WITHERED BRANCHES
If a Man Abide Not in Me, He is Cast Forth as a Branch, and is Withered; and
They Gather Them, and Cast Them into the Fire, and They are Burned--John
15:6
The lessons these words teach are very
simple and very solemn. A man can come to such a connection with Christ, that
he counts himself to be in Him, and yet he can be cast forth. There is such a
thing as not abiding in Christ, which leads to withering up and burning. There
is such a thing as a withered branch, one in whom the initial union with Christ
appears to have taken place, and in whom yet it is seen that his faith was but
for a time. What a solemn call to look around and see if there be not withered
branches in our churches, to look within and see whether we are indeed abiding
and bearing fruit!
And what may be the cause of this "not abiding."
With some it is that they never understood how the Christian calling leads to
holy obedience and to loving service. They were content with the thought that
they had believed, and were safe from Hell; there was neither motive nor power
to abide in Christ--they knew not the need of it. With others it was that the
cares of the world, or its prosperity, choked the Word: they had never forsaken
all to follow Christ. With still others it was that their religion and their
faith was in the wisdom of men, and not in the power of God. They trusted in
the means of grace, or in their own sincerity, or in the soundness of their
faith in justifying grace; they had never come even to seek an entire abiding
in Christ as their only safety. No wonder that, when the hot winds of
temptation or persecution blew, they withered away: they were not truly rooted
in Christ.
Let us open our eyes and see if there be not
withered branches all around us in the churches. Young men, whose confessions
were once bright, but who are growing cold. Or old men, who have retained their
profession, but out of whom the measure of life there once appeared to be has
died out. Let ministers and believers take Christ's words to heart, and see,
and ask the Lord whether there is nothing to be done for branches that are
beginning to wither. And let the word Abide ring through the Church
until every believer has caught it--no safety but in a true abiding in
Christ.
Let each of us turn within. Is our life fresh,
and green, and vigorous, bringing forth its fruit in its season? (See Ps. 1:3;
92:13, 14; Jer. 17:7, 8.) Let us accept every warning with a willing mind, and
let Christ's "if a man abide not" give new urgency to His "abide in me." To the
upright soul the secret of abiding will become ever simpler, just the
consciousness of the place in which He has put me; just the childlike resting
in my union with Him, and the trustful assurance that He will keep me. Oh, do
let us believe there is a life that knows of no withering, that is ever green;
and that brings forth fruit abundantly!
Withered! O my Father, watch over me, and
keep me, and let nothing ever for a moment hinder the freshness that comes from
a full abiding in the Vine. Let the very thought of a withered branch fill me
with holy fear and watchfulness.