EVERY plant or tree feeds upon the rain from heaven. But where is the mouth which receives the nourishment? In the root, and only in the root. Unless the water reach the mouth, the tree must die of starvation. Now at the extremity of the fibers are organs resembling sponge in their porous character, and these suck up all the nourishment that comes in their way. In large trees these sponge-like organs extend to its farthest branches, and then the foliage, which, as an umbrella, protects the fibers that would be injured by water, causes the drops of the shower to drip over the mouths of the tree.
The moisture at first ascends from the roots into the tree, in a simple state, being little more than water, but as it circulates through the leaves, it is elaborated by their own peculiar organs into sap, and then it descends again.
Now how these facts help us to see the force of the Lord’s word, “I am the vine... abide in Me... without Me ye can do nothing.” The branch abides in the vine and receives nourishment for every phase of its growth. The tender buds receive the sap in its simplest form, resembling milk in the animal creation; the largest shoots, the blossoms, and the fruits receive the same sap, though in different degrees of strength.
The branch abides in the vine for everything, and by the sap the vine abides in the branch, causing its life, verdure, and fruitfulness.
Our abiding in Christ and He in us is essentially practical, intimate, and simple. It really is coming to Him for nourishment every moment, dwelling in spirit continually in Him, doing the simplest things never apart from Him. This supposes a knowledge of our perfect weakness, and also our complete surrender of ourselves to Him. The branch does not periodically draw from the vine, but the vine is the one continuous source of its existence.
When we rise in the morning a day lies before us. Every hour of that day belongs to Jesus, and therefore He must be considered in everything, down to eating and drinking. This brings us to the branch dwelling in all its own emptiness in another; and then Christ abides in us; He causes the Spirit to flow forth according to the need of the day, and keeping to our figure, whether the need be the preparation of the new germs in winter, or the bursting forth of the buds in spring, or the supporting of the leaf in the summer heat, or the strengthening and filling of the ripening fruit in autumn.
“I can do all things through Christ strengthening me.” Alas, how little we know Him, because we so little know the need of Him!
If we thus abide we must rest assured bore doing anything that He will be with us in doing it. Then it will be no longer with us — Is such a thing right or wrong? but — “Lord, what wouldest Thou have me to do?” Thus, again, even in what we look upon as good works, visiting the sick, for instance, we must, if we abide in Christ, be assured that He directs us.
This casts us each one entirely upon Him for guidance, as we see so frequently expressed in the Psalms, “Teach me the way wherein I should walk.” “Show me Thy paths.” “Lead me in Thy way.” “Make Thy way straight before my face.” And if we really thus wait upon Him, and seek His guidance in everything, we shall abide in Him in what we do. We shall lay the path before Him, in a sense of our real felt weakness, and cry, “Hold up my goings in Thy paths.”
Also, if we thus abide in Him, His words will abide in us; and the soul thus brought into divine wisdom, will so pray that whatsoever it asks can be granted. We shall ask, not ignorantly, because Christ and His words abide in us.
The beauty and glory of the vegetable kingdom is lavished upon the one short process of setting the fruit, as the gardener speaks.
The enquiries of man have not yet discovered why those organs should be adorned with such exquisite beauty of form and Color. But it is a most interesting consideration that the whole aim, if we may so speak, of nature, is to produce the flowers, and when these are produced, and the fruit formed, the task is completed, and the charm of its beauty has passed away.
Every created thing is made to show forth the glory of the Creator. “All Thy works praise Thee, O God!” God said that it was good, and He said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” He did not say “live,” but “be fruitful and multiply.” And therefore the glory and beauty of things declared how good He had made them in their fruitfulness.
Even in a flower a Christian sees not merely something beautiful, but the beauty his God has made. When the saints are around the throne they fully rejoice in being the objects and subjects of His pleasure. “Thou art worthy... for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” in heaven it will be their joy to be the creatures of Him they worship. Their happiness will consist in being just what and where God has pleased.
We learn then from this word of God to His creatures, “Be fruitful and multiply,” that the happiness, and glory, and joy of the creature is in carrying out the pleasure of the Creator.
“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.” Sin is, as ever, eating forbidden fruit. Again, the four living creatures rest not night nor day, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!” it is the happy breathing of their existence. To cease praising would be to cease being happy. “Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house; they shall be still praising Thee,” and, blessed be His Name, He will at length bring us, where sin shall be no more — where we shall enter into the full joy of living unto God, of singing the song in the fourth as well as that in the fifth chapter of Revelation.
R.