Accepting
God's Love
Realizing
Your Need
Walking Away From Your Guilt
Clearing Your Conscience
Maintaining
Freedom
Believing You Are Accepted
Becoming
A New Person
Growing In Your New Life
Sharing
God's Love
Listening For God's Voice
Talking To God As A Friend
Overcoming
Doubt
Rejoicing
in the Lord
Accepting God's Love
Nature and revelation alike testify of God's love. Our Father in heaven is the source
of life, of wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature.
Think of their marvelous adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of man, but of
all living creatures. The sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the
hills and seas and plains, all speak to us of the Creator's love. It is God who supplies
the daily needs of all His creatures. In the beautiful words of the psalmist--
"The eyes of all wait upon Thee;
And Thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest Thine hand,
And satisfiest the desire of every living thing."
Psalm 145:15, 16.
God made man perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the
Creator's hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of
God's law--the law of love--that has brought woe and death. Yet even amid the suffering
that results from sin, God's love is revealed. It is written that God cursed the ground
for man's sake. Genesis 3:17. The thorn and the thistle--the difficulties and trials that
make his life one of toil and care--were appointed for his good as a part of the training
needful in God's plan for his uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has
wrought. The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are
messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are
covered with roses.
"God is love" is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of
springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the
delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the
forest with their rich foliage of living green -- all testify to the tender, fatherly care
of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.
The word of God reveals His character. He Himself has declared His infinite love and
pity. When Moses prayed, "Show me Thy glory," the Lord answered, "I will
make all My goodness pass before thee." Exodus 33:18, 19. This is His glory. The Lord
passed before Moses, and proclaimed, "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:6, 7. He is "slow to anger, and
of great kindness," "because He delighteth in mercy." Jonah 4:2; Micah
7:18.
God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through
the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can
know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love.
Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so
that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan
led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,--one who is
a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is
watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit
judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the
infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.
The Son of God came from heaven to make manifest the Father. "No man hath seen God
at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him." John 1:18. "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal Him." Matthew 11:27. When one of the disciples made
the request, "Show us the Father," Jesus answered, "Have I been so long
time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the
Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:8, 9.
In describing His earthly mission, Jesus said, The Lord "hath anointed Me to
preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised." Luke 4:18. This was His work. He went about doing good and healing
all that were oppressed by Satan. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of
sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work
gave evidence of His divine anointing. Love, mercy, and compassion were revealed in every
act of His life; His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. He took
man's nature, that He might reach man's wants. The poorest and humblest were not afraid to
approach Him. Even little children were attracted to Him. They loved to climb upon His
knees and gaze into the pensive face, benignant with love.
Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He
exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the
people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain
to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in
love. He denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity; but tears were in His voice as He
uttered His scathing rebukes. He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, which refused to
receive Him, the way, the truth, and the life. They had rejected Him, the Saviour, but He
regarded them with pitying tenderness. His life was one of self-denial and thoughtful care
for others. Every soul was precious in His eyes. While He ever bore Himself with divine
dignity, He bowed with the tenderest regard to every member of the family of God. In all
men He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.
Such is the character of Christ as revealed in His life. This is the character of God.
It is from the Father's heart that the streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ,
flow out to the children of men. Jesus, the tender, pitying Saviour, was God
"manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16.
It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of
Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His
beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a
world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He
permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer
shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was
upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the
wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the
burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that
sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the
sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that
broke the heart of the Son of God.
But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love
for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the world, that He
gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great
propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium
through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with
His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid
the price of our redemption.
Jesus said, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I
might take it again." John 10:17. That is, "My Father has so loved you that He
even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your Substitute and
Surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am
endeared to My Father; for by My sacrifice, God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him
who believeth in Jesus."
None but the Son of God could accomplish our redemption; for only He who was in the
bosom of the Father could declare Him. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love
of God could make it manifest. Nothing less than the infinite sacrifice made by Christ in
behalf of fallen man could express the Father's love to lost humanity.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." He gave Him not
only to live among men, to bear their sins, and die their sacrifice. He gave Him to the
fallen race. Christ was to identify Himself with the interests and needs of humanity. He
who was one with God has linked Himself with the children of men by ties that are never to
be broken. Jesus is "not ashamed to call them brethren" (Hebrews 2:11); He is
our Sacrifice, our Advocate, our Brother, bearing our human form before the Father's
throne, and through eternal ages one with the race He has redeemed--the Son of man. And
all this that man might be uplifted from the ruin and degradation of sin that he might
reflect the love of God and share the joy of holiness.
The price paid for our redemption, the infinite sacrifice of our heavenly Father in
giving His Son to die for us, should give us exalted conceptions of what we may become
through Christ. As the inspired apostle John beheld the height, the depth, the breadth of
the Father's love toward the perishing race, he was filled with adoration and reverence;
and, failing to find suitable language in which to express the greatness and tenderness of
this love, he called upon the world to behold it. "Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." 1 John 3:1.
What a value this places upon man! Through transgression the sons of man become subjects
of Satan. Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ the sons of Adam may become the
sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are placed
where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name
"sons of God."
Such love is without a parallel. Children of the heavenly King! Precious promise! Theme
for the most profound meditation! The matchless love of God for a world that did not love
Him! The thought has a subduing power upon the soul and brings the mind into captivity to
the will of God. The more we study the divine character in the light of the cross, the
more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice, and the
more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity
surpassing a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child.
Realizing Your
Need
Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect
in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through
disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His
nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own
strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan, and would have
remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It was the tempter's purpose to
thwart the divine plan in man's creation, and fill the earth with woe and desolation. And
he would point to all this evil as the result of God's work in creating man.
In his sinless state, man held joyful communion with Him "in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. But after his sin, he could no
longer find joy in holiness, and he sought to hide from the presence of God. Such is still
the condition of the unrenewed heart. It is not in harmony with God, and finds no joy in
communion with Him. The sinner could not be happy in God's presence; he would shrink from
the companionship of holy beings. Could he be permitted to enter heaven, it would have no
joy for him. The spirit of unselfish love that reigns there --every heart responding to
the heart of Infinite Love --would touch no answering chord in his soul. His thoughts, his
interests, his motives, would be alien to those that actuate the sinless dwellers there.
He would be a discordant note in the melody of heaven. Heaven would be to him a place of
torture; he would long to be hidden from Him who is its light, and the center of its joy.
It is no arbitrary decree on the part of God that excludes the wicked from heaven; they
are shut out by their own unfitness for its companionship. The glory of God would be to
them a consuming fire. They would welcome destruction, that they might be hidden from the
face of Him who died to redeem them.
It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are
sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. "Who can bring a clean thing
out of an unclean? not one." "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is
not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Job 14:4; Romans 8:7.
Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere,
but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they
cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power
working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to
holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the
soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.
The Saviour said, "Except a man be born from above," unless he shall receive
a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life, "he cannot
see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, margin. The idea that it is necessary only to
develop the good that exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception. "The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." "Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again." 1 Corinthians 2:14; John 3:7. Of Christ it is
written, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men"--the only
"name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." John 1:4; Acts
4:12.
It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the
fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice
of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle
saw all this when he exclaimed, "I consent unto the law that it is good."
"The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." But he added,
in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, "I am carnal, sold under
sin." Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in
himself he was powerless to attain, and cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that
has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all, there is but one
answer, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John
1:29.
Many are the figures by which the Spirit of God has sought to illustrate this truth,
and make it plain to souls that long to be freed from the burden of guilt. When, after his
sin in deceiving Esau, Jacob fled from his father's home, he was weighed down with a sense
of guilt. Lonely and outcast as he was, separated from all that had made life dear, the
one thought that above all others pressed upon his soul, was the fear that his sin had cut
him off from God, that he was forsaken of Heaven. In sadness he lay down to rest on the
bare earth, around him only the lonely hills, and above, the heavens bright with stars. As
he slept, a strange light broke upon his vision; and lo, from the plain on which he lay,
vast shadowy stairs seemed to lead upward to the very gates of heaven, and upon them
angels of God were passing up and down; while from the glory above, the divine voice was
heard in a message of comfort and hope. Thus was made known to Jacob that which met the
need and longing of his soul--a Saviour. With joy and gratitude he saw revealed a way by
which he, a sinner, could be restored to communion with God. The mystic ladder of his
dream represented Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and man.
This is the same figure to which Christ referred in His conversation with Nathanael,
when He said, "Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of man." John 1:51. In the apostasy, man alienated himself
from God; earth was cut off from heaven. Across the gulf that lay between, there could be
no communion. But through Christ, earth is again linked with heaven. With His own merits,
Christ has bridged the gulf which sin had made, so that the ministering angels can hold
communion with man. Christ connects fallen man in his weakness and helplessness with the
Source of infinite power.
But in vain are men's dreams of progress, in vain all efforts for the uplifting of
humanity, if they neglect the one Source of hope and help for the fallen race. "Every
good gift and every perfect gift" (James 1:17) is from God. There is no true
excellence of character apart from Him. And the only way to God is Christ. He says,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me." John 14:6.
The heart of God yearns over His earthly children with a love stronger than death. In
giving up His Son, He has poured out to us all heaven in one gift. The Saviour's life and
death and intercession, the ministry of angels, the pleading of the Spirit, the Father
working above and through all, the unceasing interest of heavenly beings,--all are
enlisted in behalf of man's redemption.
Oh, let us contemplate the amazing sacrifice that has been made for us! Let us try to
appreciate the labor and energy that Heaven is expending to reclaim the lost, and bring
them back to the Father's house. Motives stronger, and agencies more powerful, could never
be brought into operation; the exceeding rewards for right-doing, the enjoyment of heaven,
the society of the angels, the communion and love of God and His Son, the elevation and
extension of all our powers throughout eternal ages--are these not mighty incentives and
encouragements to urge us to give the heart's loving service to our Creator and Redeemer?
And, on the other hand, the judgments of God pronounced against sin, the inevitable
retribution, the degradation of our character, and the final destruction, are presented in
God's word to warn us against the service of Satan.
Shall we not regard the mercy of God? What more could He do? Let us place ourselves in
right relation to Him who has loved us with amazing love. Let us avail ourselves of the
means provided for us that we may be transformed into His likeness, and be restored to
fellowship with the ministering angels, to harmony and communion with the Father and the
Son.
Walking
Away From Your Guilt
How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only
through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we
to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the Day of
Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first
word of Peter's answer was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time, shortly
after, he said, "Repent, . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out." Acts 3:19.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce
sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no
real change in the life.
There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow
that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their
wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible
sense. They lament the suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he
saw that the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel standing
in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life; but
there was no genuine repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil.
Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, exclaimed, "I have sinned in that I have
betrayed the innocent blood." Matthew 27:4.
The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a
fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that were to result to him filled him
with terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul, that he had betrayed
the spotless Son of God and denied the Holy One of Israel. Pharaoh, when suffering under
the judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape further punishment, but
returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were stayed. These all lamented
the results of sin, but did not sorrow for the sin itself.
But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be
quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God's holy
law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. The "Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world," illumines the secret chambers of the
soul, and the hidden things of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold
upon the mind and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels
the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts.
He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be
cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven.
The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow for sin. His
repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to
escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the enormity of his
transgression; he saw the defilement of his soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for
pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness--to
be restored to harmony and communion with God. This was the language of his soul:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no guile."
Psalm 32:1, 2.
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my
sin is ever before me. . . .
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And uphold me with Thy free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou
God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness."
Psalm 51:1-14.
A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to accomplish; it is
obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on high and has given gifts unto men.
Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail of receiving the help
that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come to Christ unless they
first repent, and that repentance prepares for the forgiveness of their sins. It is true
that repentance does precede the forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and
contrite heart that will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has
repented before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between the
sinner and the Saviour?
The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the invitation
of Christ, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you
rest." Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ, that leads to
genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he
said, "Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. We can no more repent
without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without
Christ.
Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can implant in the
heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity, every conviction of our own
sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts.
Jesus has said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
Me." John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the
sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of
God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds
and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a
love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart,
impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.
It is true that men sometimes become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give up some of
their evil habits, before they are conscious that they are being drawn to Christ. But
whenever they make an effort to reform, from a sincere desire to do right, it is the power
of Christ that is drawing them. An influence of which they are unconscious works upon the
soul, and the conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ
draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced, the
commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the deep-seated
sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend something of the
righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, "What is sin, that it should require such a
sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all
this humiliation, demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?"
The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he does not
resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to
the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of
God's dear Son.
The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the
hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not. The
things of the world cannot satisfy their longing. The Spirit of God is pleading with them
to seek for those things that alone can give peace and rest--the grace of Christ, the joy
of holiness. Through influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to
attract the minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite blessings
that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly seeking to drink from the
broken cisterns of this world, the divine message is addressed, "Let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation
22:17.
You who in heart long for something better than this world can give, recognize this
longing as the voice of God to your soul. Ask Him to give you repentance, to reveal Christ
to you in His infinite love, in His perfect purity. In the Saviour's life the principles
of God's law--love to God and man--were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence, unselfish
love, was the life of His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light from our Saviour
falls upon us, that we see the sinfulness of our own hearts.
We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been upright, that
our moral character is correct, and think that we need not humble the heart before God,
like the common sinner: but when the light from Christ shines into our souls, we shall see
how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God,
that has defiled every act of life. Then we shall know that our own righteousness is
indeed as filthy rags, and that the blood of Christ alone can cleanse us from the
defilement of sin, and renew our hearts in His own likeness.
One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul,
makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects
of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the
heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner's acts of disloyalty in making void the law of
God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the
searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure,
spotless character of Christ.
When the prophet Daniel beheld the glory surrounding the heavenly messenger that was
sent unto him, he was overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness and imperfection.
Describing the effect of the wonderful scene, he says, "There remained no strength in
me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength."
Daniel 10:8. The soul thus touched will hate its selfishness, abhor its self-love, and
will seek, through Christ's righteousness, for the purity of heart that is in harmony with
the law of God and the character of Christ.
Paul says that as "touching the righteousness which is in the law"--as far as
outward acts were concerned --he was "blameless" (Philippians 3:6); but when the
spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a sinner. Judged by the
letter of the law as men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained from sin; but when
he looked into the depths of its holy precepts, and saw himself as God saw him, he bowed
in humiliation and confessed his guilt. He says, "I was alive without the law once:
but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." Romans 7:9. When he saw the
spiritual nature of the law, sin appeared in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was
gone.
God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His
estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling this or that wrong act may
seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God. Man's judgment is partial,
imperfect; but God estimates all things as they really are. The drunkard is despised and
is told that his sin will exclude him from heaven; while pride, selfishness, and
covetousness too often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to
God; for they are contrary to the benevolence of His character, to that unselfish love
which is the very atmosphere of the unfallen universe. He who falls into some of the
grosser sins may feel a sense of his shame and poverty and his need of the grace of
Christ; but pride feels no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the
infinite blessings He came to give.
The poor publican who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13),
regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the same light; but
he felt his need, and with his burden of guilt and shame he came before God, asking for
His mercy. His heart was open for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him
free from the power of sin. The Pharisee's boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his
heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his distance from
God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in contrast with the perfection of the divine
holiness. He felt no need, and he received nothing.
If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many there are who
think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you expect to become better through
your own efforts? "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then
may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23. There is help
for us only in God. We must not wait for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities,
or for holier tempers. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just as we
are.
But let none deceive themselves with the thought that God, in His great love and mercy,
will yet save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding sinfulness of sin can be
estimated only in the light of the cross. When men urge that God is too good to cast off
the sinner, let them look to Calvary. It was because there was no other way in which man
could be saved, because without this sacrifice it was impossible for the human race to
escape from the defiling power of sin, and be restored to communion with holy
beings,--impossible for them again to become partakers of spiritual life,--it was because
of this that Christ took upon Himself the guilt of the disobedient and suffered in the
sinner's stead. The love and suffering and death of the Son of God all testify to the
terrible enormity of sin and declare that there is no escape from its power, no hope of
the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.
The impenitent sometimes excuse themselves by saying of professed Christians, "I
am as good as they are. They are no more self-denying, sober, or circumspect in their
conduct than I am. They love pleasure and self-indulgence as well as I do." Thus they
make the faults of others an excuse for their own neglect of duty. But the sins and
defects of others do not excuse anyone, for the Lord has not given us an erring human
pattern. The spotless Son of God has been given as our example, and those who complain of
the wrong course of professed Christians are the ones who should show better lives and
nobler examples. If they have so high a conception of what a Christian should be, is not
their own sin so much the greater? They know what is right, and yet refuse to do it.
Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins and seeking
purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon thousands have erred to their
eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there
is a terrible danger--a danger not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the
pleading voice of God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay
really is. Sin, however small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of
infinite loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and work out our destruction.
Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden
fruit there could not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this
small matter was the transgression of God's immutable and holy law, and it separated man
from God and opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon our world. Age after age
there has gone up from our earth a continual cry of mourning, and the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth together in pain as a consequence of man's disobedience. Heaven
itself has felt the effects of his rebellion against God. Calvary stands as a memorial of
the amazing sacrifice required to atone for the transgression of the divine law. Let us
not regard sin as a trivial thing.
Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of Christ, is
reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the will, benumbing the
understanding, and not only making you less inclined to yield, but less capable of
yielding, to the tender pleading of God's Holy Spirit.
Many are quieting a troubled conscience with the thought that they can change a course
of evil when they choose; that they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be
again and again impressed. They think that after doing despite to the Spirit of grace,
after casting their influence on the side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they
can change their course. But this is not so easily done. The experience, the education, of
a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that few then desire to receive the
image of Jesus.
Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will
eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful indulgence strengthens the
soul's aversion to God. The man who manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid
indifference to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself
sown. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against trifling with evil than
the words of the wise man that the sinner "shall be holden with the cords of his
sins." Proverbs 5:22.
Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and if by
persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to
be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have destroyed
ourselves by our determined rejection of His love. "Behold, now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation." "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden
not your hearts." 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8.
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart"--the human heart, with its conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow; the
wandering, wayward heart, which is the abode of so much impurity and deceit. 1 Samuel
16:7. He knows its motives, its very intents and purposes. Go to Him with your soul all
stained as it is. Like the psalmist, throw its chambers open to the all-seeing eye,
exclaiming, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:
23, 24.
Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is not
cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul. Be as earnest,
as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is a matter to be
settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing
more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of God and the
life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which "no man shall see the
Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly reveals the way of salvation.
Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to your soul.
As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do not give up
to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God to us,
but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling the world unto Himself." 2
Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love the hearts of His erring children. No
earthly parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God
with those He seeks to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No
human lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He. All His
promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love.
When Satan comes to tell you that you are a great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and
talk of His merits. That which will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your
sin, but tell the enemy that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"
and that you may be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a
question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the other owed him a
very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked Simon which debtor would love
his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have
been great sinners, but Christ died that we might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice
are sufficient to present to the Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most
will love Him most, and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great love
and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of God that we best
realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of the chain that was let down for
us, when we understand something of the infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our
behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness and contrition.
Clearing
Your Conscience
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13.
The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord
does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of
sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to
commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he that
confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.
The apostle says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,
that ye may be healed." James 5:16. Confess your sins to God, who only can forgive
them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or
neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you.
Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is the
property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The case
is brought before the only true Mediator, our great High Priest, who "was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and who is "touched with the
feeling of our infirmities," and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity.
Hebrews 4:15.
Those who have not humbled their souls before God in acknowledging their guilt, have
not yet fulfilled the first condition of acceptance. If we have not experienced that
repentance which is not to be repented of, and have not with true humiliation of soul and
brokenness of spirit confessed our sins, abhorring our iniquity, we have never truly
sought for the forgiveness of sin; and if we have never sought, we have never found the
peace of God. The only reason why we do not have remission of sins that are past is that
we are not willing to humble our hearts and comply with the conditions of the word of
truth. Explicit instruction is given concerning this matter. Confession of sin, whether
public or private, should be heartfelt and freely expressed. It is not to be urged from
the sinner. It is not to be made in a flippant and careless way, or forced from those who
have no realizing sense of the abhorrent character of sin. The confession that is the
outpouring of the inmost soul finds its way to the God of infinite pity. The psalmist
says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be
of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34:18.
True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins.
They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that
should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be
of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should
be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.
In the days of Samuel the Israelites wandered from God. They were suffering the
consequences of sin; for they had lost their faith in God, lost their discernment of His
power and wisdom to rule the nation, lost their confidence in His ability to defend and
vindicate His cause. They turned from the great Ruler of the universe and desired to be
governed as were the nations around them. Before they found peace they made this definite
confession: "We have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king." 1
Samuel 12:19. The very sin of which they were convicted had to be confessed. Their
ingratitude oppressed their souls and severed them from God.
Confession will not be acceptable to God without sincere repentance and reformation.
There must be decided changes in the life; everything offensive to God must be put away.
This will be the result of genuine sorrow for sin. The work that we have to do on our part
is plainly set before us: "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings
from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the
oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:16, 17. "If the
wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life,
without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die." Ezekiel 33:15.
Paul says, speaking of the work of repentance: "Ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what
carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation,
yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all
things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." 2 Corinthians 7:11.
When sin has deadened the moral perceptions, the wrongdoer does not discern the defects
of his character nor realize the enormity of the evil he has committed; and unless he
yields to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit he remains in partial blindness to his
sin. His confessions are not sincere and in earnest. To every acknowledgment of his guilt
he adds an apology in excuse of his course, declaring that if it had not been for certain
circumstances he would not have done this or that for which he is reproved.
After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they were filled with a sense of
shame and terror. At first their only thought was how to excuse their sin and escape the
dreaded sentence of death. When the Lord inquired concerning their sin, Adam replied,
laying the guilt partly upon God and partly upon his companion: "The woman whom Thou
gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." The woman put the
blame upon the serpent, saying, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."
Genesis 3: 12, 13. Why did You make the serpent? Why did You suffer him to come into Eden?
These were the questions implied in her excuse for her sin, thus charging God with the
responsibility of their fall. The spirit of self-justification originated in the father of
lies and has been exhibited by all the sons and daughters of Adam. Confessions of this
order are not inspired by the divine Spirit and will not be acceptable to God. True
repentance will lead a man to bear his guilt himself and acknowledge it without deception
or hypocrisy. Like the poor publican, not lifting up so much as his eyes unto heaven, he
will cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and those who do acknowledge their
guilt will be justified, for Jesus will plead His blood in behalf of the repentant soul.
The examples in God's word of genuine repentance and humiliation reveal a spirit of
confession in which there is no excuse for sin or attempt at self-justification. Paul did
not seek to shield himself; he paints his sin in its darkest hue, not attempting to lessen
his guilt. He says, "Many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received
authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against
them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and
being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities." Acts
26: 10, 11. He does not hesitate to declare that "Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15.
The humble and broken heart, subdued by genuine repentance, will appreciate something
of the love of God and the cost of Calvary; and as a son confesses to a loving father, so
will the truly penitent bring all his sins before God. And it is written, "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
Maintaining
Freedom
God's promise is, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with
all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13.
The whole heart must be yielded to God, or the change can never be wrought in us by
which we are to be restored to His likeness. By nature we are alienated from God. The Holy
Spirit describes our condition in such words as these: "Dead in trespasses and
sins;" "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint;" "no
soundness in it." We are held fast in the snare of Satan, "taken captive by him
at his will." Ephesians 2:1; Isaiah 1:5, 6; 2 Timothy 2:26. God desires to heal us,
to set us free. But since this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole
nature, we must yield ourselves wholly to Him.
The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of
self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit
to God before it can be renewed in holiness.
The government of God is not, as Satan would make it appear, founded upon a blind
submission, an unreasoning control. It appeals to the intellect and the conscience.
"Come now, and let us reason together" is the Creator's invitation to the beings
He has made. Isaiah 1:18. God does not force the will of His creatures. He cannot accept
an homage that is not willingly and intelligently given. A mere forced submission would
prevent all real development of mind or character; it would make man a mere automaton.
Such is not the purpose of the Creator. He desires that man, the crowning work of His
creative power, shall reach the highest possible development. He sets before us the height
of blessing to which He desires to bring us through His grace. He invites us to give
ourselves to Him, that He may work His will in us. It remains for us to choose whether we
will be set free from the bondage of sin, to share the glorious liberty of the sons of
God.
In giving ourselves to God, we must necessarily give up all that would separate us from
Him. Hence the Saviour says, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he
hath, he cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:33. Whatever shall draw away the heart from
God must be given up. Mammon is the idol of many. The love of money, the desire for
wealth, is the golden chain that binds them to Satan. Reputation and worldly honor are
worshiped by another class. The life of selfish ease and freedom from responsibility is
the idol of others. But these slavish bands must be broken. We cannot be half the Lord's
and half the world's. We are not God's children unless we are such entirely.
There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to
obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved
by any deep sense of the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the
Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion
is worth nothing. When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His
love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the
contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action.
Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet
the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect
conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all and manifest
an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A profession of
Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery.
Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself the
question, "What has Christ given for me?" The Son of God gave all--life and love
and suffering--for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great
love, will withhold our hearts from Him? Every moment of our lives we have been partakers
of the blessings of His grace, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize the depths
of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins
have pierced, and yet be willing to do despite to all His love and sacrifice? In view of
the infinite humiliation of the Lord of glory, shall we murmur because we can enter into
life only through conflict and self-abasement?
The inquiry of many a proud heart is, "Why need I go in penitence and humiliation
before I can have the assurance of my acceptance with God?" I point you to Christ. He
was sinless, and, more than this, He was the Prince of heaven; but in man's behalf He
became sin for the race. "He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin
of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12.
But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to
cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to
give up all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it.
God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain.
In all that He does, He has the well-being of His children in view. Would that all who
have not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly better to offer them
than they are seeking for themselves. Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to
his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found
in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best and who plans for the good of His
creatures. The path of transgression is the path of misery and destruction.
It is a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to see His children
suffer. All heaven is interested in the happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not
close the avenues of joy to any of His creatures. The divine requirements call upon us to
shun those indulgences that would bring suffering and disappointment, that would close to
us the door of happiness and heaven. The world's Redeemer accepts men as they are, with
all their wants, imperfections, and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and
grant redemption through His blood, but will satisfy the heart-longing of all who consent
to wear His yoke, to bear His burden. It is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all
who come to Him for the bread of life. He requires us to perform only those duties that
will lead our steps to heights of bliss to which the disobedient can never attain. The
true, joyous life of the soul is to have Christ formed within, the hope of glory.
Many are inquiring, "How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?" You
desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and
controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes
of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge
of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own
sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair.
What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in
the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right
action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise.
You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you
can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and
to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the
control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts
will be in harmony with Him.
Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here,
they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians.
They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be
Christians.
Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By
yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all
principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and
thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the
life of faith.
Believing
You Are Accepted
s your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something of the
evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You
feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil.
The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness. Your motives are
impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and
sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God, likeness
to Him--what can you do to obtain it?
It is peace that you need--Heaven's forgiveness and peace and love in the soul. Money
cannot buy it, intellect cannot procure it, wisdom cannot attain to it; you can never
hope, by your own efforts, to secure it. But God offers it to you as a gift, "without
money and without price." Isaiah 55:1. It is yours if you will but reach out your
hand and grasp it. The Lord says, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you."
Ezekiel 36:26.
You have confessed your sins, and in heart put them away. You have resolved to give
yourself to God. Now go to Him, and ask that He will wash away your sins and give you a
new heart. Then believe that He does this because He has promised . This is the lesson
which Jesus taught while He was on earth, that the gift which God promises us, we must
believe we do receive, and it is ours. Jesus healed the people of their diseases when they
had faith in His power; He helped them in the things which they could see, thus inspiring
them with confidence in Him concerning things which they could not see--leading them to
believe in His power to forgive sins. This He plainly stated in the healing of the man
sick with palsy: "That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive
sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
house." Matthew 9:6. So also John the evangelist says, speaking of the miracles of
Christ, "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name." John 20:31.
From the simple Bible account of how Jesus healed the sick, we may learn something
about how to believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins. Let us turn to the story of the
paralytic at Bethesda. The poor sufferer was helpless; he had not used his limbs for
thirty-eight years. Yet Jesus bade him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." The
sick man might have said, "Lord, if Thou wilt make me whole, I will obey Thy
word." But, no, he believed Christ's word, believed that he was made whole, and he
made the effort at once; he willed to walk, and he did walk. He acted on the word of
Christ, and God gave the power. He was made whole.
In like manner you are a sinner. You cannot atone for your past sins; you cannot change
your heart and make yourself holy. But God promises to do all this for you through Christ.
You believe that promise. You confess your sins and give yourself to God. You will to
serve Him. Just as surely as you do this, God will fulfill His word to you. If you believe
the promise,--believe that you are forgiven and cleansed,--God supplies the fact; you are
made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man believed that he
was healed. It is so if you believe it.
Do not wait to feel that you are made whole, but say, "I believe it; it is so, not
because I feel it, but because God has promised."
Jesus says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. There is a condition to this promise--that
we pray according to the will of God. But it is the will of God to cleanse us from sin, to
make us His children, and to enable us to live a holy life. So we may ask for these
blessings, and believe that we receive them, and thank God that we have received them. It
is our privilege to go to Jesus and be cleansed, and to stand before the law without shame
or remorse. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1.
Henceforth you are not your own; you are bought with a price. "Ye were not
redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold;... but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:18, 19. Through
this simple act of believing God, the Holy Spirit has begotten a new life in your heart.
You are as a child born into the family of God, and He loves you as He loves His Son.
Now that you have given yourself to Jesus, do not draw back, do not take yourself away
from Him, but day by day say, "I am Christ's; I have given myself to Him;" and
ask Him to give you His Spirit and keep you by His grace. As it is by giving yourself to
God, and believing Him, that you become His child, so you are to live in Him. The apostle
says, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him."
Colossians 2:6.
Some seem to feel that they must be on probation, and must prove to the Lord that they
are reformed, before they can claim His blessing. But they may claim the blessing of God
even now. They must have His grace, the Spirit of Christ, to help their infirmities, or
they cannot resist evil. Jesus loves to have us come to Him just as we are, sinful,
helpless, dependent. We may come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and
fall at His feet in penitence. It is His glory to encircle us in the arms of His love and
to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all impurity.
Here is where thousands fail; they do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally,
individually. They do not take God at His word. It is the privilege of all who comply with
the conditions to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for every sin. Put
away the suspicion that God's promises are not meant for you. They are for every repentant
transgressor. Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be brought by
ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they cannot find
strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip
them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white robes
of righteousness; He bids them live and not die.
God does not deal with us as finite men deal with one another. His thoughts are
thoughts of mercy, love, and tenderest compassion. He says, "Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He
will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." "I
have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins."
Isaiah 55:7; 44:22.
"I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore
turn yourselves, and live ye." Ezekiel 18:32. Satan is ready to steal away the
blessed assurances of God. He desires to take every glimmer of hope and every ray of light
from the soul; but you must not permit him to do this. Do not give ear to the tempter, but
say, "Jesus has died that I might live. He loves me, and wills not that I should
perish. I have a compassionate heavenly Father; and although I have abused His love,
though the blessings He has given me have been squandered, I will arise, and go to my
Father, and say, 'I have sinned against heaven, and before Thee, and am no more worthy to
be called Thy son: make me as one of Thy hired servants.'" The parable tells you how
the wanderer will be received: "When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him,
and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Luke 15:18-20.
But even this parable, tender and touching as it is, comes short of expressing the
infinite compassion of the heavenly Father. The Lord declares by His prophet, "I have
loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.
" Jeremiah 31:3. While the sinner is yet far from the Father's house, wasting his
substance in a strange country, the Father's heart is yearning over him; and every longing
awakened in the soul to return to God is but the tender pleading of His Spirit, wooing,
entreating, drawing the wanderer to his Father's heart of love.
With the rich promises of the Bible before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you
believe that when the poor sinner longs to return, longs to forsake his sins, the Lord
sternly withholds him from coming to His feet in repentance? Away with such thoughts!
Nothing can hurt your own soul more than to entertain such a conception of our heavenly
Father. He hates sin, but He loves the sinner, and He gave Himself in the person of
Christ, that all who would might be saved and have eternal blessedness in the kingdom of
glory. What stronger or more tender language could have been employed than He has chosen
in which to express His love toward us? He declares, "Can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget,
yet will I not forget thee." Isaiah 49:15.
Look up, you that are doubting and trembling; for Jesus lives to make intercession for
us. Thank God for the gift of His dear Son and pray that He may not have died for you in
vain. The Spirit invites you today. Come with your whole heart to Jesus, and you may claim
His blessing.
As you read the promises, remember they are the expression of unutterable love and
pity. The great heart of Infinite Love is drawn toward the sinner with boundless
compassion. "We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Ephesians 1:7. Yes, only believe that God is your helper. He wants to restore His moral
image in man. As you draw near to Him with confession and repentance, He will draw near to
you with mercy and forgiveness.
Becoming A New
Person
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17.
A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or trace all the chain of
circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted.
Christ said to Nicodemus, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone
that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8. Like the wind, which is invisible, yet the
effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of God in its work upon the
human heart. That regenerating power, which no human eye can see, begets a new life in the
soul; it creates a new being in the image of God. While the work of the Spirit is silent
and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit
of God, the life will bear witness to the fact. While we cannot do anything to change our
hearts or to bring ourselves into harmony with God; while we must not trust at all to
ourselves or our good works, our lives will reveal whether the grace of God is dwelling
within us. A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast
will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are. The character is
revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the
habitual words and acts.
It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing
power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce
a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish
heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we
are on?
Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has
our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with
Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We
long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.
Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the
Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance." Galatians 5:22, 23. They will no longer fashion themselves according to
the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God they will follow in His steps,
reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once
hated they now love, and the things they once loved they hate. The proud and
self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious
and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and
fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the "outward
adorning," but "the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." 1 Peter 3: 3, 4.
There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. If he restore
the pledge, give again that he had robbed, confess his sins, and love God and his fellow
men, the sinner may be sure that he has passed from death unto life.
When, as erring, sinful beings, we come to Christ and become partakers of His pardoning
grace, love springs up in the heart. Every burden is light, for the yoke that Christ
imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before
seemed shrouded in darkness, becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness.
The loveliness of the character of Christ will be seen in His followers. It was His
delight to do the will of God. Love to God, zeal for His glory, was the controlling power
in our Saviour's life. Love beautified and ennobled all His actions. Love is of God. The
unconsecrated heart cannot originate or produce it. It is found only in the heart where
Jesus reigns. "We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19, R.V. In the
heart renewed by divine grace, love is the principle of action. It modifies the character,
governs the impulses, controls the passions, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections.
This love, cherished in the soul, sweetens the life and sheds a refining influence on all
around.
There are two errors against which the children of God--particularly those who have
just come to trust in His grace--especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon,
is that of looking to their own works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring
themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in
keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is
polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that
can make us holy.
The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases men from
keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of
Christ, our works have nothing to do with our redemption.
But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of
love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great
principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If
our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the
soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is
implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the
new-covenant promise is fulfilled, "I will put My laws into their hearts, and in
their minds will I write them." Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the
heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience--the service and allegiance of love--is the
true sign of discipleship. Thus the Scripture says, "This is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments." "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of
releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the
grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.
We do not earn salvation by our obedience; for salvation is the free gift of God, to be
received by faith. But obedience is the fruit of faith. "Ye know that He was
manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth
not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him." 1 John 3:5, 6. Here is
the true test. If we abide in Christ, if the love of God dwells in us, our feelings, our
thoughts, our purposes, our actions, will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed
in the precepts of His holy law. "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous." 1 John 3:7. Righteousness
is defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the ten precepts given on
Sinai.
That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation of
obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption. "By grace are ye saved through
faith." But "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." Ephesians 2:8; James
2:17. Jesus said of Himself before He came to earth, "I delight to do Thy will, O My
God: yea, Thy law is within My heart." Psalm 40:8. And just before He ascended again
to heaven He declared, "I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His
love." John 15:10. The Scripture says, "Hereby we do know that we know Him, if
we keep His commandments. . . . He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to
walk even as He walked." 1 John 2:3-6. "Because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps." 1 Peter 2:21.
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,--just what it was in
Paradise before the fall of our first parents,--perfect obedience to the law of God,
perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then
the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin,
with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.
It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience
to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin our natures are fallen and
we cannot make ourselves righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey
the holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the claims of the law
of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us. He lived on earth amid trials and
temptations such as we have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He
offers to take our sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and
accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been, for His sake you are
accounted righteous. Christ's character stands in place of your character, and you are
accepted before God just as if you had not sinned.
More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart by faith. You are to
maintain this connection with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of your will to
Him; and so long as you do this, He will work in you to will and to do according to His
good pleasure. So you may say, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. So
Jesus said to His disciples, "It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you." Matthew 10:20. Then with Christ working in you, you will
manifest the same spirit and do the same good works --works of righteousness, obedience.
So we have nothing in ourselves of which to boast. We have no ground for
self-exaltation. Our only ground of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to us,
and in that wrought by His Spirit working in and through us.
When we speak of faith, there is a distinction that should be borne in mind. There is a
kind of belief that is wholly distinct from faith. The existence and power of God, the
truth of His word, are facts that even Satan and his hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible
says that "the devils also believe, and tremble;" but this is not faith. James
2:19. Where there is not only a belief in God's word, but a submission of the will to Him;
where the heart is yielded to Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is faith--faith
that works by love and purifies the soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in the
image of God. And the heart that in its unrenewed state is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be, now delights in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist,
"O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97. And the
righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, "who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit." Romans 8:1.
There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be
children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty,
and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To
such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at
the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be
discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and
rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us. Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if
any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John
2:1. And do not forget the words of Christ, "The Father Himself loveth you."
John 16:27. He desires to restore you to Himself, to see His own purity and holiness
reflected in you. And if you will but yield yourself to Him, He that hath begun a good
work in you will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. Pray more fervently; believe
more fully. As we come to distrust our own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer,
and we shall praise Him who is the health of our countenance.
The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for
your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct
contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan's delusions have lost their
power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.
No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own
sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine
character; but if we do not see our own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that
we have not had a view of the beauty and excellence of Christ.
The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to esteem in the infinite
purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view of our sinfulness drives us to Him who can
pardon; and when the soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will
reveal Himself in power. The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to the word of
God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character, and the more fully we shall
reflect His image.
Growing In Your New
Life
The change of heart by which we become children of God is in the Bible spoken of as
birth. Again, it is compared to the germination of the good seed sown by the husbandman.
In like manner those who are just converted to Christ are, "as new-born babes,"
to "grow up" to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 2:2;
Ephesians 4:15. Or like the good seed sown in the field, they are to grow up and bring
forth fruit. Isaiah says that they shall "be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3. So from natural life,
illustrations are drawn, to help us better to understand the mysterious truths of
spiritual life.
Not all the wisdom and skill of man can produce life in the smallest object in nature.
It is only through the life which God Himself has imparted, that either plant or animal
can live. So it is only through the life from God that spiritual life is begotten in the
hearts of men. Unless a man is "born from above," he cannot become a partaker of
the life which Christ came to give. John 3:3, margin.
As with life, so it is with growth. It is God who brings the bud to bloom and the
flower to fruit. It is by His power that the seed develops, "first the blade, then
the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." Mark 4:28. And the prophet Hosea says
of Israel, that "he shall grow as the lily." "They shall revive as the
corn, and grow as the vine." Hosea 14:5, 7. And Jesus bids us "consider the
lilies how they grow." Luke 12:27. The plants and flowers grow not by their own care
or anxiety or effort, but by receiving that which God has furnished to minister to their
life. The child cannot, by any anxiety or power of its own, add to its stature. No more
can you, by anxiety or effort of yourself, secure spiritual growth. The plant, the child,
grows by receiving from its surroundings that which ministers to its life --air, sunshine,
and food. What these gifts of nature are to animal and plant, such is Christ to those who
trust in Him. He is their "everlasting light," "a sun and shield."
Isaiah 60:19; Psalm 84:11. He shall be as "the dew unto Israel." "He shall
come down like rain upon the mown grass." Hosea 14:5; Psalm 72:6. He is the living
water, "the Bread of God . . . which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto
the world." John 6:33.
In the matchless gift of His Son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere
of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe
this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to the stature of men and women in
Christ Jesus.
As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty
and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven's light may shine
upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.
Jesus teaches the same thing when He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye
abide in Me. . . . Without Me ye can do nothing." John 15:4, 5. You are just as
dependent upon Christ, in order to live a holy life, as is the branch upon the parent
stock for growth and fruitfulness. Apart from Him you have no life. You have no power to
resist temptation or to grow in grace and holiness. Abiding in Him, you may flourish.
Drawing your life from Him, you will not wither nor be fruitless. You will be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water.
Many have an idea that they must do some part of the work alone. They have trusted in
Christ for the forgiveness of sin, but now they seek by their own efforts to live aright.
But every such effort must fail. Jesus says, "Without Me ye can do nothing." Our
growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness,--all depend upon our union with Christ. It is by
communion with Him, daily, hourly,--by abiding in Him, --that we are to grow in grace. He
is not only the Author, but the Finisher of our faith. It is Christ first and last and
always. He is to be with us, not only at the beginning and the end of our course, but at
every step of the way. David says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because He
is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8.
Do you ask, "How am I to abide in Christ?" In the same way as you received
Him at first. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in
Him." "The just shall live by faith." Colossians 2:6; Hebrews 10:38. You
gave yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your
Saviour. You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having given
yourself to God, you believe that He for Christ's sake did all this for you. By faith you
became Christ's, and by faith you are to grow up in Him--by giving and taking. You are to
give all,--your heart, your will, your service,--give yourself to Him to obey all His
requirements; and you must take all,--Christ, the fullness of all blessing, to abide in
your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper,--to give you
power to obey.
Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your
prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me
today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." This is
a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your
plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by
day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded
more and more after the life of Christ.
A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but
there should be an abiding, peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ.
Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His
enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self,
but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of
His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity
and holiness, Christ in His matchless love --this is the subject for the soul's
contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are
to be transformed into His likeness.
Jesus says, "Abide in Me." These words convey the idea of rest, stability,
confidence. Again He invites,"Come unto Me, . . . and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28. The words of the psalmist express the same thought: "Rest in the Lord,
and wait patiently for Him." And Isaiah gives the assurance, "In quietness and
in confidence shall be your strength." Psalm 37:7; Isaiah 30:15. This rest is not
found in inactivity; for in the Saviour's invitation the promise of rest is united with
the call to labor: "Take My yoke upon you: . . . and ye shall find rest."
Matthew 11:29. The heart that rests most fully upon Christ will be most earnest and active
in labor for Him.
When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength
and life. Hence it is Satan's constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the
Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of
the world, life's cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own
faults and imperfections--to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind. Do not
be misled by his devices. Many who are really conscientious, and who desire to live for
God, he too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by
separating them from Christ he hopes to gain the victory. We should not make self the
center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the
soul away from the Source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God, and
trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt;
dismiss your fears. Say with the apostle Paul, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. Rest in God. He is able to
keep that which you have committed to Him. If you will leave yourself in His hands, He
will bring you off more than conqueror through Him that has loved you.
When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love
that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself. Satan will
constantly present allurements to induce us to break this tie--to choose to separate
ourselves from Christ. Here is where we need to watch, to strive, to pray, that nothing
may entice us to choose another master; for we are always free to do this. But let us keep
our eyes fixed upon Christ, and He will preserve us. Looking unto Jesus, we are safe.
Nothing can pluck us out of His hand. In constantly beholding Him, we "are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2
Corinthians 3:18.
It was thus that the early disciples gained their likeness to the dear Saviour. When
those disciples heard the words of Jesus, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they
found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in
the field. They were with Him as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from His lips
lessons of holy truth. They looked to Him, as servants to their master, to learn their
duty. Those disciples were men "subject to like passions as we are." James 5:17.
They had the same battle with sin to fight. They needed the same grace, in order to live a
holy life.
Even John, the beloved disciple, the one who most fully reflected the likeness of the
Saviour, did not naturally possess that loveliness of character. He was not only
self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injuries. But
as the character of the Divine One was manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and
was humbled by the knowledge. The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the
majesty and meekness, that he beheld in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul
with admiration and love. Day by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost
sight of self in love for his Master. His resentful, ambitious temper was yielded to the
molding power of Christ. The regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit renewed his heart.
The power of the love of Christ wrought a transformation of character. This is the sure
result of union with Jesus. When Christ abides in the heart, the whole nature is
transformed. Christ's Spirit, His love, softens the heart, subdues the soul, and raises
the thoughts and desires toward God and heaven.
When Christ ascended to heaven, the sense of His presence was still with His followers.
It was a personal presence, full of love and light. Jesus, the Saviour, who had walked and
talked and prayed with them, who had spoken hope and comfort to their hearts, had, while
the message of peace was still upon His lips, been taken up from them into heaven, and the
tones of His voice had come back to them, as the cloud of angels received Him--"Lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20. He had ascended to
heaven in the form of humanity. They knew that He was before the throne of God, their
Friend and Saviour still; that His sympathies were unchanged; that He was still identified
with suffering humanity. He was presenting before God the merits of His own precious
blood, showing His wounded hands and feet, in remembrance of the price He had paid for His
redeemed. They knew that He had ascended to heaven to prepare places for them, and that He
would come again and take them to Himself.
As they met together after the ascension they were eager to present their requests to
the Father in the name of Jesus. In solemn awe they bowed in prayer, repeating the
assurance, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be
full." John 16:23, 24. They extended the hand of faith higher and higher with the
mighty argument, "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Romans 8:34. And
Pentecost brought them the presence of the Comforter, of whom Christ had said, He
"shall be in you." And He had further said, "It is expedient for you that I
go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I
will send Him unto you." John 14:17; 16:7. Henceforth through the Spirit, Christ was
to abide continually in the hearts of His children. Their union with Him was closer than
when He was personally with them. The light, and love, and power of the indwelling Christ
shone out through them, so that men, beholding, "marveled; and they took knowledge of
them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13.
All that Christ was to the disciples, He desires to be to His children today; for in
that last prayer, with the little band of disciples gathered about Him, He said,
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through
their word." John 17:20.
Jesus prayed for us, and He asked that we might be one with Him, even as He is one with
the Father. What a union is this! The Saviour has said of Himself, "The Son can do
nothing of Himself;" "the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works."
John 5:19; 14:10. Then if Christ is dwelling in our hearts, He will work in us "both
to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13. We shall work as He
worked; we shall manifest the same spirit. And thus, loving Him and abiding in Him, we
shall "grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ."
Ephesians 4:15.
Sharing God's Love
God is the source of life and light and joy to the universe. Like rays of light from
the sun, like the streams of water bursting from a living spring, blessings flow out from
Him to all His creatures. And wherever the life of God is in the hearts of men, it will
flow out to others in love and blessing.
Our Saviour's joy was in the uplifting and redemption of fallen men. For this He
counted not His life dear unto Himself, but endured the cross, despising the shame. So
angels are ever engaged in working for the happiness of others. This is their joy. That
which selfish hearts would regard as humiliating service, ministering to those who are
wretched and in every way inferior in character and rank, is the work of sinless angels.
The spirit of Christ's self-sacrificing love is the spirit that pervades heaven and is the
very essence of its bliss. This is the spirit that Christ's followers will possess, the
work that they will do.
When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be
hidden. Its holy influence will be felt by all with whom we come in contact. The spirit of
Christ in the heart is like a spring in the desert, flowing to refresh all and making
those who are ready to perish, eager to drink of the water of life.
Love to Jesus will be manifested in a desire to work as He worked for the blessing and
uplifting of humanity. It will lead to love, tenderness, and sympathy toward all the
creatures of our heavenly Father's care.
The Saviour's life on earth was not a life of ease and devotion to Himself, but He
toiled with persistent, earnest, untiring effort for the salvation of lost mankind. From
the manger to Calvary He followed the path of self-denial and sought not to be released
from arduous tasks, painful travels and exhausting care and labor. He said, "The Son
of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for
many." Matthew 20:28. This was the one great object of His life. Everything else was
secondary and subservient. It was His meat and drink to do the will of God and to finish
His work. Self and self-interest had no part in His labor.
So those who are the partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any
sacrifice, that others for whom He died may share the heavenly gift. They will do all they
can to make the world better for their stay in it. This spirit is the sure outgrowth of a
soul truly converted. No sooner does one come to Christ than there is born in his heart a
desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving
and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the
righteousness of Christ and are filled with the joy of His indwelling Spirit, we shall not
be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good we shall have
something to tell. Like Philip when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into His
presence. We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ and the unseen
realities of the world to come. There will be an intensity of desire to follow in the path
that Jesus trod. There will be an earnest longing that those around us may "behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. This was the
purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. He has granted men
the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature and, in their turn, of diffusing
blessings to their fellow men. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy, that it is
possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus become participants in labors of love
are brought nearest to their Creator.
God might have committed the message of the gospel, and all the work of loving
ministry, to the heavenly angels. He might have employed other means for accomplishing His
purpose. But in His infinite love He chose to make us co-workers with Himself, with Christ
and the angels, that we might share the blessing, the joy, the spiritual uplifting, which
results from this unselfish ministry.
We are brought into sympathy with Christ through the fellowship of His sufferings.
Every act of self-sacrifice for the good of others strengthens the spirit of beneficence
in the giver's heart, allying him more closely to the Redeemer of the world, who "was
rich, yet for your sakes . . . became poor, that ye through His poverty might be
rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9. And it is only as we thus fulfill the divine purpose in our
creation that life can be a blessing to us.
If you will go to work as Christ designs that His disciples shall, and win souls for
Him, you will feel the need of a deeper experience and a greater knowledge in divine
things, and will hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will plead with God, and your
faith will be strengthened, and your soul will drink deeper drafts at the well of
salvation. Encountering opposition and trials will drive you to the Bible and prayer. You
will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, and will develop a rich experience.
The spirit of unselfish labor for others gives depth, stability, and Christlike
loveliness to the character, and brings peace and happiness to its possessor. The
aspirations are elevated. There is no room for sloth or selfishness. Those who thus
exercise the Christian graces will grow and will become strong to work for God. They will
have clear spiritual perceptions, a steady, growing faith, and an increased power in
prayer. The Spirit of God, moving upon their spirit, calls forth the sacred harmonies of
the soul in answer to the divine touch. Those who thus devote themselves to unselfish
effort for the good of others are most surely working out their own salvation.
The only way to grow in grace is to be disinterestedly doing the very work which Christ
has enjoined upon us--to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing
those who need the help we can give them. Strength comes by exercise; activity is the very
condition of life. Those who endeavor to maintain Christian life by passively accepting
the blessings that come through the means of grace, and doing nothing for Christ, are
simply trying to live by eating without working. And in the spiritual as in the natural
world, this always results in degeneration and decay. A man who would refuse to exercise
his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise
his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength that
he already had.
The church of Christ is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men. Its mission is
to carry the gospel to the world. And the obligation rests upon all Christians. Everyone,
to the extent of his talent and opportunity, is to fulfill the Saviour's commission. The
love of Christ, revealed to us, makes us debtors to all who know Him not. God has given us
light, not for ourselves alone, but to shed upon them.
If the followers of Christ were awake to duty, there would be thousands where there is
one today proclaiming the gospel in heathen lands. And all who could not personally engage
in the work, would yet sustain it with their means, their sympathy, and their prayers. And
there would be far more earnest labor for souls in Christian countries.
We need not go to heathen lands, or even leave the narrow circle of the home, if it is
there that our duty lies, in order to work for Christ. We can do this in the home circle,
in the church, among those with whom we associate, and with whom we do business.
The greater part of our Saviour's life on earth was spent in patient toil in the
carpenter's shop at Nazareth. Ministering angels attended the Lord of life as He walked
side by side with peasants and laborers, unrecognized and unhonored. He was as faithfully
fulfilling His mission while working at His humble trade as when He healed the sick or
walked upon the storm-tossed waves of Galilee. So in the humblest duties and lowliest
positions of life, we may walk and work with Jesus.
The apostle says, "Let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with
God." 1 Corinthians 7:24. The businessman may conduct his business in a way that will
glorify his Master because of his fidelity. If he is a true follower of Christ he will
carry his religion into everything that is done and reveal to men the spirit of Christ.
The mechanic may be a diligent and faithful representative of Him who toiled in the lowly
walks of life among the hills of Galilee. Everyone who names the name of Christ should so
work that others, by seeing his good works, may be led to glorify their Creator and
Redeemer.
Many have excused themselves from rendering their gifts to the service of Christ
because others were possessed of superior endowments and advantages. The opinion has
prevailed that only those who are especially talented are required to consecrate their
abilities to the service of God. It has come to be understood by many that talents are
given to only a certain favored class to the exclusion of others who of course are not
called upon to share in the toils or the rewards. But it is not so represented in the
parable. When the master of the house called his servants, he gave to every man his work.
With a loving spirit we may perform life's humblest duties "as to the Lord."
Colossians 3:23. If the love of God is in the heart, it will be manifested in the life.
The sweet savor of Christ will surround us, and our influence will elevate and bless.
You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect extraordinary abilities before you
go to work for God. You need not have a thought of what the world will think of you. If
your daily life is a testimony to the purity and sincerity of your faith, and others are
convinced that you desire to benefit them, your efforts will not be wholly lost.
The humblest and poorest of the disciples of Jesus can be a blessing to others. They
may not realize that they are doing any special good, but by their unconscious influence
they may start waves of blessing that will widen and deepen, and the blessed results they
may never know until the day of final reward. They do not feel or know that they are doing
anything great. They are not required to weary themselves with anxiety about success. They
have only to go forward quietly, doing faithfully the work that God's providence assigns,
and their life will not be in vain. Their own souls will be growing more and more into the
likeness of Christ; they are workers together with God in this life and are thus fitting
for the higher work and the unshadowed joy of the life to come.
Listening
For God's Voice
Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to us and bring us into
communion with Him. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart will be
impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His hands. The
listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the things of
nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the
falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to our hearts, and
invite us to become acquainted with Him who made them all.
Our Saviour bound up His precious lessons with the things of nature. The trees, the
birds, the flowers of the valleys, the hills, the lakes, and the beautiful heavens, as
well as the incidents and surroundings of daily life, were all linked with the words of
truth, that His lessons might thus be often recalled to mind, even amid the busy cares of
man's life of toil.
God would have His children appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet
beauty with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and
above all that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have us
cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers.
If we will but listen, God's created works will teach us precious lessons of obedience
and trust. From the stars that in their trackless courses through space follow from age to
age their appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the
Creator's will. And God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created.
He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the
wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear. When men go
forth to their daily toil, as when they engage in prayer; when they lie down at night, and
when they rise in the morning; when the rich man feasts in his palace, or when the poor
man gathers his children about the scanty board, each is tenderly watched by the heavenly
Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not
mark.
If we would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. Our lives
would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small,
would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or
overwhelmed by their weight. We should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long
been strangers.
As your senses delight in the attractive loveliness of the earth, think of the world
that is to come, that shall never know the blight of sin and death; where the face of
nature will no more wear the shadow of the curse. Let your imagination picture the home of
the saved, and remember that it will be more glorious than your brightest imagination can
portray. In the varied gifts of God in nature we see but the faintest gleaming of His
glory. It is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1
Corinthians 2:9.
The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about nature, but it is the
Christian who enjoys the beauty of the earth with the highest appreciation, because he
recognizes his Father's handiwork and perceives His love in flower and shrub and tree. No
one can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who does not
look upon them as an expression of God's love to man.
God speaks to us through His providential workings and through the influence of His
Spirit upon the heart. In our circumstances and surroundings, in the changes daily taking
place around us, we may find precious lessons if our hearts are but open to discern them.
The psalmist, tracing the work of God's providence, says, "The earth is full of the
goodness of the Lord." "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they
shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." Psalm 33:5; 107:43.
God speaks to us in His word. Here we have in clearer lines the revelation of His
character, of His dealings with men, and the great work of redemption. Here is open before
us the history of patriarchs and prophets and other holy men of old. They were men
"subject to like passions as we are." James 5:17. We see how they struggled
through discouragements like our own, how they fell under temptation as we have done, and
yet took heart again and conquered through the grace of God; and, beholding, we are
encouraged in our striving after righteousness. As we read of the precious experiences
granted them, of the light and love and blessing it was theirs to enjoy, and of the work
they wrought through the grace given them, the spirit that inspired them kindles a flame
of holy emulation in our hearts and a desire to be like them in character--like them to
walk with God.
Jesus said of the Old Testament Scriptures,--and how much more is it true of the
New,--"They are they which testify of Me," the Redeemer, Him in whom our hopes
of eternal life are centered. John 5:39. Yes, the whole Bible tells of Christ. From the
first record of creation--for "without Him was not anything made that was
made"--to the closing promise, "Behold, I come quickly," we are reading of
His works and listening to His voice. John 1:3; Revelation 22:12. If you would become
acquainted with the Saviour, study the Holy Scriptures.
Fill the whole heart with the words of God. They are the living water, quenching your
burning thirst. They are the living bread from heaven. Jesus declares, "Except ye eat
the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." And He
explains Himself by saying, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life." John 6:53, 63. Our bodies are built up from what we eat and drink;
and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual economy: it is what we meditate upon
that will give tone and strength to our spiritual nature.
The theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the
science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not
worthy of careful thought and study now? The infinite mercy and love of Jesus, the
sacrifice made in our behalf, call for the most serious and solemn reflection. We should
dwell upon the character of our dear Redeemer and Intercessor. We should meditate upon the
mission of Him who came to save His people from their sins. As we thus contemplate
heavenly themes, our faith and love will grow stronger, and our prayers will be more and
more acceptable to God, because they will be more and more mixed with faith and love. They
will be intelligent and fervent. There will be more constant confidence in Jesus, and a
daily, living experience in His power to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by
Him.
As we meditate upon the perfections of the Saviour, we shall desire to be wholly
transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. There will be a hungering and
thirsting of soul to become like Him whom we adore. The more our thoughts are upon Christ,
the more we shall speak of Him to others and represent Him to the world.
The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for
the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made as clear as noonday;
and none will mistake and lose their way except those who follow their own judgment
instead of the plainly revealed will of God.
We should not take the testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should
study the words of God for ourselves. If we allow others to do our thinking, we shall have
crippled energies and contracted abilities. The noble powers of the mind may be so dwarfed
by lack of exercise on themes worthy of their concentration as to lose their ability to
grasp the deep meaning of the word of God. The mind will enlarge if it is employed in
tracing out the relation of the subjects of the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture
and spiritual things with spiritual.
There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the
Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the
faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God's word were studied as it
should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of
purpose rarely seen in these times.
But there is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. One may
read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and
hidden meaning. One passage studied until its significance is clear to the mind and its
relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of more value than the perusal of many
chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained. Keep your
Bible with you. As you have opportunity, read it; fix the texts in your memory. Even while
you are walking the streets you may read a passage and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in
the mind.
We cannot obtain wisdom without earnest attention and prayerful study. Some portions of
Scripture are indeed too plain to be misunderstood, but there are others whose meaning
does not lie on the surface to be seen at a glance. Scripture must be compared with
scripture. There must be careful research and prayerful reflection. And such study will be
richly repaid. As the miner discovers veins of precious metal concealed beneath the
surface of the earth, so will he who perseveringly searches the word of God as for hid
treasure find truths of the greatest value, which are concealed from the view of the
careless seeker. The words of inspiration, pondered in the heart, will be as streams
flowing from the fountain of life.
Never should the Bible be studied without prayer. Before opening its pages we should
ask for the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given. When Nathanael came to
Jesus, the Saviour exclaimed, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathanael said, "Whence knowest Thou me?" Jesus answered, "Before that
Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." John 1:47, 48.
And Jesus will see us also in the secret places of prayer if we will seek Him for light
that we may know what is truth. Angels from the world of light will be with those who in
humility of heart seek for divine guidance.
The Holy Spirit exalts and glorifies the Saviour. It is His office to present Christ,
the purity of His righteousness, and the great salvation that we have through Him. Jesus
says, "He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:14. The
Spirit of truth is the only effectual teacher of divine truth. How must God esteem the
human race, since He gave His Son to die for them and appoints His Spirit to be man's
teacher and continual guide!
Talking To
God As A Friend
Through nature and revelation, through His providence, and by the influence of His
Spirit, God speaks to us. But these are not enough; we need also to pour out our hearts to
Him. In order to have spiritual life and energy, we must have actual intercourse with our
heavenly Father. Our minds may be drawn out toward Him; we may meditate upon His works,
His mercies, His blessings; but this is not, in the fullest sense, communing with Him. In
order to commune with God, we must have something to say to Him concerning our actual
life.
Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in
order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer
does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.
When Jesus was upon the earth, He taught His disciples how to pray. He directed them to
present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon Him. And the
assurance He gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.
Jesus Himself, while He dwelt among men, was often in prayer. Our Saviour identified
Himself with our needs and weakness, in that He became a suppliant, a petitioner, seeking
from His Father fresh supplies of strength, that He might come forth braced for duty and
trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our infirmities, "in all
points tempted like as we are;" but as the sinless one His nature recoiled from evil;
He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin. His humanity made prayer a
necessity and a privilege. He found comfort and joy in communion with His Father. And if
the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should feeble,
sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent, constant prayer.
Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our
privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we
pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His
children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to
God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to
temptation, when God's heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more
than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? The
angels love to bow before God; they love to be near Him. They regard communion with God as
their highest joy; and yet the children of earth, who need so much the help that God only
can give, seem satisfied to walk without the light of His Spirit, the companionship of His
presence.
The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered
temptations of the enemy entice them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of
the privileges that God has given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the
sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of
faith to unlock heaven's storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of
Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing
careless and of deviating from the right path. The adversary seeks continually to obstruct
the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest supplication and faith obtain grace
and power to resist temptation.
There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our
prayers. One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has
promised, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry
ground." Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after
God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit's
influence, or God's blessing cannot be received.
Our great need is itself an argument and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the
Lord is to be sought unto to do these things for us. He says, "Ask, and it shall be
given you." And "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us
all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Matthew 7:7; Romans
8:32.
If we regard iniquity in our hearts, if we cling to any known sin, the Lord will not
hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known
wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. Our own merit will
never commend us to the favor of God; it is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, His
blood that will cleanse us; yet we have a work to do in complying with the conditions of
acceptance.
Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. "He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews
11:6. Jesus said to His disciples, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. Do we take Him at
His word?
The assurance is broad and unlimited, and He is faithful who has promised. When we do
not receive the very things we asked for, at the time we ask, we are still to believe that
the Lord hears and that He will answer our prayers. We are so erring and short-sighted
that we sometimes ask for things that would not be a blessing to us, and our heavenly
Father in love answers our prayers by giving us that which will be for our highest
good--that which we ourselves would desire if with vision divinely enlightened we could
see all things as they really are. When our prayers seem not to be answered, we are to
cling to the promise; for the time of answering will surely come, and we shall receive the
blessing we need most. But to claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way
and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption. God is too wise to err, and
too good to withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. Then do not fear to
trust Him, even though you do not see the immediate answer to your prayers. Rely upon His
sure promise, "Ask, and it shall be given you."
If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot
see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we
come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting
faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees everything in
creation, and who governs everything by His will and word, He can and will attend to our
cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer we are brought into
connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time
that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even
so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying
tenderness.
When we come to ask mercy and blessing from God we should have a spirit of love and
forgiveness in our own hearts. How can we pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors," and yet indulge an unforgiving spirit? Matthew 6:12. If we expect our
own prayers to be heard we must forgive others in the same manner and to the same extent
as we hope to be forgiven.
Perseverance in prayer has been made a condition of receiving. We must pray always if
we would grow in faith and experience. We are to be "instant in prayer," to
"continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." Romans 12:12;
Colossians 4:2. Peter exhorts believers to be "sober, and watch unto prayer." 1
Peter 4:7. Paul directs, "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6. "But ye,
beloved," says Jude, "praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of
God." Jude 20, 21.
Unceasing prayer is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God
flows into our life; and from our life, purity and holiness flow back to God.
There is necessity for diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. Make every effort
to keep open the communion between Jesus and your own soul. Seek every opportunity to go
where prayer is wont to be made. Those who are really seeking for communion with God will
be seen in the prayer meeting, faithful to do their duty and earnest and anxious to reap
all the benefits they can gain. They will improve every opportunity of placing themselves
where they can receive the rays of light from heaven.
We should pray in the family circle, and above all we must not neglect secret prayer,
for this is the life of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to flourish while prayer
is neglected. Family or public prayer alone is not sufficient. In solitude let the soul be
laid open to the inspecting eye of God. Secret prayer is to be heard only by the
prayer-hearing God. No curious ear is to receive the burden of such petitions. In secret
prayer the soul is free from surrounding influences, free from excitement. Calmly, yet
fervently, will it reach out after God. Sweet and abiding will be the influence emanating
from Him who seeth in secret, whose ear is open to hear the prayer arising from the heart.
By calm, simple faith the soul holds communion with God and gathers to itself rays of
divine light to strengthen and sustain it in the conflict with Satan. God is our tower of
strength.
Pray in your closet, and as you go about your daily labor let your heart be often
uplifted to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. These silent prayers rise like
precious incense before the throne of grace. Satan cannot overcome him whose heart is thus
stayed upon God.
There is no time or place in which it is inappropriate to offer up a petition to God.
There is nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our hearts in the spirit of earnest
prayer. In the crowds of the street, in the midst of a business engagement, we may send up
a petition to God and plead for divine guidance, as did Nehemiah when he made his request
before King Artaxerxes. A closet of communion may be found wherever we are. We should have
the door of the heart open continually and our invitation going up that Jesus may come and
abide as a heavenly guest in the soul.
Although there may be a tainted, corrupted atmosphere around us, we need not breathe
its miasma, but may live in the pure air of heaven. We may close every door to impure
imaginings and unholy thoughts by lifting the soul into the presence of God through
sincere prayer. Those whose hearts are open to receive the support and blessing of God
will walk in a holier atmosphere than that of earth and will have constant communion with
heaven.
We need to have more distinct views of Jesus and a fuller comprehension of the value of
eternal realities. The beauty of holiness is to fill the hearts of God's children; and
that this may be accomplished, we should seek for divine disclosures of heavenly things.
Let the soul be drawn out and upward, that God may grant us a breath of the heavenly
atmosphere. We may keep so near to God that in every unexpected trial our thoughts will
turn to Him as naturally as the flower turns to the sun.
Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You
cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not
indifferent to the wants of His children. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender
mercy." James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our
utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great
for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe.
Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no
chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult
for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass
the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is
unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. "He healeth the broken in
heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each
soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to
share His watchcare, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.
Jesus said, "Ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: for the Father Himself loveth you." "I have chosen you: . . .
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you." John
16:26, 27; 15:16. But to pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention
of that name at the beginning and the ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and
spirit of Jesus, while we believe His promises, rely upon His grace, and work His works.
God does not mean that any of us should become hermits or monks and retire from the
world in order to devote ourselves to acts of worship. The life must be like Christ's
life--between the mountain and the multitude. He who does nothing but pray will soon cease
to pray, or his prayers will become a formal routine. When men take themselves out of
social life, away from the sphere of Christian duty and cross bearing; when they cease to
work earnestly for the Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter
of prayer and have no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and selfish.
They cannot pray in regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom,
pleading for strength wherewith to work.
We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen
and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their
vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by
their sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. In our association as
Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He who shuts himself up to
himself is not filling the position that God designed he should. The proper cultivation of
the social elements in our nature brings us into sympathy with others and is a means of
development and strength to us in the service of God.
If Christians would associate together, speaking to each other of the love of God and
of the precious truths of redemption, their own hearts would be refreshed and they would
refresh one another. We may be daily learning more of our heavenly Father, gaining a fresh
experience of His grace; then we shall desire to speak of His love; and as we do this, our
own hearts will be warmed and encouraged. If we thought and talked more of Jesus, and less
of self, we should have far more of His presence.
If we would but think of God as often as we have evidence of His care for us we should
keep Him ever in our thoughts and should delight to talk of Him and to praise Him. We talk
of temporal things because we have an interest in them. We talk of our friends because we
love them; our joys and our sorrows are bound up with them. Yet we have infinitely greater
reason to love God than to love our earthly friends; it should be the most natural thing
in the world to make Him first in all our thoughts, to talk of His goodness and tell of
His power. The rich gifts He has bestowed upon us were not intended to absorb our thoughts
and love so much that we should have nothing to give to God; they are constantly to remind
us of Him and to bind us in bonds of love and gratitude to our heavenly Benefactor. We
dwell too near the lowlands of earth. Let us raise our eyes to the open door of the
sanctuary above, where the light of the glory of God shines in the face of Christ, who
"is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Hebrews
7:25.
We need to praise God more "for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the
children of men." Psalm 107:8. Our devotional exercises should not consist wholly in
asking and receiving. Let us not be always thinking of our wants and never of the benefits
we receive. We do not pray any too much, but we are too sparing of giving thanks. We are
the constant recipients of God's mercies, and yet how little gratitude we express, how
little we praise Him for what He has done for us.
Anciently the Lord bade Israel, when they met together for His service, "Ye shall
eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye
and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee." Deuteronomy 12:7.
That which is done for the glory of God should be done with cheerfulness, with songs of
praise and thanksgiving, not with sadness and gloom.
Our God is a tender, merciful Father. His service should not be looked upon as a
heart-saddening, distressing exercise. It should be a pleasure to worship the Lord and to
take part in His work. God would not have His children, for whom so great salvation has
been provided, act as if He were a hard, exacting taskmaster. He is their best friend; and
when they worship Him, He expects to be with them, to bless and comfort them, filling
their hearts with joy and love. The Lord desires His children to take comfort in His
service and to find more pleasure than hardship in His work. He desires that those who
come to worship Him shall carry away with them precious thoughts of His care and love,
that they may be cheered in all the employments of daily life, that they may have grace to
deal honestly and faithfully in all things.
We must gather about the cross. Christ and Him crucified should be the theme of
contemplation, of conversation, and of our most joyful emotion. We should keep in our
thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when we realize His great love we should
be willing to trust everything to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.
The soul may ascend nearer heaven on the wings of praise. God is worshiped with song
and music in the courts above, and as we express our gratitude we are approximating to the
worship of the heavenly hosts. "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth" God. Psalm
50:23. Let us with reverent joy come before our Creator, with "thanksgiving, and the
voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3.
Overcoming Doubt
Many, especially those who are young in the Christian life, are at times troubled with
the suggestions of skepticism. There are in the Bible many things which they cannot
explain, or even understand, and Satan employs these to shake their faith in the
Scriptures as a revelation from God. They ask, "How shall I know the right way? If
the Bible is indeed the word of God, how can I be freed from these doubts and
perplexities?"
God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our
faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by
testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never
removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration.
Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the
truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.
It is impossible for finite minds fully to comprehend the character or the works of the
Infinite One. To the keenest intellect, the most highly educated mind, that holy Being
must ever remain clothed in mystery. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst
thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do?
deeper than hell; what canst thou know?" Job 11:7, 8.
The apostle Paul exclaims, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"
Romans 11:33. But though "clouds and darkness are round about Him,"
"righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne." Psalm 97:2, R.V.
We can so far comprehend His dealings with us, and the motives by which He is actuated,
that we may discern boundless love and mercy united to infinite power. We can understand
as much of His purposes as it is for our good to know; and beyond this we must still trust
the hand that is omnipotent, the heart that is full of love.
The word of God, like the character of its divine Author, presents mysteries that can
never be fully comprehended by finite beings. The entrance of sin into the world, the
incarnation of Christ, regeneration, the resurrection, and many other subjects presented
in the Bible, are mysteries too deep for the human mind to explain, or even fully to
comprehend. But we have no reason to doubt God's word because we cannot understand the
mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with
mysteries that we cannot fathom. The very humblest forms of life present a problem that
the wisest of philosophers is powerless to explain. Everywhere are wonders beyond our ken.
Should we then be surprised to find that in the spiritual world also there are mysteries
that we cannot fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the
human mind. God has given us in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine
character, and we are not to doubt His word because we cannot understand all the mysteries
of His providence.
The apostle Peter says that there are in Scripture "things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest . . . unto their own destruction." 2
Peter 3:16. The difficulties of Scripture have been urged by skeptics as an argument
against the Bible; but so far from this, they constitute a strong evidence of its divine
inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could easily comprehend;
if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not
bear the unmistakable credentials of divine authority. The very grandeur and mystery of
the themes presented should inspire faith in it as the word of God.
The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and a perfect adaptation to the needs and
longings of the human heart, that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated
minds, while it enables the humblest and uncultured to discern the way of salvation. And
yet these simply stated truths lay hold upon subjects so elevated, so far-reaching, so
infinitely beyond the power of human comprehension, that we can accept them only because
God has declared them. Thus the plan of redemption is laid open to us, so that every soul
may see the steps he is to take in repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ, in order to be saved in God's appointed way; yet beneath these truths, so easily
understood, lie mysteries that are the hiding of His glory--mysteries that overpower the
mind in its research, yet inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith.
The more he searches the Bible, the deeper is his conviction that it is the word of the
living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation.
To acknowledge that we cannot fully comprehend the great truths of the Bible is only to
admit that the finite mind is inadequate to grasp the infinite; that man, with his
limited, human knowledge, cannot understand the purposes of Omniscience.
Because they cannot fathom all its mysteries, the skeptic and the infidel reject God's
word; and not all who profess to believe the Bible are free from danger on this point. The
apostle says, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the living God." Hebrews 3:12. It is right to study
closely the teachings of the Bible and to search into "the deep things of God"
so far as they are revealed in Scripture. 1 Corinthians 2:10. While "the secret
things belong unto the Lord our God," "those things which are revealed belong
unto us." Deuteronomy 29:29. But it is Satan's work to pervert the investigative
powers of the mind. A certain pride is mingled with the consideration of Bible truth, so
that men feel impatient and defeated if they cannot explain every portion of Scripture to
their satisfaction. It is too humiliating to them to acknowledge that they do not
understand the inspired words. They are unwilling to wait patiently until God shall see
fit to reveal the truth to them. They feel that their unaided human wisdom is sufficient
to enable them to comprehend the Scripture, and failing to do this, they virtually deny
its authority. It is true that many theories and doctrines popularly supposed to be
derived from the Bible have no foundation in its teaching, and indeed are contrary to the
whole tenor of inspiration. These things have been a cause of doubt and perplexity to many
minds. They are not, however, chargeable to God's word, but to man's perversion of it.
If it were possible for created beings to attain to a full understanding of God and His
works, then, having reached this point, there would be for them no further discovery of
truth, no growth in knowledge, no further development of mind or heart. God would no
longer be supreme; and man, having reached the limit of knowledge and attainment, would
cease to advance. Let us thank God that it is not so. God is infinite; in Him are
"all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. And to all eternity
men may be ever searching, ever learning, and yet never exhaust the treasures of His
wisdom, His goodness, and His power.
God intends that even in this life the truths of His word shall be ever unfolding to
His people. There is only one way in which this knowledge can be obtained. We can attain
to an understanding of God's word only through the illumination of that Spirit by which
the word was given. "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God;"
"for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." 1
Corinthians 2:11, 10. And the Saviour's promise to His followers was, "When He, the
Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. . . . For He shall receive of
Mine, and shall show it unto you." John 16:13, 14.
God desires man to exercise his reasoning powers; and the study of the Bible will
strengthen and elevate the mind as no other study can. Yet we are to beware of deifying
reason, which is subject to the weakness and infirmity of humanity. If we would not have
the Scriptures clouded to our understanding, so that the plainest truths shall not be
comprehended, we must have the simplicity and faith of a little child, ready to learn, and
beseeching the aid of the Holy Spirit. A sense of the power and wisdom of God, and of our
inability to comprehend His greatness, should inspire us with humility, and we should open
His word, as we would enter His presence, with holy awe. When we come to the Bible, reason
must acknowledge an authority superior to itself, and heart and intellect must bow to the
great I AM.
There are many things apparently difficult or obscure, which God will make plain and
simple to those who thus seek an understanding of them. But without the guidance of the
Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret
them. There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases a
positive injury. When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when
the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God, or in harmony with His will, the mind
is clouded with doubts; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The
enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct.
Whenever men are not in word and deed seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however
learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is
not safe to trust to their explanations. Those who look to the Scriptures to find
discrepancies, have not spiritual insight. With distorted vision they will see many causes
for doubt and unbelief in things that are really plain and simple.
Disguise it as they may, the real cause of doubt and skepticism, in most cases, is the
love of sin. The teachings and restrictions of God's word are not welcome to the proud,
sin-loving heart, and those who are unwilling to obey its requirements are ready to doubt
its authority. In order to arrive at truth, we must have a sincere desire to know the
truth and a willingness of heart to obey it. And all who come in this spirit to the study
of the Bible will find abundant evidence that it is God's word, and they may gain an
understanding of its truths that will make them wise unto salvation.
Christ has said, "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the
teaching." John 7:17, R.V. Instead of questioning and caviling concerning that which
you do not understand, give heed to the light that already shines upon you, and you will
receive greater light. By the grace of Christ, perform every duty that has been made plain
to your understanding, and you will be enabled to understand and perform those of which
you are now in doubt.
There is an evidence that is open to all,--the most highly educated, and the most
illiterate,--the evidence of experience. God invites us to prove for ourselves the reality
of His word, the truth of His promises. He bids us "taste and see that the Lord is
good." Psalm 34:8. Instead of depending upon the word of another, we are to taste for
ourselves. He declares, "Ask, and ye shall receive." John 16:24. His promises
will be fulfilled. They have never failed; they never can fail. And as we draw near to
Jesus, and rejoice in the fullness of His love, our doubt and darkness will disappear in
the light of His presence.
The apostle Paul says that God "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Colossians 1:13. And everyone
who has passed from death unto life is able to "set to his seal that God is
true." John 3:33. He can testify, "I needed help, and I found it in Jesus. Every
want was supplied, the hunger of my soul was satisfied; and now the Bible is to me the
revelation of Jesus Christ. Do you ask why I believe in Jesus? Because He is to me a
divine Saviour. Why do I believe the Bible? Because I have found it to be the voice of God
to my soul." We may have the witness in ourselves that the Bible is true, that Christ
is the Son of God. We know that we are not following cunningly devised fables.
Peter exhorts his brethren to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18. When the people of God are growing in grace,
they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His word. They will discern
new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the history of the church
in all ages, and thus it will continue to the end. "The path of the righteous is as
the light of dawn, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Proverbs 4:18,
R.V., margin.
By faith we may look to the hereafter and grasp the pledge of God for a growth of
intellect, the human faculties uniting with the divine, and every power of the soul being
brought into direct contact with the Source of light. We may rejoice that all which has
perplexed us in the providences of God will then be made plain, things hard to be
understood will then find an explanation; and where our finite minds discovered only
confusion and broken purposes, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony.
"Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but
then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12.
Rejoicing in
the Lord
The children of God are called to be representatives of Christ, showing forth the
goodness and mercy of the Lord. As Jesus has revealed to us the true character of the
Father, so we are to reveal Christ to a world that does not know His tender, pitying love.
"As Thou hast sent Me into the world," said Jesus, "even so have I also
sent them into the world." "I in them, and Thou in Me; . . . that the world may
know that Thou hast sent Me." John 17: 18, 23. The apostle Paul says to the disciples
of Jesus, "Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ," "known
and read of all men." 2 Corinthians 3:3, 2. In every one of His children, Jesus sends
a letter to the world. If you are Christ's follower, He sends in you a letter to the
family, the village, the street, where you live. Jesus, dwelling in you, desires to speak
to the hearts of those who are not acquainted with Him. Perhaps they do not read the
Bible, or do not hear the voice that speaks to them in its pages; they do not see the love
of God through His works. But if you are a true representative of Jesus, it may be that
through you they will be led to understand something of His goodness and be won to love
and serve Him.
Christians are set as light bearers on the way to heaven. They are to reflect to the
world the light shining upon them from Christ. Their life and character should be such
that through them others will get a right conception of Christ and of His service.
If we do represent Christ, we shall make His service appear attractive, as it really
is. Christians who gather up gloom and sadness to their souls, and murmur and complain,
are giving to others a false representation of God and the Christian life. They give the
impression that God is not pleased to have His children happy, and in this they bear false
witness against our heavenly Father.
Satan is exultant when he can lead the children of God into unbelief and despondency.
He delights to see us mistrusting God, doubting His willingness and power to save us. He
loves to have us feel that the Lord will do us harm by His providences. It is the work of
Satan to represent the Lord as lacking in compassion and pity. He misstates the truth in
regard to Him. He fills the imagination with false ideas concerning God; and instead of
dwelling upon the truth in regard to our heavenly Father, we too often fix our minds upon
the misrepresentations of Satan and dishonor God by distrusting Him and murmuring against
Him. Satan ever seeks to make the religious life one of gloom. He desires it to appear
toilsome and difficult; and when the Christian presents in his own life this view of
religion, he is, through his unbelief, seconding the falsehood of Satan.
Many, walking along the path of life, dwell upon their mistakes and failures and
disappointments, and their hearts are filled with grief and discouragement. While I was in
Europe, a sister who had been doing this, and who was in deep distress, wrote to me,
asking for some word of encouragement. The night after I had read her letter I dreamed
that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was conducting me
through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their fragrance, when this
sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to some unsightly briers that
were impeding her way. There she was mourning and grieving. She was not walking in the
pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the briers and thorns. "Oh,"
she mourned, "is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with
thorns?" Then the guide said, "Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound
you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks."
Have there not been some bright spots in your experience? Have you not had some
precious seasons when your heart throbbed with joy in response to the Spirit of God? When
you look back into the chapters of your life experience do you not find some pleasant
pages? Are not God's promises, like the fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on
every hand? Will you not let their beauty and sweetness fill your heart with joy?
The briers and thorns will only wound and grieve you; and if you gather only these
things, and present them to others, are you not, besides slighting the goodness of God
yourself, preventing those around you from walking in the path of life?
It is not wise to gather together all the unpleasant recollections of a past life,--its
iniquities and disappointments,--to talk over them and mourn over them until we are
overwhelmed with discouragement. A discouraged soul is filled with darkness, shutting out
the light of God from his own soul and casting a shadow upon the pathway of others.
Thank God for the bright pictures which He has presented to us. Let us group together
the blessed assurances of His love, that we may look upon them continually: The Son of God
leaving His Father's throne, clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might rescue man
from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to men, revealing to
human vision the presence chamber where the Deity unveils His glory; the fallen race
uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged it, and brought again into
connection with the infinite God, and having endured the divine test through faith in our
Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and exalted to His throne--these are the
pictures which God would have us contemplate.
When we seem to doubt God's love and distrust His promises we dishonor Him and grieve
His Holy Spirit. How would a mother feel if her children were constantly complaining of
her, just as though she did not mean them well, when her whole life's effort had been to
forward their interests and to give them comfort? Suppose they should doubt her love; it
would break her heart. How would any parent feel to be thus treated by his children? And
how can our heavenly Father regard us when we distrust His love, which has led Him to give
His only-begotten Son that we might have life? The apostle writes, "He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?" Romans 8:32. And yet how many, by their actions, if not in word,
are saying, "The Lord does not mean this for me. Perhaps He loves others, but He does
not love me."
All this is harming your own soul; for every word of doubt you utter is inviting
Satan's temptations; it is strengthening in you the tendency to doubt, and it is grieving
from you the ministering angels. When Satan tempts you, breathe not a word of doubt or
darkness. If you choose to open the door to his suggestions, your mind will be filled with
distrust and rebellious questioning. If you talk out your feelings, every doubt you
express not only reacts upon yourself, but it is a seed that will germinate and bear fruit
in the life of others, and it may be impossible to counteract the influence of your words.
You yourself may be able to recover from the season of temptation and from the snare of
Satan, but others who have been swayed by your influence may not be able to escape from
the unbelief you have suggested. How important that we speak only those things that will
give spiritual strength and life!
Angels are listening to hear what kind of report you are bearing to the world about
your heavenly Master. Let your conversation be of Him who liveth to make intercession for
you before the Father. When you take the hand of a friend, let praise to God be on your
lips and in your heart. This will attract his thoughts to Jesus.
All have trials; griefs hard to bear, temptations hard to resist. Do not tell your
troubles to your fellow mortals, but carry everything to God in prayer. Make it a rule
never to utter one word of doubt or discouragement. You can do much to brighten the life
of others and strengthen their efforts, by words of hope and holy cheer.
There is many a brave soul sorely pressed by temptation, almost ready to faint in the
conflict with self and with the powers of evil. Do not discourage such a one in his hard
struggle. Cheer him with brave, hopeful words that shall urge him on his way. Thus the
light of Christ may shine from you. "None of us liveth to himself." Romans 14:7.
By our unconscious influence others may be encouraged and strengthened, or they may be
discouraged, and repelled from Christ and the truth.
There are many who have an erroneous idea of the life and character of Christ. They
think that He was devoid of warmth and sunniness, that He was stern, severe, and joyless.
In many cases the whole religious experience is colored by these gloomy views.
It is often said that Jesus wept, but that He was never known to smile. Our Saviour was
indeed a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief, for He opened His heart to all the
woes of men. But though His life was self-denying and shadowed with pain and care, His
spirit was not crushed. His countenance did not wear an expression of grief and repining,
but ever one of peaceful serenity. His heart was a wellspring of life, and wherever He
went He carried rest and peace, joy and gladness.
Our Saviour was deeply serious and intensely in earnest, but never gloomy or morose.
The life of those who imitate Him will be full of earnest purpose; they will have a deep
sense of personal responsibility. Levity will be repressed; there will be no boisterous
merriment, no rude jesting; but the religion of Jesus gives peace like a river. It does
not quench the light of joy; it does not restrain cheerfulness nor cloud the sunny,
smiling face. Christ came not to be ministered unto but to minister; and when His love
reigns in the heart, we shall follow His example.
If we keep uppermost in our minds the unkind and unjust acts of others we shall find it
impossible to love them as Christ has loved us; but if our thoughts dwell upon the
wondrous love and pity of Christ for us, the same spirit will flow out to others. We
should love and respect one another, notwithstanding the faults and imperfections that we
cannot help seeing. Humility and self-distrust should be cultivated, and a patient
tenderness with the faults of others. This will kill out all narrowing selfishness and
make us large-hearted and generous.
The psalmist says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the
land, and verily thou shalt be fed." Psalm 37:3. "Trust in the Lord." Each
day has its burdens, its cares and perplexities; and when we meet how ready we are to talk
of our difficulties and trials. So many borrowed troubles intrude, so many fears are
indulged, such a weight of anxiety is expressed, that one might suppose we had no pitying,
loving Saviour ready to hear all our requests and to be to us a present help in every time
of need.
Some are always fearing, and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded with the
tokens of God's love; every day they are enjoying the bounties of His providence; but they
overlook these present blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something
disagreeable which they fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist which, though
small, blinds their eyes to the many things that demand gratitude. The difficulties they
encounter, instead of driving them to God, the only source of their help, separate them
from Him because they awaken unrest and repining.
Do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be ungrateful and distrustful? Jesus
is our friend; all heaven is interested in our welfare. We should not allow the
perplexities and worries of everyday life to fret the mind and cloud the brow. If we do we
shall always have something to vex and annoy. We should not indulge a solicitude that only
frets and wears us, but does not help us to bear trials.
You may be perplexed in business; your prospects may grow darker and darker, and you
may be threatened with loss; but do not become discouraged; cast your care upon God, and
remain calm and cheerful. Pray for wisdom to manage your affairs with discretion, and thus
prevent loss and disaster. Do all you can on your part to bring about favorable results.
Jesus has promised His aid, but not apart from our effort. When, relying upon our Helper,
you have done all you can, accept the result cheerfully.
It is not the will of God that His people should be weighed down with care. But our
Lord does not deceive us. He does not say to us, "Do not fear; there are no dangers
in your path." He knows there are trials and dangers, and He deals with us plainly.
He does not propose to take His people out of a world of sin and evil, but He points them
to a never-failing refuge. His prayer for His disciples was, "I pray not that Thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the
evil." "In the world," He says, "ye shall have tribulation: but be of
good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 17:15, 16:33.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught His disciples precious lessons in regard to
the necessity of trusting in God. These lessons were designed to encourage the children of
God through all ages, and they have come down to our time full of instruction and comfort.
The Saviour pointed His followers to the birds of the air as they warbled their carols of
praise, unencumbered with thoughts of care, for "they sow not, neither do they
reap." And yet the great Father provides for their needs. The Saviour asks, "Are
ye not much better than they?" Matthew 6:26. The great Provider for man and beast
opens His hand and supplies all His creatures. The birds of the air are not beneath His
notice. He does not drop the food into their bills, but He makes provision for their
needs. They must gather the grains He has scattered for them. They must prepare the
material for their little nests. They must feed their young. They go forth singing to
their labor, for "your heavenly Father feedeth them." And "are ye not much
better than they?" Are not you, as intelligent, spiritual worshipers, of more value
than the birds of the air? Will not the Author of our being, the Preserver of our life,
the One who formed us in His own divine image, provide for our necessities if we but trust
in Him?
Christ pointed His disciples to the flowers of the field, growing in rich profusion and
glowing in the simple beauty which the heavenly Father had given them, as an expression of
His love to man. He said, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." The
beauty and simplicity of these natural flowers far outrival the splendor of Solomon. The
most gorgeous attire produced by the skill of art cannot bear comparison with the natural
grace and radiant beauty of the flowers of God's creation. Jesus asks, "If God so
clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall
He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matthew 6: 28, 30. If God, the
divine Artist, gives to the simple flowers that perish in a day their delicate and varied
colors, how much greater care will He have for those who are created in His own image?
This lesson of Christ's is a rebuke to the anxious thought, the perplexity and doubt, of
the faithless heart.
The Lord would have all His sons and daughters happy, peaceful, and obedient. Jesus
says, "My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." "These things have I spoken
unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John
14:27; 15:11.
Happiness that is sought from selfish motives, outside of the path of duty, is
ill-balanced, fitful, and transitory; it passes away, and the soul is filled with
loneliness and sorrow; but there is joy and satisfaction in the service of God; the
Christian is not left to walk in uncertain paths; he is not left to vain regrets and
disappointments. If we do not have the pleasures of this life we may still be joyful in
looking to the life beyond.
But even here Christians may have the joy of communion with Christ; they may have the
light of His love, the perpetual comfort of His presence. Every step in life may bring us
closer to Jesus, may give us a deeper experience of His love, and may bring us one step
nearer to the blessed home of peace. Then let us not cast away our confidence, but have
firm assurance, firmer than ever before. "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," and
He will help us to the end. 1 Samuel 7:12. Let us look to the monumental pillars,
reminders of what the Lord has done to comfort us and to save us from the hand of the
destroyer. Let us keep fresh in our memory all the tender mercies that God has shown
us,--the tears He has wiped away, the pains He has soothed, the anxieties removed, the
fears dispelled, the wants supplied, the blessings bestowed,--thus strengthening ourselves
for all that is before us through the remainder of our pilgrimage.
We cannot but look forward to new perplexities in the coming conflict, but we may look
on what is past as well as on what is to come, and say, "Hitherto hath the Lord
helped us." "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Deuteronomy 33:25. The
trial will not exceed the strength that shall be given us to bear it. Then let us take up
our work just where we find it, believing that whatever may come, strength proportionate
to the trial will be given.
And by and by the gates of heaven will be thrown open to admit God's children, and from
the lips of the King of glory the benediction will fall on their ears like richest music,
"Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34.
Then the redeemed will be welcomed to the home that Jesus is preparing for them. There
their companions will not be the vile of earth, liars, idolaters, the impure, and
unbelieving; but they will associate with those who have overcome Satan and through divine
grace have formed perfect characters. Every sinful tendency, every imperfection, that
afflicts them here has been removed by the blood of Christ, and the excellence and
brightness of His glory, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, is imparted to them. And
the moral beauty, the perfection of His character, shines through them, in worth far
exceeding this outward splendor. They are without fault before the great white throne,
sharing the dignity and the privileges of the angels.
In view of the glorious inheritance that may be his, "what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26. He may be poor, yet he possesses in himself a
wealth and dignity that the world could never bestow. The soul redeemed and cleansed from
sin, with all its noble powers dedicated to the service of God, is of surpassing worth;
and there is joy in heaven in the presence of God and the holy angels over one soul
redeemed, a joy that is expressed in songs of holy triumph.
THE END
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