John 15:5, 8.
J. F. English.
What a wonderful privilege is opened up to the saints of God today; those who once were the slaves of sin and Satan, far away from God and without hope in the world. Now, through the work of the blessed Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit indwelling, it is possible for each of us, no matter under what circumstances our lot is cast, to be living in such a way as to glorify the Father, and to have that life working in us which is in Him, so that there is much fruit to the glory of God the Father. He is the true Vine outside of Whom there is nothing in this world for the good pleasure of God, and happy are we to whom He can say, "ye are the branches." We know that in all that He was here on earth He fully glorified the Father. In His prayer to the Father in John 17. we have the privilege to hear Him address the Father as "Holy Father" and "Righteous Father." He Himself was the Holy One and True, of whom it was prophetically spoken in Psalm 45:6-7, and again quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9. "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity." If we are abiding in Him and He in us, then we shall be in the true path of discipleship, the path of Holiness and Righteousness, wherein is that much fruit which is to the glory of the Father. In this pathway we shall have the answer to all the questions that can be raised as to our associations on earth, and what more blessed path could we have. It is that which has been trodden by our adorable Lord before us, the path marked out by the Son of God, the Father's delight and joy.
The Apostle John exhorts us, "and now children, abide in Him," also "he that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself to walk, even as He walked" (1. John 2:28, 6). This wondrous pathway does not lie in anything very difficult to be done, or that which calls for some special intellectual qualifications, it is simply, "Abide in Me." Of course it does mean a true knowledge of Him, and of subjection to God the Holy Spirit always through prayerful communion and reading of His Word. Alas, however, we have to confess how little we know of this; so we are not sufficiently careful to guard against all which would come in between our souls and Him. We fail to Abide in Hirn, which is the secret of our being so unlike Him and there is so little to the glory of the Father. If we are entangled in unholy associations which are characterised by a worldly Christianity as in Christendom, that is not abiding in Him, and so there cannot be much fruit to the glory of the Father. If we are in a path of unrighteousness where we are unable to manifest the love of the Father to His own, we are not abiding in Him, and there is not the much fruit to the Father's glory in the Son. May we therefore be stirred by the Spirit's voice calling us to listen more earnestly to the Voice of our Beloved Lord. It is a day of inestimable privilege; we may have but a few more steps to travel before He comes to take us home. The judgment seat of Christ lies before us, where everything will be fully brought to light as He appraises it. May He give us true spiritual to Abide in Him. He, on His part, in His faithfulness will abide in us. We shall find ourselves in the path of true discipleship, and there will be much fruit to the glory of the Father, and the glory of the Son, our beloved Lord and Saviour.