Growing
In Christ!
"I
am the vine, you are the branches; he that abides in me, and
I in him, the same brings forth much fruit. For without Me
you can do nothing" John
15:5.
The change
of heart by which we become children of God is in the Bible
spoken of as a new birth. It is compared to the germination
of the good seed sown by the husbandman (Matt. 13:24-30).
In like manner those who are just converted to Christ are,
"as new-born babes," to "grow up" to the
stature of men and women in Christ Jesus, 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians
4:15.
Or like
the good seed sown in the field, they are to grow up and bring
forth fruit. Isaiah says that they shall "be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might
be glorified" Isaiah 61:3. So from natural life, illustrations
are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious
truths of spiritual life.
Not all
the wisdom and skill of man can produce life in the smallest
object in nature. It is only through the life which God Himself
has imparted, that either plant or animal can live. So it
is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten
in the hearts of men. Unless a man is "born again"
John 3:3, he cannot become a partaker of the life that Christ
came to give.
As with
life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings the bud to
bloom and the flower to fruit. It is by His power that the
seed develops, "first the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the ear." Mark 4:28. And the prophet
Hosea says of Israel, that "he shall grow as the lily."
"They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine."
Hosea 14:5, 7. And Jesus bids us "consider the lilies
how they grow." Luke 12:27. The plants and flowers grow
not by their own care or anxiety or effort, but by receiving
that which God has furnished to minister to their life. The
child cannot, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its
stature. No more can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself,
secure spiritual growth. The plant, the child, grows by receiving
from its surroundings that which ministers to its life - air,
sunshine, and food. What these gifts of nature are to animal
and plant, such is Christ to those who trust in Him. He is
their "everlasting light," "a sun and shield;
the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He
withhold from them that walk uprightly." Isaiah 60:19;
Psalm 84:11. "He shall come down like rain upon the mown
grass; as showers that water the earth." Psalm 72:6.
He is "the Bread of God . . . who comes down from heaven,
and gives life to the world." John 6:33.
In the
matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world
with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates
around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving
atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and
women in Christ Jesus.
As the
flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in
perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the
Sun of Righteousness, that heaven's light may shine upon us,
that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.
Jesus
taught the same thing when He said, "Abide in Me, and
I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in
Me. . . . for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:4,
5. You are just as dependent upon Christ, in order to live
a holy life, as is the branch upon the parent stock for growth
and fruitfulness. Apart from Him you have no life. You have
no power to resist temptation or to grow in grace and holiness.
Abiding in Him, you may flourish. Drawing your life from Him,
you will not wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water.
Many
have an idea that they must do some part of the work alone.
They have trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sin, but
now they seek by their own efforts to live aright. But every
such effort must fail. Jesus said, "Without Me you can
do nothing."
Our growth
in grace, our joy, our usefulness, - all depend upon our union
with Christ. It is by communion with Him, daily, hourly, -
by abiding in Him, - that we are to grow in grace. He is not
only the Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ
first and last and always. He is to be with us, not only at
the beginning and the end of our course, but at every step
of the way. David wrote, "I have set the Lord always
before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved." Psalm 16:8.
Do you
ask, "How am I to abide in Christ?" In the same
way as you received Him at first. "As you have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him."
"The just shall live by faith." Colossians 2:6;
Hebrews 10:38. You gave yourself to God, to be His wholly,
to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your Saviour.
You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your
heart; but having given yourself to God, you believe that
He for Christ's sake did all this for you. By faith you became
Christ's, and by faith you are to grow up in Him - by giving
and taking. You are to give all, - your heart, your will,
your service, - give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements;
and you must take all, - Christ, the fullness of all blessing,
to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness,
your everlasting helper, - to give you power to obey.
Consecrate
yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first
work. Let your prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly
Thine. I lay all my plans at Your feet. Use me today in Your
service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in
Thee." This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate
yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to
Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall
indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into
the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and
more after the life of Christ.
A life
in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy
of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust.
Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness
is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your
frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself,
not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let
the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection,
of His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His
humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in
His matchless love - this is the subject for the soul's contemplation.
It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him,
that you are to be transformed into His likeness.
Jesus
says, "Abide in Me." These words convey the idea
of rest, stability, confidence. Again He invites, "Come
unto Me, all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express
the same thought: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently
for Him" Psalm 37:7. And Isaiah gives the assurance,
"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength"
Isaiah 30:15. This rest is not found in inactivity; for in
the Savior's invitation the promise of rest is united with
the call to labor: "Take My yoke upon you and learn of
Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest
for your souls" Matthew 11:29. The heart that rests most
fully upon Christ will be most earnest and active in labor
for Him.
When
the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ,
the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan's constant
effort to keep the attention diverted from the Savior and
thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ.
The pleasures of the world, life's cares and perplexities
and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and
imperfections - to any or all of these he will seek to divert
the mind. Do not be misled by his devices. Many who are really
conscientious, and who desire to live for God, he too often
leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus
by separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory.
We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and
fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul
away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of
your soul to God, and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus.
Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt; dismiss your
fears. Say with the apostle Paul, "I live; yet not I,
but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me,
and gave Himself for me" Galatians 2:20. Put your faith
and trust in God, and rest in Him. He is able to keep that
which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself
in His hands, He will bring you off more than conqueror through
Him who has loved you more than life itself; He suffered and
died on Calvary's cross for you.
When
Christ took human nature upon Himself, He bound humanity to
Him by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power
save the choice of man himself. Satan will constantly present
allurements to induce us to break this tie - to choose to
separate ourselves from Christ. Here is where we need to watch,
to strive, to pray, that nothing may entice us to choose another
master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep
our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking
unto Jesus, we are safe. Nothing can pluck us out of His hand.
In constantly focusing on Him, we "are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord" 2 Corinthians 3:18.
It was
thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the
dear Saviour. When the disciples heard the words of Jesus,
they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they
followed Him. They were with Him in the house, at the table,
in the closet, in the field. They were with Him as pupils
with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips lessons of holy
truth. They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to
learn their duty. Those disciples were men "subject to
like passions as we are" James 5:17. They had the same
battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order
to live a holy life.
Even
John, the beloved disciple, the one who most fully reflected
the likeness of the Saviour, did not naturally possess that
loveliness of character. He was not only self-assertive and
ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injuries.
But as the character of the Divine One was manifested to him,
he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by the knowledge.
The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the majesty
and meekness, that he beheld in the daily life of the Son
of God, filled his soul with admiration and love. Day by day
his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight
of self in love for his Master. His resentful, ambitious temper
was yielded to the molding power of Christ. The regenerating
influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart. The power
of the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character.
This is the sure result of union with Jesus. When Christ abides
in the heart, the whole nature is transformed. Christ's Spirit,
His love, softens the heart, subdues the soul, and raises
the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven.
When
Christ ascended to heaven, the sense of His presence was still
with His followers. It was a personal presence, full of love
and light. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and talked and
prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their
hearts, had, while the message of peace was still upon His
lips, been taken up from them into heaven, and the tones of
His voice had come back to them, as the cloud of angels received
Him - "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world" Matthew 28:20. He had ascended to heaven in
the form of humanity. They knew that He was before the throne
of God, their Friend and Saviour still; that His sympathies
were unchanged; that He was still identified with suffering
humanity. He was presenting before God the merits of His own
precious blood, showing His wounded hands and feet, in remembrance
of the price He had paid for His redeemed. They knew that
He had ascended to heaven to prepare places for them, and
that He would come again and take them to Himself.
As they
met together after the ascension they were eager to present
their requests to the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn
awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the assurance, "Whatever
you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.
Hitherto you have asked nothing in My name; ask, and you shall
receive, that your joy may be full" John 16:23,24. They
extended the hand of faith higher and higher with the mighty
argument, "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also
makes intercession for us" Romans 8:34. And Pentecost
brought them the presence of the Comforter, of whom Christ
had said, He "shall be in you" John 14:17. And He
further said, "It is expedient for you that I go away:
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you;
but if I depart, I will send Him to you" John 16:7. Henceforth
through the Spirit, Christ was to abide continually in the
hearts of His children. Their union with Him was closer than
when He was personally with them. The light, and love, and
power of the indwelling Christ shone out through them, so
that men, beholding, "marveled; and they took knowledge
of them, that they had been with Jesus" Acts 4:13.
All that
Christ was to the disciples, He desires to be to His children
today; for in that last prayer, with the little band of disciples
gathered about Him, He said, "Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also who shall believe on Me through their
word" John 17:20.
Jesus
prayed for us, and He asked that we might be one with Him,
even as He is one with the Father. What a union is this! The
Saviour has said of Himself, "The Son can do nothing
of Himself;" "the Father that dwells in Me, He does
the works" John 5:19; and 14:10. Then if Christ is dwelling
in our hearts, He will work in us "both to will and to
do of His good pleasure" Philippians 2:13. We shall work
as He worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus,
loving Him and abiding in Him, we shall "grow up into
Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" Ephesians
4:15.
"I
am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides
in Me and I in him brings forth much fruit!"
This
meditation is from The Path to Peace, pp. 32-36.
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