42. Abide in My Love

John 15:9 (NRSV)  As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; 

abide in my love.

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 we with Him really can make it so. Our continuous abiding in the Vine is to be an abiding in His Love.

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.

All too often the feebleness of our Christian life is that we do not take time to believe that this Divine Love really does 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 so lovingly longs to do for us.

In faith we are to cast ourselves on Christ to work it in us—

this is the secret of the true Christian life.

Q: But how to come to this faith?

… Turn away from the visible if you want to 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. Abiding means going away from everything else, to occupy one place and stay there. Come away from all else, and set your heart on Jesus, and His Love and that Love will awaken your faith and strengthen it. Occupy yourself with that Love, worship it, wait for it. You can be sure it will reach out to you, and by its Power take you up into itself as your abode and your home.