Tues., 3/25/14 Devotion (Jn. 15:5)

Today's encouragement comes from John 15:5, where we read these words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

How much can we do, of any spiritual good, without Christ? None whatso-ever. *The* single basic key to Christian living is this idea of "abiding in Christ." But, what does this mean; and how do we do it? It means that we are trusting in HIS righteousness (alone); and that we are trusting in HIM for everything. How do we do that? By faith.

Is this easy? It is fairly facile to understand; but it is hard to do. And why? Be-cause we are not inclined to *remember* to trust in Christ. Our fallen nature hates to depend on Anyone but itself. By grace, may we abide in Christ (as His church) today.

[Puritan quote of the day: "We must know for our comfort that Christ was not anointed to this great work of Mediator for lesser sins only, but for the great-est, if we have but a spark of true faith to lay hold on Him." --Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]