Abide in Christ: The Joy of Being in God's Presence Paperback – December 1, 2002

The book arrived early and as it was as described. About three years ago, the Lord had told me to start reading Andrew Murray’s books and I did and this is the last one that I have found! This book is absolutely amazing. Every Christian should read it soak it up. Read it slowly and it’s about abiding in Christ and how God does all of the work. God is amazing and so is his work through Christ in us

If you are a born again Christian & serious about your walk with the Lord, I strongly recommend this book. It is DEEP & I have to re-read parts at times. I'm looking forward to meeting Brother Murray in heaven one day.

Exceptional theology. Most Catholic and Protestant churches fail to explicitly explain how to live a spiritual life leaving the majority of Christians confined and limited to the contours of their church dogma. Those seekers searching to experience God for themselves will be enlightened and guided by "Abide in Christ" and Andrew Murray's "The Indwelling Spirit".

I'm using this book in a monthly Bible study, it is incredible reading.

Andrew Murray went deeper and he knew deeper. This book is a meditation on abiding in Christ better than any "theological" handling of the idea. Which of course makes it sound theology. The overflowing love of Jesus for His sheep establishes the highest motive for abiding in Him. Highly readable and reverence-evoking.

This is a great little book for those who are on a journey and want to know how to "practically" follow God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are so many different things that you can do...........read lots of books, listen to lots of CD's with sermons and songs, go to church, pray......etc. There is one thing however that will bring you Joy and that is to Abide through your periods of darkness. There is a great verse in Hebrews that says that "Jesus who for the Joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame." The root word in the Greek for endured is the word abide. The word for shame also encompasses complete confusion and fear. To get through the cross Jesus was looking for Joy...and to me Joy is a byproduct of abiding through trials. Just like sweat is the byproduct of work.........real spiritual joy that the world can not offer is only derived from abiding through trials. You do not get Joy from attending so many church services, conferences or reading spiritual books. You get Joy from abiding during trials. You can read one chapter each day of the month which is what I do and this particular book is a great copy, I like the font, I like the lion on the cover and it seems right. There are other copies of the book but I like this one very much. I bought a different version and that is now in a used book store somewhere. If I was to buy one book outside of the bible to help me on my journey of faith it would be this one.

In this book, Murray encourages his reader to abide in Christ, the same way that a branch abides in the vine. Murray says to abide in Christ, not just to come to Christ, or to meet Christ, but to abide in him. His foundational Scripture is John 15:1-12. According to this passage, Jesus is the vine, the believer is the branch. The branches depend upon the vine for sustenance and support. Just as the branch is sustained by the vine, the believer is sustained by the Jesus. The believer receives sustenance from Jesus. The branch is enabled to bear fruit by Jesus. In order to abide in Christ, one must give up oneself. Without the vine, the branch can do nothing. The secret to abiding in Christ is faith. Justification comes by faith, but equally important to understand is that the “just shall live by faith.”Murray explains that the purpose of the branches is to bear fruit. The reason some branches are not bearing fruit is because they are not attached properly to the vine. The primary duty of the branches is to abide in the vine. The more one relies on the connection to the vine, the more one will flourish. The bearing of fruit is the ministry of the branch. The vine gives sustenance and the branch gives fruit. The Christian life is one of giving and receiving. The vine is only planted for the fruit it bears. Other plants give ornament or shade, but the vine is planted for its fruit. The believer is called to bear great fruit. The fruit tree does not live for itself, it lives for the fruit it can give to others.The Father is the husbandman of the vineyard. The vineyard is a symbol of the people of God (Israel), the branch is a symbol of the individual believer. The Father cares for the vine. The Father plucks the branches that do not bear fruit. Of all the plants, the vine has the greatest need of the pruning knife. The Father prunes the branch so that it may bear greater fruit.Murray points out that the branch is only valuable to the extent that it is attached to the vine. Some branches are natural (Jews) and some are grafted into the vine (Gentiles), both must remain in the vine if they are to bear fruit. The vine does not pull sustenance from the earth for itself, it drinks water from the earth for the sake of the branch. Everything that the vine is belongs to the branches. The believer remains attached to the vine because of faith. The branch looks like the vine, so the believer must look like Christ.The believer must be crucified with Christ. It is impossible for the branch to be grafted into the vine unless there is a wounding. The vine is wounded and the branch is trimmed so that the graft can be sustained.The branch must abide in the vine every single day. Today’s manna must be sufficient for today. God’s presence cannot be stored up for later, His presence is needed today for today’s problems. When one abides in Christ, one discovers wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Abiding in Christ is not a place of striving, it is a place of rest.EvaluationAndrew Murray (1828-1917) was a South African pastor and writer who wrote over 240 books. He was a key influencer in the Keswick movement, also known as the Higher Life movement because of their emphasis on a second work of sanctification that happens subsequent to salvation. His theology on healing and faith makes him a predecessor to the Pentecostal movement.The knowledge in this book is the result of deep devotion. It is not trite or full of clichéd wisdom like is often found in today’s books. Even though many of the sentences are simple, they are dripping with honey from the throne room of heaven. This book is primarily a devotional book. It is worth rereading and redigesting repeatedly. In the hustle and bustle of life, every Christian needs regular reminders to remain close to the source of Life itself. This is the type of book that is worth reading every year or so. Repeated readings will reveal deeper truths. This is a book for meditation, for deep contemplation.The book does seem to drag on for a bit too long. Most of the ideas could have been covered in one or two chapters. Actually, the title of the book covers the content of the entire book. If one gets the idea, “Abide in Christ” one pretty much grasps the main point of the book. The last one hundred pages seemed to never end and they were repetitious. When the book was written, a lengthy book was the norm; now the entire book would be distilled into an article with bullet points to make it easier to read. A shorter article would not have the devotional impact of this book, but it would be quicker to read. But on the other hand, the book does have thirty-one chapters and is devotional in nature. Reading one chapter each day for a month would be an ideal way to consume this book.

I just finished this book and I’m sitting here and basking in the warmth of all of the beautiful truths contained in this book. This book will drive you closer to The Holy One. You will shout in delight and then fall on your knees in repentance. This is one of those books that you read and reread over and over again.