Abiding In The Love of God

Summary Scripture:

John 15:4

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

It is clear, we must acknowledge that without God we can do nothing in ministry. But to do so, we must abide in Him.

John 15:4-8

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 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.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

We know that we have been buried by baptism into the spirit of God. That is where we live and move and have our being. But the Lord continues to say, abide in him that

we might be able to bring forth fruit. It is amazing that we only consider abiding in Christ to mean living in him. Although this is true, abiding in Christ means so much more.

It means:

1. To bear patiently

2. To tolerate

3. To endure temptation without yielding

4. To withstand

5. To wait for the coming of our Lord

6. To accept the will of God without objection

7. To remain stable and steadfast in the faith of Jesus Christ

John 14:31

31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

With all that is said above, I think the mind of Christ can be summarized in the following verse,

John 14:21

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him,

and will manifest myself to him.

To abide in the love of God and the Son is to keep his commandments with meekness and lowliness of heart; always referencing the Father as the source of all

power and authority. In conclusion to the issue of grace and mercy, I want to offer this passage.

Acts 14:26-27

26 And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

When Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch with the other apostles, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work

whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:2-3.

The assembly gathered themselves together and the Holy Ghost began to instruct. He recommended Paul and Barnabas to do a work among the Gentiles. After this, they prayed and

fasted and laid hands on them and sent them to do the will of the Father. Take note of the fact that they fulfilled the recommendation of the Holy Ghost. This is what must happen to us.

We must be recommended to the grace of God by the Spirit of God. Our walk in the faith must be one of holiness and faithfulness. The Spirit of God is charged with the oversight of the church

and getting it back to glory. We are sufficiently warned in scripture.

1 Thessalonians 5:19

Quench not the Spirit.

We are warned not to smother, choke or decrease the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 4:30

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

To won't cause the Holy Ghost sorrow over our disobedience and refusal to be led by Him. It is not only grievous, but also decreases the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

As Sons of God, we should not want this to be the case with our walk. We can be assured that in such cases as the above, He will not recommend us to the Father to be a recipient of

the grace that is to rest upon the ministers of God. Well, the line has been drawn in the sand, and the Lord has called us to perfection. If we truly want to glorify the Father in this world

today, then we must submit to the Holy Spirit. He is the one in charge. He knows our thoughts and the intents of our hearts. He is never without knowledge of our disposition toward God

or man. When we pray in the Spirit, he is making intercession for us. But if we walk in disobedience, he is reporting his frustration with us.

Let us embrace this challenge and allow ourselves to be recommended by the Holy Ghost. Then the Father will grant us the ability to walk with the Spirit of Grace resting upon us.

Let us stay lowly that we may obtain the mercy to walk in the grace of God.

Mercy - The Response to Prayer

Psalm 4:1

1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Psalm 27:7

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

Psalm 30:10

10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.

Psalm 59:17

17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

Psalm 62:11-12

11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

Psalm 66:18-20

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.