GOD’S WORD FOR APRIL 20 ~ ~ Psalm 139:6 ~ ~ “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”
Continuing with “Abide in Christ” by Andrew Murray.
Wondrous parable of the Vine – unveiling the mysteries of the divine love, of the heavenly life, of the world of the Spirit – how little have I understood You! Jesus, the living Vine in heaven, and I, the living branch on earth! How little have I understood how great my need of – and also how perfect my claim to – all His fullness! How little understood, how great His need of – and also how perfect His claim to – my emptiness! Let me, in its beautiful light, study the wondrous union between Jesus and His people, until it becomes my guide to full communion with my beloved Lord.
Let me listen and believe until my whole being cries out, “Jesus is indeed to me the True Vine, bearing me, nourishing me, supplying me, using me, and filling me to the full to make me bring forth fruit abundantly.”
Then, I will not fear to say, “I am indeed a branch to Jesus, the True Vine, abiding in Him, resting on Him, waiting for Him, serving Him, and living only that through me He may show forth the riches of His grace and give His fruit to a perishing world.”
It is when we try thus to understand the meaning of the parable that the blessed command spoken in connection with it will come home to us in its true power. The thought of what the vine is to the branch, and Jesus to the believer, will give new force to the words, “Abide in Me.” It will be as if He says:
“Think, soul, how completely I belong to you. I have joined Myself inseparably to you; all the fullness and fatness of the Vine are yours indeed. Now, once you are in Me, be assured that all I have is wholly yours. It is My interest and My honor to have you be a fruitful branch; only abide in Me. You are weak, but I am strong; you are poor, but I am rich. Only abide in Me; yield yourself wholly to My teaching and rule; simply trust My love, My grace, My promises. Only believe; I am wholly yours. I am the Vine, you are the branch. Abide in Me!”
What do you say, O my soul? Will I hesitate longer or withhold consent? Or will I not – instead of only thinking how hard it is to live like a branch of the True Vine, because I thought of it as something I have to accomplish – will I not now begin to look upon it as the most blessed and joyful thing under heaven? Will I not believe that, now that I am in Him, He Himself will keep me and enable me to abide? On my part, abiding is nothing but the acceptance of my position, the consent to be kept there, the surrender of faith to the strong Vine still to hold the feeble branch. Yes, I will – I do – abide in You, blessed Lord Jesus.
Oh Savior, how unspeakable is Your love! “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain to it.” (Ps 139:6).
I can only yield myself to Your love with the prayer that, day by day, You would unfold to me something of its precious mysteries and so encourage and strengthen Your loving disciple to do what my heart longs to do indeed – ever, only, wholly, to abide in You!