"Abiding in Christ is not going outside when my mom tells me not to," says Alexandra, age 5.

Refusing to go outside of God's will has everything to do with abiding in Christ. "Abiding means you need to stay with God and listen to him," says Fayette, 8. "He wants us to stay with him and learn more about him. He loves us all and wants all the people to stick to him."

Yes, God wants us to be sticky. Just as branches receive life from a vine, so Christians are to receive their life from God. "You can't have grapes without a grapevine," says Peyton, 7. "You can't have life without God."

"Remain" is another word for "abide." The disciples remained with Jesus for three years of ministry. After Jesus' crucifixion, Jerusalem leaders arrested apostles Peter and John for preaching that God had raised Jesus from the dead. When religious leaders saw their boldness, "they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

This kind of holy boldness isn't reserved only for apostles. The Bible says Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. After Jesus returned to heaven as the God/Man in a resurrection body, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell his people.

Heaven's invasion to reclaim Earth began with one man being filled with the Holy Spirit from birth and abiding in his father's will. The name Immanuel, which we hear at Christmas, means "God with us." In his first advent, Jesus lived with us in space and time. But now, Jesus lives in all who believe in him as their only hope for heaven.

"To abide in Christ means to try to do what God wants you to do," says Chelsea, 8. "If you try to do what the devil wants, you would be abiding in the devil."

Chelsea's honesty is refreshing.

If God is not the captain of your ship, who is? Jesus came to set us free from the delusions which characterize the self-centered life.

They say Las Vegas is an inch deep and a mile wide. It's all lights, glitter and empty pockets. Like going to Vegas, abiding in the world's spirit stimulates for a time, but it can't satisfy. You'll feel empty and frustrated.

"To abide in Christ means to stay with God and to never leave him. He is like a tree and wants us to never leave him," says Samantha, 8.

Jesus promised he would never leave anyone who has received his gift of eternal life (John 10:28). In light of such faithfulness on God's part, John wrote: "We love him because he first loved us" (I John 4:19). God's love is like an immovable redwood tree.

God wants us to live a fulfilled life. When we fix our hearts and minds on him, we draw our life from him. The first psalm says the person who meditates on God's Word will be "like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Think about this: Someone is always selling a new formula for instant wealth and success. Memorize this truth: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:7-8). Ask this question: Where will you look for success and satisfaction?

Win a dude ranch vacation by entering the Children's International Arts Festival, download the "Kids Color Me Bible" for free, watch Kid TV Interviews and the "Mission Explorers Video Series," and listen to a talking book at www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. Bible quotations are from the New King James Version. To find out more about Carey Kinsolving and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CAREY KINSOLVING

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