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In Right Relation to God, January 26
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him,
and make our abode with him.
John 14:23
.
Consider the familiar relation Christ here brings to view as existing
between the Father and His children. His presence and guardianship are
an abiding thing. While we trust in Christ’s saving power, all the arts
and wiles of the fallen host can do nothing to harm us. Heavenly angels
are constantly with us, guiding and protecting. God has ordained that we
shall have His saving power with us, to enable us to do all His will. Let us
grasp the promises and cherish them moment by moment. Let us believe
that God means just what He says.
There is a possibility of the believer in Christ obtaining an experience
that will be wholly sufficient to place him in right relation to God. Every
promise that is in God’s Book holds out to us the encouragement that we
may be partakers of the divine nature. This is the possibility—to rely
upon God, to believe His Word, to work His works; and this we can do
when we lay hold of the divinity of Christ.
This possibility is worth more to us than all the riches in the world.
There is nothing on earth that can compare with it. As we lay hold of the
power thus placed within our reach, we receive a hope so strong that we
can rely wholly upon God’s promises; and laying hold of the possibilities
there are in Christ, we become the sons and daughters of God.
There are high attainments for the Christian. He may ever be rising
to higher attainments. John had an elevated idea of the privilege of
a Christian. He says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (
1 John 3:1
).
It is not possible for humanity to rise to a higher dignity than is here
implied. To man is granted the privilege of becoming an heir of God and a
joint heir with Christ. To those who have been thus exalted, are unfolded
the unsearchable riches of Christ, which are of a thousandfold more value
than the wealth of the world. Thus, through the merits of Jesus Christ,
finite man is elevated to fellowship with God and with His dear Son.
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