We had just landed after a twelve-hour flight. Having wrapped up a month in China, my jet-lagged friends and I were now back on American soil. Because we were about to scatter across the country to our homes, we each had different travel arrangements. Some had connecting flights immediately; others would take their time through the airport before boarding the next plane; a few of us would have the evening to ourselves before flying home the next morning. I was in this last group. Those of us with an overnight layover in Los Angeles decided that we’d go check out the ocean (something I’d never seen), have dinner, and go to our hotel before returning to the airport early the next morning.

Except none of that happened. 

Because of a computer glitch at LAX customs, our entire flight of passengers had to remain in the airplane on the tarmac for another five hours (along with every other inbound international flight at the airport). Two more hours went by before we got through customs, then another two before we got our luggage and wearily wandered around trying (unsuccessfully) to find the shuttle to our hotel. 

Though we had landed at 5:00 p.m., we didn’t arrive at our hotel until 2:00 a.m. And in case you’re wondering, I still haven’t seen the ocean. 

That day, you could say that we had to abide in the airplane. First, we remained in it as it took us safely from Beijing, China, to Los Angeles, California. Later, we had to abide in it because we weren’t allowed to leave. Either way, we stayed on the plane. 

While no one in their right mind would want to abide in an airplane long term, we followers of Christ are commanded to abide in Him. Unlike the airplane, however, the call to remain in Jesus is a call to an abundant life. And that’s a call that you and I need to answer this year. 

Fix Your Eyes: Look Up

In order to abide in Christ—to remain in Him for the long haul—we must shift our gaze from earthly to heavenly things (Col. 2:3). As the new year begins, consider the question, “Where am I looking?” Take a glance around an airport, subway, waiting room, or cafeteria, and you’ll notice nearly everyone’s gaze fixed in the same direction: down. Of course, there are legitimate and edifying reasons to look at a smartphone (perhaps you’re reading this blog on one right now!), but it’s the picture I want you to consider. Are you so busy staring down at the screen of your phone or tablet that you don’t have time to lift your eyes and fix them on Christ? 

While the author of Hebrews had no knowledge of telecommunication, his warning rings particularly true in our screen-laden culture: 

Therefore . . . let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

If you want to abide in Christ in 2025, you must quiet the other voices that you’re letting into your head, free yourself from entanglements tripping you up on your way to the finish line, and unburden yourself from weights slowing you down. Admittedly, I don’t know exactly what it will look like for you to look up, but maybe it means uninstalling a few apps from your phone. Maybe it means deleting some social media accounts or simply fasting from an app or two for a season. If you want to abide in Christ, you can’t abide in Instagram too.

Instead, we must listen to the psalmist who proclaimed, 

I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1–2)

Just pressing the “uninstall” button won’t be enough. Looking up from your phone is good, but it’s insufficient. You must also affix your gaze to the Savior. 

Feed Your Mind: Dig Deep

We can’t gain anything by subtraction alone. We must “put off” the flesh as well as “put on” the Spirit. So, abiding in Christ must be more than just an amputation of time-wasting devices or applications. You know as well as I do that if we’re not intentional with the time that we gain, another time-sucker will rise up and take its place. 

It’s no wonder, then, that our minds have such a significant role to play in our sanctification. We see this all over the New Testament.

  • The exhortation to dwell on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely (Phil. 4:8).
  • The command to “be renewed in the spirit of our minds” (Eph. 4:23).
  • The warning to “pay attention to what we have heard so that we will not drift away” (Heb. 2:1). 
  • The succinct directive to “consider Jesus” (Heb. 3:1). 

If we want to abide in Christ, we must feed our minds with the Bread of Life and drink deeply from the fountain of Living Water. It’s not optional.

So, what will you do this year to fill the void? How will you feed your mind and abide in the Word? Bible studies and reading plans come out of the woodwork to answer that question at this time of year. Find one that works for you and dive in. Or if you’re looking for something a little different, here are a few other ideas to prime the pump.

  • Study the names or titles of Christ.
  • Move slowly through the Gospels (or pick just one!), getting to know Jesus better with each readthrough. What made Him mad? What made Him sad? When and to whom did He show compassion? 
  • Memorize a passage from Colossians (or the whole book). Try 1:15–20 as a starting point. 
  • Listen to or study the book of Hebrews and see how Jesus is better than anything else you might want to try. 

We have to start somewhere (and these ideas are a great starting point), but abiding is about more than checking a box. The goal of abiding in Christ is not to accomplish a task and move on with the day. The goal is to allow the Word to dwell in our hearts and minds to accomplish its work.

And that’s why I need to abide this year. I need to turn from my natural tendency to do-do-do and study-study-study and take time to meditate. Like Mary, I want to sit (abide!) at the feet of Jesus, gazing at His glory and allowing the blazing light of the Savior to transform me into His image (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Be Transformed 

Transformation—from glory to glory—that is what abiding is all about. When I remain in Christ—tethered to Him, His power, His character, His nature—the Spirit of God will bear fruit in my life. That’s a promise from Jesus Himself: 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” (John 15:5)

Patience with your kids, gentle rather than harsh words, humility and self-control, peace in a world rife with anxiety, and joy on days fraught with disappointment—this fruit does not come by trying harder and doing more. It comes from turning your eyes from the things of this world, fixing them on Christ, and staying there. Abiding until—and while—transformation takes place. 

So, now that we’ve turned our calendars to 2025, let’s do this together. 

Let’s abide. 

Speaking of abiding, when Nancy addressed the first Revive Our Hearts conference in South Africa, she spoke on the need all of us have, no matter where we live. We all need to make seeking God the number one priority. Hear her message in the series “Preparing the Way for Revival (Isaiah 40).”