Dear Reader
Dear Reader,
“Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abide in the vine, thus neither [can] ye unless ye abide in Me” (John 15:4).
Fruit-bearing is for the pleasure of God; the Lord Jesus, before leaving His disciples, taught them how to bear fruit. To abide in Him is simply to continue in dependence and communion with the Lord, drawing from Him the heavenly supplies needed by the soul; this produces the matured expression of the life we have from Christ. As you grow in communion with Christ the rich fragrance of the heavenly life will come, and then the fruits will be produced.
A tree not only bears fruit, but grows, thus increasing its capacity for fruit-bearing. We develop our capacity for bearing fruit by growing in the true knowledge of God. How blessed that we know God Himself, as fully revealed in the Person of His Beloved Son and in the wonderful counsels of grace unfolded by the Holy Spirit who has come down from heaven. There is no limit to growth. John shows that we pass from babyhood to young men, then mature to fathers, but there is no limit to the knowledge available to us of God and His dear Son. Long after Paul reached maturity in the full knowledge of God, he said, “That I might know Him.” Many things may come in to hinder growth: the earth attracts, the world seduces, and the flesh entices. If, however, we set our hearts to do God's will, we can count on the help of the Spirit, and as feeding upon the Word, we will grow by the true knowledge of God.
May the Lord use this issue to strengthen, encourage and help you to be established to the end that Christ may be displayed in your life. Thank you for your e-mails and notes of encouragement.
Please keep praying for the Lord’s blessing on Toward the Mark
Yours in our soon-coming Lord,
Emil S. Nashed
Please send your questions and comments to:
Toward The Mark
c/o Wayne Christian Assembly
60 Smith Lane
Wayne, NJ 07470-5354
Attention: Emil S. Nashed
www.towardthemark.org
