22. Unless You Abide—

John 15:4 (NRSV) Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit 

by itself unless it abides in the vine, 

neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Our blessed Lord Jesus desires to call us out of ourselves and our own strength, to Himself and His Strength. Let us accept the warning to distrust one’s own self and turn to Him in love and willingness to allow Him to do His Work in us. How else can our life be hidden with Christ IN God?

That life is a heavenly mystery, hidden from the wise even among Christians, and revealed unto babes—the childlike spirit that learns that life is given from Heaven every day and every moment to the soul that accepts the teaching of not of itself, except it abide, and seeks its ALL in the Vine.

Abiding in the Vine then comes to be nothing more nor less than the restful surrender of the soul to let Christ have ALL and work ALL, as completely as in nature the branch knows and seeks nothing but the vine.

Therein lies our challenge … not in our own strength but IN His alone.