

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“Abide in Me and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4

 The Greek word for abide, meno, is from the noun, mone, which means home.  The noun form is used a few verses earlier, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)  When I say to a guest, “make yourself at home,” I’m telling them to relax because they belong here.  Have we given God that kind of welcome?  Do we believe He gives us that kind of welcome?

Jesus invites us to make a new home with Him.  He doesn’t want to be a hotel we visit on Sundays, and He doesn’t want to be an apartment we rent from month to month to keep our options open.  He wants us to make the investment of our lives by building a home together with Him, and He gives us the blueprint of what the new home will look like.

 First, it will be large.  It must be because there seems to be room for everyone.  “This is My command, love another.” (15:12)  There’s room for all Christians, for strangers, and even for enemies.  It turns out Jesus is planning on inviting a lot of people over to the new home!

 Secondly, it’s a happy home.  “These things I command you so that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be full.” (15:11)  If we aren’t there yet it’s not because it’s not part of the blueprint, it’s only because the new home isn’t fully built yet.

 Thirdly, it’s a unique home.  “If you abide in Me and My word abides in you, ask whatever you desire and it will be done.” (15:7)  His presence and His word so purify our desires that who God has uniquely made us, becomes part of the new home.  The life of Jesus is going to be expressed differently in each of us, so it’s important not to compare ourselves with each other.  The home you build with Jesus will look different than the home I build with Jesus.

Posted in 2Timothy, John, Matthew

The One Behind the Scriptures

Posted on by Tom Flaherty

“All Scripture is God breathed…” 2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible is one of God’s most startling revelations of Himself. It was written over a period of 1600 years by over 40 different human authors with a variety of backgrounds, from three different continents, and in three different languages, yet it is one story, one history, with one message. It is by far the best selling book in history. You probably have one, or maybe even a few, lying around your house. The question is how does one read the Bible in a way that he will find God and not just be frustrated by the seeking?

There were two major religious groups at the time of Christ that had access to the Scriptures but didn’t find God: The Sadducees and the Pharisees. To the Sadducees Jesus said, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)  They were a group that had exalted intellect and human wisdom above the word of God. They didn’t believe in angels, miracles, or the resurrection of the dead, even though the Old Testament Scriptures taught these things. Because of this grave error they lost all understanding of spiritual things. Many in America have made a similar mistake. When you put your opinion above the word of God and only believe the parts of the Bible that agree with your thinking, you make yourself out to be the final authority and end up denying the God of the Scriptures. Submit your heart to the Scriptures, humble your mind before God, and you will find yourself being changed by God’s word as you seek to apply it to your life.

The other group who had access to the Scriptures was the Pharisees. Jesus said to them, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.” (John 5:39)  The Pharisees believed every jot and tittle of the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi, but they had exalted them to the place of God. They lived for rules and interpretations and spent much of their time arguing doctrines and splitting hairs over who was the most right, while attacking anyone who didn’t share their insights. Unfortunately many Bible believing people get caught in this trap today. The Bible is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to reveal a living Person who is in love with us. Truth itself, Jesus said, was not a belief system, but found in His Person. He said, “I am the truth…” (John 14:6)  He is the Word that became flesh. He is the One that the Scriptures were written to reveal. Read your Bible to find the One behind it and you will find life in Jesus Christ.