Abide With Me # 2

Abide With Me # 2

Fellowship with Christ is necessary to our abiding in Christ. Peter describes the Christian life thus: "Coming to Him as to a living stone...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).

If therefore we would abide in Jesus, we must more and more feel our need of Him; we must increase in our knowledge of Him; we must seek all our supplies from Him; and realize that we are in union with Him!

What does abiding in Christ require? Many things - and we will notice a few of them. We must think of Him, or exercise the intellect upon Him. As we are capable of thinking, and have the power of fixing our thoughts upon an object - we must make Christ the great object of our thoughts, and think of Him. That we think of Christ so little, so seldom - is one great reason why we enjoy Christ so little.

Beloved, we should think of His glorious person; of His free and abounding grace; of His infinite and  everlasting merit; of His deep and tender sympathy; of His authority and unlimited dominion; and of His eternal and changeless love!

We should think of what He was in glory; of what He became on earth; of what He did while here below; of what He suffered on our behalf; and of what He is now doing at the right hand of God.

We should think of His nature, His offices, His relations, and His glorious second advent!

Oh, how much more is in Jesus to occupy our thoughts, and feast our souls! Is it not astonishing that we do not think of Him more? Never, never, shall we enjoy deep spirituality; or rise above our doubts and fears; or rejoice in God; or be very useful among our fellow men - unless we think of Christ more!

As we must think of Christ - so we must hear and read of Christ. The senses should be employed on Christ, as well as the intellect. If we can hear at all - we should go  where we can hear of Christ, not only on the Lord's day - but on other days too. If we can read at all, we should read of Christ; and as Christ is the most important subject, and as we are more deeply interested in Him than in anything else - we should read of Him most. It is one thing to read religious books - and quite another thing to read of Christ; for many religious books have very little of Christ in them. Nor should we so much read what man says of Christ - as what God says. God's own book should be our book, and we should read it, that we may know more of Christ, and become more like Christ.

We shall never abide in Christ as we ought, unless we hear more of Christ, read more of Christ, and think more of Christ. But we must not stop at thinking, hearing, or reading of Christ - we must actually commune with Christ. There is often much prayer - and yet little communion with Christ. We should realize that Christ is present with us. That we are alone with Him. That He is giving us His whole attention. That He expects us to tell Him all that troubles us, all that grieves us, all that pleases us, all that we need, and all that we desire.

We should keep back nothing from Him - but speak to Him freely on every subject, and every circumstance. And realizing that Christ is with us, listening to us, and by sympathy entering into all our circumstances - we should expect to receive intimations of His will, proofs of His approbation, communications of His grace, and the consoling influences of His love.

Our thoughts should ascent to Jesus, and His thoughts should descend and take possession of our minds. Without more direct, sensible, and secret communion with Christ - we shall not much enjoy our union with Christ, or attend to the admonition to abide in Him.

Having communion with Christ - we must trust Him. He requires us to treat Him with confidence; to believe what He says; to expect what He promises; to do what He bids us.

We must trust Him with the salvation of our souls, and having put them into His hands, having committed them to His keeping - we should rest satisfied that He will save them. We must trust Him with the body as well as the soul, believing that He feels an interest in the one as well the other. Yes, we must ask Him to work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; to fulfill in us all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power. And we must trust for temporal concerns also, looking to Him for food and clothing, as well as for grace and glory.

We do not half trust the Saviour as we ought. Our confidence in Him is not worthy of Him. Our doubts, fears, and misgivings dishonor Him. Let us therefore seek grace that we may trust in Him at all times; trust Him for all, and trust Him notwithstanding all.

~James Smith~

(continued with # 3)