Nov
27
Written by:
Bob Flynn
11/27/2009 7:31 AM
The only way to be kept from falling is to grow. (Robert Murray M'Cheyne)
The only way to be kept from falling is to grow. If you stand still, you will fall. Read Prov. xi. 28, “The righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Remember you are not a tree, that can stand alone; you are only “a branch” and it is only while you abide in Him, as a branch that you will flourish. Keep clear your sense of justification; remember it is not your own natural goodness, nor your tears, nor your sanctification, that will justify you before God. It is Christ’s sufferings and obedience alone. Seek to be made holier every day; pray, strive, wrestle for the Spirit, to make you like God. Be as much as you can with God. I declare to you that I had rather be one hour with God, than a thousand with the sweetest society on earth or in heaven. All other joys are but streams; God is the fountain: “all my springs are in Thee” (A.A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of the Rev. R. M. M’Cheyne, 206).
It is clear to our mind's eye that it is normal for a tree to grow. But how often do we think about the branches. If you spend anytime at all tending trees you will notice that not all branches are the same. Their size seems to be dependent on their proximity to the root. It is very much the same with us as believers. We grow based upon our closeness to the Root of Jesse. It is the "fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins" that is our life and our sustenance. If for some reason we are not in the midst of this flow, then we wither and die.
Copyright ©2009 Robert Flynn