In order for the Father to conform us to the image of His Son (see Romans 8:29), we must abide in Christ. What does it mean to abide? It means to remain, rest, stay, wait, and continue. Abiding in Christ, then, involves waiting upon the Lord and entering into His peace. "But  they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall  mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and  they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

 Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abide in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without [separately, apart from] me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). Just as a branch draws its life-source from the vine,  believers must stay connected to Christ for His life to flow through  them and produce spiritual fruit. Branches "live and move and have their  being" (Acts 17:28) only by the life of the vine.

Abiding in Christ is a patient expectancy; it is neither wasteful idleness nor anxious striving. "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him"
(Psalm 62:5). Abiding in Christ, therefore,  means to draw supernatural strength from the presence of the Lord and  walk moment by moment in the leading of His Spirit.