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We Are the Branches, October 8
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.
John 15:5
.
We have nothing, we are nothing, unless we receive virtue from Jesus
Christ
Until the heart is surrendered unconditionally to God, the human agent
is not abiding in the true Vine, and cannot flourish in the Vine, and bear
rich clusters of fruit. God will not make the slightest compromise with
sin. If He could have done this, Christ need not have come to our world to
suffer and die. No conversion is genuine which does not change both the
character and the conduct of those who accept the truth. The truth works
by love, and purifieth the soul
Our professions are worthless unless we abide in Christ; for we cannot
be living branches unless the vital qualities of the Vine abound in us. In
the genuine Christian the characteristics of his Master will appear, and
when we reflect the graces of Christ in our lives and characters, the Father
loves us as He loves His Son. When this condition is fulfilled in those
who profess to believe the present truth, we shall see a prosperous church;
for its members will not live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for
them, and they will be flourishing branches of the living Vine
The root of the tree has a double office to fill. It is to hold fast by
its tendrils to the earth, while it takes to itself the nourishment desired.
Thus it is with the Christian. When his union with Christ, the parent stock,
is complete, when he feeds upon Him, currents of spiritual strength are
given to him. Can the leaves of such a branch wither?—Never! As long as
the soul reaches toward Christ, there is little danger that he will wilt, and
droop, and decay. The temptations that may come in like a tempest will
not uproot him. The true Christian draws his motives of action from his
deep love for his Redeemer. His affection for his Master is true and holy
[289]
17
The Youth’s Instructor, June 21, 1894
.
18
Letter 31a, 1894
.
19
The Signs of the Times, April 18, 1892
.
20
The Youth’s Instructor, March 24, 1898
.
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