Abide in My Love

Good morning friends. It is good to be back home, and good to start back into the rhythm of our retreat. Thank you, those of you who prayed for me, who prayed for Brenda Hollenbach over the weekend as each of us spoke at different retreats. Your prayers helped us be just the branch, allowing God to give us His own strength, and His own words so that what was produced would last. So, so thankful. Today’s reading is Abide in My Love, and is from John 15:9 Instead of the highlights, I’ve included the entire devotional below. It is in public domain. If you missed the prior readings, here is the link to the online PDF. Even as the Father Hath Loved Me, I Also Have Loved You: Abide Ye in My Love—John 15.9 Abide in My love—We speak of a man’s home as his abode. Our abode, the home of our soul, is to be the love of Christ. We are to live our life there, to be at home there all the day: this is what Christ means our life to be, and really can make it. Our continuous abiding in the Vine is to be an abiding in His love. You have probably heard or read of what is called the higher, or the deeper life, of the richer or the fuller life, of the life abundant. And you possibly know that some have told of a wonderful change, by which their life of continual failure and stumbling had been changed into a very blessed experience of being kept and strengthened and made exceeding glad. If you asked them how it was this great blessing came to them, many would tell you it was simply this, that they were led to believe that this abiding in Christ’s love was meant to be a reality, and that they were made willing to give up everything for it, and then enabled to trust Christ to make it true to them. The love of the Father to the Son is not a sentiment—it is a divine life, an infinite energy, an irresistible power. It carried Christ through life and death and the grave. The Father loved Him and dwelt in Him, and did all for Him. So the love of Christ to us too is an infinite living power that will work in us all He delights to give us. The feebleness of our Christian life is that we do not take time to believe that this divine love does really delight in us, and will possess and work all in us. We do not take time to look at the Vine bearing the branch so entirely, working all in it so completely. We strive to do for ourselves what Christ alone can, what Christ, oh, so lovingly, longs to do for us. And this now is the secret of the change we spoke of, and the beginning of a new life, when the soul sees this infinite love willing to do all, and gives itself up to it. “Abide ye in my love.” To believe that, it is possible so to live moment by moment; to believe that everything that makes it difficult or impossible will be overcome by Christ Himself; to believe that Love really means an infinite longing to give itself wholly to us and never leave us; and in this faith to cast ourselves on Christ to work it in us; this is the secret of the true Christian life. And how to come to this faith? Turn away from the visible if you would see and possess the invisible. Take more time with Jesus, gazing on Him as the heavenly Vine, living in the love of the Father, wanting you to live in His love. Turn away from yourself and your efforts and your faith, if you would have the heart filled with Him and the certainty of His love. Abiding means going out from everything else, to occupy one place and stay there. Come away from all else, and set your heart on Jesus, and His love, that love will waken your faith and strengthen it. Occupy yourself with that love, worship it, wait for it. You may be sure it will reach out to you, and by its power take you up into itself as your abode and your home. Abide in My love. Lord Jesus, I see it, it was Thy abiding in Thy Father’s love that made Thee the true Vine, with Thy divine fullness of love and blessing for us. Oh, that I may even so, as a branch, abide in Thy love, for its fullness to fill me and overflow on all around. Lord we would be with You where You are that we may see Your glory. We would learn to abide in Your love. We would desire to desire to have You alone as our greatest hope, our greatest joy. Lord strip away for us that which is in the way, and grant us the grace to believe, by faith, it is for our good, our joy, our heart’s desire to abide in Your love. When we would strive, let us hear Your Spirit say, “rest daughter, in my Love.” Your love strengthens, confirms and heals. Your love invigorates all we do, think and speak. And this abundant life that has been so elusive for so long… is very near. You alone can make it true in us. O make it true in us Abba. We are branches, only branches. You are the Vinedresser and You intimately care for each branch, pruning each to encourage more fruit, abundant fruit, fruit that will last. Let us rest in that. You are the Vine, we are the branches. Do what You will, only make the truth of an abundant life, abiding in Your love, true in us. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen..