ve? "Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Christ
laid down His life for His enemies; Christ laid down His life for His
murderers; Christ laid down His life for them that hated Him; and the
spirit of the cross, the spirit of Calvary, is love. When they were
mocking Him and deriding Him, what did He say? "Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do." That is love. He did not call down
fire from heaven to consume them; there was nothing but love in His
heart.

If you study the Bible you will find that the love of God is
_unchangeable_. Many who loved you at one time have perhaps grown
cold in their affection, and turned away from you: it may be that
their love is changed to hatred. It is not so with God. It is
recorded of Jesus Christ, just when He was about to be parted from
His disciples and led away to Calvary, that: "having loved His own
which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John xiii. 1).
He knew that one of His disciples would betray Him; yet He loved
Judas. He knew that another disciple would deny Him, and swear that
he never knew Him; and yet He loved Peter. It was the love which
Christ had for Peter that broke his heart, and brought him back in
penitence to the feet of his Lord. For three years Jesus had been
with the disciples trying to teach them His love, not only by His
life and words, but by His works. And, on the night of His betrayal,
He takes a basin of water, girds Himself with a towel, and taking the
place of a servant, washes their feet; He wanted to convince them of
His unchanging love.

There is no portion of Scripture I read so often as John xiv; and
there is none that is more sweet to me. I never tire of reading it.
Hear what our Lord says, as He pours out His heart to His Disciples:
"At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and
I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth Me: and _he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father_"
(xiv. 20,21). Think of the great God who created heaven and earth
loving you and me! . . . "If a man love Me, he will keep My words;
and My Father will love him; and We will come unto him, and make Our
abode with him" (v. 23).

Would to God that our puny minds could grasp this great truth, that
the Father and the Son so love us that They desire to come and abide
with us. Not to tarry for a night, but to come and _abide_ in our
hearts.

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