Continue In Love

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.” –John 15:9

Well, you have finally arrived; you have been “called out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  So, there is nothing left to do right?  Just kick up your heels because Satan knows you are one with God and he will leave you alone, right? Wrong!  Horrendously wrong, in fact nothing could be further from the truth.  Satan tried to tempt Jesus Christ himself, why would we be treated any different?  He will want you back now more than ever, but there is nothing worth having in this life that doesn’t come with hardship, opposition, and sacrifice. 

The sanctified life is just that, a life.  It is a life in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ.  You are in fellowship with Him, you are in communion with Him, and he is the Lord of your life.  Furthermore, Christ is in you.  He has filled you with His Spirit.  He is guiding you, directing you, and leading you each day.  However, this relationship will not continue without a continued commitment from your side.  You must communicate with Jesus by reading the Bible and praying, and just as important, we must also let Jesus communicate with us.  We read, we pray, and we fellowship with other like-minded believers.  The Holy Spirit will instruct, we will follow, and grow to bear fruit unto holiness.  This is “abiding in the vine”; this is a life with Jesus.  The unsanctified life is largely governed by what pleases us or pleases others.  The sanctified life is governed by what pleases God and glorifies his name.  “Ye are dead and your life in hid in Christ.”  You are with Christ and he is with you.  Every day you walk with Him: learning, growing, leaning, not through the horrible lessons of sin and repent, but through the welcomed instruction of the Holy Ghost.  All this is done through Jesus Christ, he gives you the power through the Holy Ghost and he grants the grace. Jesus leads, you follow, you are blessed, those around you are blessed, and God gets the glory. A sanctified life.

The riches of a sanctified life are immeasurable, and the blessings incalculable.  However, they cannot and will not come unless the sanctified life is lived and lived according to God.  You do not have a wedding for the wedding, you have a wedding for the marriage.  Some time ago when I was with some folks in the nursing home, I came across this old married couple.  The husband was near death and could not live without professional aid any longer.  His wife, still very able, sold their house and voluntarily went to live with him in the home.  Even though they didn’t have a car, or a home, or even a closet full of clothes; they were some of the richest people I had ever seen.  They loved God, loved one another, laughed with one another, and through hardship their faithfulness and love towards each other only flourished.  Though sixty plus years had gone by, the love that had begun all those years ago was only growing with each passing day.  This is a vision of the sanctified life; a life of perfect love.  It is a life of love towards God and love towards man, but it will not be so unless you continue in Christ and continue in that love.