Abide in Me
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4).
At the beginning of the Bible, God takes just two chapters to outline His astonishing work of Creation. The most brilliant minds in science continue to be mesmerised by its mysteries. It takes God ten chapters at the end of Exodus to describe in the smallest detail the building of the Tabernacle. God begins this process with the words, “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Moses finished the construction of this small structure in the final chapter of Exodus, where we read, “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35). At the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21, we read, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (verses 3-4).
In March this year, the world began to stop. The engines which drive the world’s economy fell silent. The crowded cities emptied, and everything became still. We were in a place we had never been in before. Many of us alone. We began to understand our smallness.
I have never forgotten some ministry I listened to over twenty years ago by a brother who is still a dear friend. He spoke about Elijah raising the son of the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17, emphasising the words, “And he (Elijah) stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.’ Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived” (verses 21-22). My friend said the prophet stretched himself to become small. He used this beautiful illustration to reflect on the grace of the Lord Jesus.
At the beginning of the New Testament, Matthew writes, “‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23).
I love to look up into the night sky to be amazed anew by the glory of God’s immense creation. I love to look at the bush outside our lounge window and see the tiny birds that come there to feed. But what truly astonishes my heart is when I consider that the Saviour used His power to become small and to dwell amongst us so that we could live with Him. We will know the wonder of this in all the glory of a coming day.
But today the question is, are we responding to His invitation to abide in Him?
Add Your Comment