"ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU." The believer's happiness and Jehovah's pleasure are united; we are only happy as we are near to Him, and He is only pleased as we cleave unto Him. He has taken us into a near relationship as His children, His people, and His beloved bride; He has represented our union by the most striking figures: the branch in the vine, the member with the head, and the building with the foundation. He has made His name our strong tower, His Son our fountain of goodness, and His secret place our home. In living near to Him, we enjoy the sweetest comforts, possess unutterable peace, realise the fullest liberty, and find safety and rest. Our assurances, light, holiness, and strength come from His presence; our misery, wretchedness, and woe, from living at a distance from Him. He invites us this morning, as Jacob did his beloved son, "Come near unto me." He intends to bless us as the patriarch did his child; to reveal Himself unto us; to show us His covenant and secret; to make us understand His will and word; to preserve us from all evil, fill us with all grace, and conform us fully to His image.

For Meditation:
When trials vex my troubled mind,
Lord, to Thy bleeding side I'll flee;
No shelter can I elsewhere find,
No peace or comfort but in Thee:
To Thee my cause I recommend,
On Thee for future grace depend.