Self-Renunciation # 3
But the apostle specifies how this is to be done. "Glorify God with your BODY" - by all its limbs, organs, and senses - for all are His. Glorify God by chastity; by temperance; by industry in your calling; by reverence in worship; by giving up your whole frame to the service of piety and charity; and by resigning it, without murmuring, to the attacks of disease, the stroke of death, and, if called to it, to chains, imprisonment, and martyrdom for the cause of Christ. Thus even the body can be used by the soul which animates it, as in instrument for glorifying God. Even the corporeal frame, inhabited, sustained, and directed as it is, by a rational mind, may be employed to the praise and honor of its Creator. Dust though it be in its origin and destiny, it may rise to the dignity of glorifying God. From it, as an instrument of many strings, the renewed and sanctified spirit may bring out sweet music to God, such as he will accept, and be well please to hear. Christians, give your bodies to God, to magnify His name, and great honor Him. Oh, do not consider them as a mere collection of organs, appetites, and senses to be gratified and pleased for their own sakes; as favorite menials to be pampered; as stately forms to be adorned, decorated, and admired; but as part of yourselves, to be yielded to God, and as members to be instruments of righteousness unto Him.
The body, however, is only a part, and that the interior part of our compound nature, which which we are to glorify God: the Spirit, the immaterial and immortal spirit, must also be thus employed. Our understanding, in the contemplation of His glory. Our will, in choosing Him as our chief good. Our affections, in loving what He loves, and hating what He hates. Our memory, in retaining His doctrines and precepts. Our conscience, in directing, warning, and reproving us for Him.
It is the soul, the immortal soul, that receives His image. Then, indeed, we glorify Him, when a holy mind shines forth in all the beauties of a holy character; when there is that in us and about us, which reminds men of God; when everything about us seems to say, "Come, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!"
We cannot be acting up to our obligations, unless we are compelling those who observe us to say, either to themselves or others, "That man, I see, fears God, and is aiming to please Him. When I forget God, he reminds me of Him; what I am ignorant of concerning God, he teaches me by his character; when I sin against God, his conduct rebukes me. I am afraid of him; I venerate him; and yet I do not feel easy and happy in his presence. There is something solemn about the goodness of his actions.
To produce such an impression, what unvarying sanctity, what rigid morality,what deep humility, what profound submission, what gentleness and meekness, what holy cheerfulness, what tender piety, what diffusive liberality - must thee be in our conduct! Oh, what kind of people ought we to be, and must we be - to remind men of God - and give them some idea of what He is! What exemplary holiness should there be in that character, which we presume to hold up to the world, and say: "See, this is the image of God!"
Now, my dear friends, you are to glorify God. All your purposes, aims, objects, plans, wishes, and prayers, must be gathered up in that one petition. "Father, glorify Your name." But does it occur to you, what a prayer that is, as presented not only by you, but in reference to you! He must have great grace, who, with a clear understanding of its meaning, can present it in sincerity. Are you then willing that God should glorify Himself in you, and by you? If so, you must impose no conditions; dictate no terms; lay down no plans; make no exceptions - but leave all this to Him. Such a prayer means, "Lord, how You will, what You will, when You will - only let me glorify You!" You must be prepared to do it, either by sickness, or health - by success, or failure in business - by setting down in ease and quiet by your fire-side, or striking your tent, and becoming a wanderer to the ends of the earth - by the world's smiles, or its frown - by the soft and silent flow of your history, or by the roaring torrent and dashing cataract - by the society, or bereavement of your friends - by a long life, or an early death.
Are you prepared for this? Will you, now that you understand it, present the prayer, "Father, glorify Your Name?" Can you, will you,do you put yourself in God's hand, saying, "O God, I am not my own! I am Yours! Serve yourself in me, and by me. Provided you grant me grace to bear as well as do your will, I am content to do it in any situation, and any circumstances."
This is obviously your duty - for you are not your own, but God's. Think, I entreat you, of the sacred and tender obligation which comes upon you by the manner of your redemption, thus to live. How many claims are comprised in that one, "You are bought with a price!"Justice demands it of you, for He has purchased you, and at how immense a price! To take what belongs to man, is robbery; but to take what belongs to God, is sacrilege.
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 4)
Saturday, June 30, 2018
When The Spirit's Influence Is Put Forth Within Us
When The Spirit's Influence is Put Forth Within Us
All that the Spirit does for us, and all that He works within us - is of grace. He graciously quickens the dead, instructs the ignorant, liberates the captives, restores the wanderers, comforts the dejected, strengthens the weak, and sanctifies the impure. His work is His delight - and to see us holy and happy is His pleasure!
The Holy Spirit produces all our graces within us. He is the root - and our graces are His fruits; hence we read, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
When His influence is put forth within us - then we believe God's Word, hope in His mercy,rejoice in His goodness, cleave to His cause, walk in His ways, love His truth, His people, and Himself, holiness is then happiness, duties are then pleasant, and even the cross lays light upon our shoulders.
But if the Spirit hides Himself, withdraws His influences, and leaves us to ourselves - then we doubt and fear, fret and pine, kick and rebel, rove from thing to thing, and nothing will either please or satisfy us. We often then question the past, are wretched at present, and dread the future.
But when He puts forth His power in us again, our graces shoot forth like bulbous roots in the spring, our sighs are exchanged for songs, our fears are exchanged for fortitude, our doubts are exchanged for confidence, and our murmurings are exchanged for gratitude and love.
When we sink into the dust of self-abasement, admire the forbearance and patience of God, condemn our own conduct, and wonder that we are out of hell.
Then we take down our harps from the willows, and with a melting heart, a weeping eye, and a tremulous voice we sing, "The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance." Our wilderness is now turned into an Eden - and our desert into the Garden of the Lord.
Come, Holy Spirit, come, and produce a spring season in our souls!
Brethren, we need the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of grace - to make us gracious and graceful Christians. Without the Spirit of grace we cannot live up to our profession; we cannot copy the example of our beloved Master; we cannot keep His commandments; we cannot love one another as He has loved us; we cannot sympathize with lost sinners as we should; we cannot keep God's glory in view in all that we do; we cannot walk in high and holy fellowship with God; we cannot meet death with peace and joy!
~James Smith~
_______________________________
The Only Effectual Reformer of the World!
"When He comes - He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment" (John 16:8).
The Holy Spirit is the only effectual reformer of the world! If He is absent - legislators may make laws against crime; philosophers may reason against vice; ministers may preach against sin; conscience may remonstrate against evil; the divine law may prescribe, and threaten hell; the gospel may invite and allure to heaven; but all will be in vain!
The strongest arguments, the most melting entreaties, the most alarming denunciations from God and man, enforced with the highest authority, or the most compassionate tears - all will have no effect - all will not effectually reclaim one sinner, nor gain one sincere convert to righteousness!
Paul, Apollos, and Peter, with all their apostolic abilities, can do nothing, without the Holy Spirit! Paul may plant the seed - and Apollos may water it; but God alone can make it grow! "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything - but only God, who makes things grow!" (1 Cor. 3:6, 7).
Never will peace and harmony be established in this jangling world - until this Divine Agent (the Holy Spirit) takes the work in hand.
It is He alone - who can melt down the obstinate hearts of men into love and peace!
It is He alone - who can soften their rugged and savage tempers, and transform them into mutual benevolence!
It is He alone - who can quench those lusts that set the world on fire, and implant the opposite virtues and graces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are mentioned by Paul, as the fruit of the Spirit, because the Spirit alone is the author of them. And if these dispositions were predominant in the world - what a serene, calm, peaceful region would it be, undisturbed with the hurricanes of human passions!
Oh, how much do we need the influence of the blessed Holy Spirit - to break the heart of stone, to enlighten the dark mind, and to comfort the desponding soul!
~Samuel Davies~
All that the Spirit does for us, and all that He works within us - is of grace. He graciously quickens the dead, instructs the ignorant, liberates the captives, restores the wanderers, comforts the dejected, strengthens the weak, and sanctifies the impure. His work is His delight - and to see us holy and happy is His pleasure!
The Holy Spirit produces all our graces within us. He is the root - and our graces are His fruits; hence we read, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
When His influence is put forth within us - then we believe God's Word, hope in His mercy,rejoice in His goodness, cleave to His cause, walk in His ways, love His truth, His people, and Himself, holiness is then happiness, duties are then pleasant, and even the cross lays light upon our shoulders.
But if the Spirit hides Himself, withdraws His influences, and leaves us to ourselves - then we doubt and fear, fret and pine, kick and rebel, rove from thing to thing, and nothing will either please or satisfy us. We often then question the past, are wretched at present, and dread the future.
But when He puts forth His power in us again, our graces shoot forth like bulbous roots in the spring, our sighs are exchanged for songs, our fears are exchanged for fortitude, our doubts are exchanged for confidence, and our murmurings are exchanged for gratitude and love.
When we sink into the dust of self-abasement, admire the forbearance and patience of God, condemn our own conduct, and wonder that we are out of hell.
Then we take down our harps from the willows, and with a melting heart, a weeping eye, and a tremulous voice we sing, "The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance." Our wilderness is now turned into an Eden - and our desert into the Garden of the Lord.
Come, Holy Spirit, come, and produce a spring season in our souls!
Brethren, we need the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of grace - to make us gracious and graceful Christians. Without the Spirit of grace we cannot live up to our profession; we cannot copy the example of our beloved Master; we cannot keep His commandments; we cannot love one another as He has loved us; we cannot sympathize with lost sinners as we should; we cannot keep God's glory in view in all that we do; we cannot walk in high and holy fellowship with God; we cannot meet death with peace and joy!
~James Smith~
_______________________________
The Only Effectual Reformer of the World!
"When He comes - He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment" (John 16:8).
The Holy Spirit is the only effectual reformer of the world! If He is absent - legislators may make laws against crime; philosophers may reason against vice; ministers may preach against sin; conscience may remonstrate against evil; the divine law may prescribe, and threaten hell; the gospel may invite and allure to heaven; but all will be in vain!
The strongest arguments, the most melting entreaties, the most alarming denunciations from God and man, enforced with the highest authority, or the most compassionate tears - all will have no effect - all will not effectually reclaim one sinner, nor gain one sincere convert to righteousness!
Paul, Apollos, and Peter, with all their apostolic abilities, can do nothing, without the Holy Spirit! Paul may plant the seed - and Apollos may water it; but God alone can make it grow! "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything - but only God, who makes things grow!" (1 Cor. 3:6, 7).
Never will peace and harmony be established in this jangling world - until this Divine Agent (the Holy Spirit) takes the work in hand.
It is He alone - who can melt down the obstinate hearts of men into love and peace!
It is He alone - who can soften their rugged and savage tempers, and transform them into mutual benevolence!
It is He alone - who can quench those lusts that set the world on fire, and implant the opposite virtues and graces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are mentioned by Paul, as the fruit of the Spirit, because the Spirit alone is the author of them. And if these dispositions were predominant in the world - what a serene, calm, peaceful region would it be, undisturbed with the hurricanes of human passions!
Oh, how much do we need the influence of the blessed Holy Spirit - to break the heart of stone, to enlighten the dark mind, and to comfort the desponding soul!
~Samuel Davies~
The Preacher's Book
The Preacher's Book
To say you have "gained the world" - is very often only another way of saying, "the world has gained you."
It is not what a man has, but what he is - which makes him prosperous and happy.
True is it, a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things that he possesses.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery - by the doubling of our joys, and the dividing of our griefs.
The earth, when it is torn up with the plough, becomes more fruitful.
The seed in the ground, after frost and snow and winter storms, grows the thicker.
The nearer the vine is pruned to the stock - the larger grapes it yields.
The grape, when it is most pressed and beaten - makes the sweetest wine.
In the same way, the children of God receive great benefit by affliction - for by it God washes and scours, trains and nurtures them.
John Newton says, "satan seldom comes to Christians with great temptations - or with a temptation to commit a great sin."
You bring a green log and a candle together, and they are very safe neighbors. But bring a few shavings and set them alight, and then bring a few small sticks, and let them take fire, and the log is in the midst of them, and soon the log will be ablaze.
Just so it is with little sins. You will be startled with the idea of committing a great sin - and so the devil brings you a little temptation, and leaves you to indulge yourself. "There is no harm in this!" There is no great peril in that!" And so by these little chips, we are first easily lighted up, and at last the green log is burned!
He who prays as he ought, will endeavor to live as he prays.
He who can live in sin, and abide in the ordinary duties of prayer, never prays as he ought!
The truths that I know best - I have learned on my knees. I never know a thing well - until it is burned into my heart by prayer. (John Bunyan)
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).
If I have no cross to bear today, I shall not advance heavenwards. To have no cross, to lie quietly on a bed of down, may seem a very sweet existence - but pleasant ease and rest are not the lot of a Christian.
Alas! for those who have no daily cross! What will be my cross today? How bear it? Dear cross, you are helping me on, not ought I to love you!
To carry the cross, is to join ourselves to the Saviour, to company with Him.
Sleep - from the sweat of his brow, man is delivered by sleep, and the thorn and thistle of the curse cease to tear his flesh.
When we wake up after Christ's likeness, it will not be with the infirmities and failings of earth - but beautified, and full of strength and vigor.
Blessed death! through the Divine power dissolving us of the leprous rags of the flesh - only to clothe us with the spotless wedding garments of incorruption!
Oh! true it is! They are happy who die in the Lord, "they rest from their labors, and their works follow them." Their repose shall never be broken until the great Gardener shall rouse them up to give them their full reward.
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful, that it may not be subdued by discipline.
Any self-denial, however simple, done for the love of your Redeemer - is accepted by Him as a bearing of His Cross.
(The End)
To say you have "gained the world" - is very often only another way of saying, "the world has gained you."
It is not what a man has, but what he is - which makes him prosperous and happy.
True is it, a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things that he possesses.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" (Proverbs 17:17).
Friendship improves happiness, and abates misery - by the doubling of our joys, and the dividing of our griefs.
The earth, when it is torn up with the plough, becomes more fruitful.
The seed in the ground, after frost and snow and winter storms, grows the thicker.
The nearer the vine is pruned to the stock - the larger grapes it yields.
The grape, when it is most pressed and beaten - makes the sweetest wine.
In the same way, the children of God receive great benefit by affliction - for by it God washes and scours, trains and nurtures them.
John Newton says, "satan seldom comes to Christians with great temptations - or with a temptation to commit a great sin."
You bring a green log and a candle together, and they are very safe neighbors. But bring a few shavings and set them alight, and then bring a few small sticks, and let them take fire, and the log is in the midst of them, and soon the log will be ablaze.
Just so it is with little sins. You will be startled with the idea of committing a great sin - and so the devil brings you a little temptation, and leaves you to indulge yourself. "There is no harm in this!" There is no great peril in that!" And so by these little chips, we are first easily lighted up, and at last the green log is burned!
He who prays as he ought, will endeavor to live as he prays.
He who can live in sin, and abide in the ordinary duties of prayer, never prays as he ought!
The truths that I know best - I have learned on my knees. I never know a thing well - until it is burned into my heart by prayer. (John Bunyan)
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).
If I have no cross to bear today, I shall not advance heavenwards. To have no cross, to lie quietly on a bed of down, may seem a very sweet existence - but pleasant ease and rest are not the lot of a Christian.
Alas! for those who have no daily cross! What will be my cross today? How bear it? Dear cross, you are helping me on, not ought I to love you!
To carry the cross, is to join ourselves to the Saviour, to company with Him.
Sleep - from the sweat of his brow, man is delivered by sleep, and the thorn and thistle of the curse cease to tear his flesh.
When we wake up after Christ's likeness, it will not be with the infirmities and failings of earth - but beautified, and full of strength and vigor.
Blessed death! through the Divine power dissolving us of the leprous rags of the flesh - only to clothe us with the spotless wedding garments of incorruption!
Oh! true it is! They are happy who die in the Lord, "they rest from their labors, and their works follow them." Their repose shall never be broken until the great Gardener shall rouse them up to give them their full reward.
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful, that it may not be subdued by discipline.
Any self-denial, however simple, done for the love of your Redeemer - is accepted by Him as a bearing of His Cross.
(The End)
Self Renunciation # 2
Self-Renunciation # 2
Why do believers murmur at the painful dispensations of Providence, and find submission so hard an achievement? Because "self" is disturbed in its enjoyment! Why are they so easily offended, and experience such difficulty in showing forgiveness? Because self-esteem has been wounded! Why are they covetous? Because self is gratified by its increasing stores.
What is vanity - but the indulgence of self-love? What is ambition - but the exultation of self? What is pride - but the worship of self? Why are they so reluctant to give their time and labor for the good of others, and the glory of God? Because they want it for ease, and the enjoyment of self? Why are they peevish, quarrelsome, and discontented with the little annoyances of life, which are everywhere and continually occurring? Because they want to settle down in unmolested ease, and undisturbed quiet, to enjoy themselves!
But is this right? Is not this living as if we were our own? Is not this living for ourselves? I not this forgetting that we are purchased property, belonging to another? My dear friends, do consider this subject. Weigh well the import of the condition of Christian discipleship, as laid down by our Lord: "If any man will come after me, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF." Self-denial, not self-pleasing, is your business; and the evidence of our being disciples is in exact proportion to our disposition thus to take up our cross. If we are coveting ease, quiet, soft indulgence, luxurious gratification; and are dissatisfied, and discontented, and contentious, and peevish, because we cannot please ourselves, nor get others to please us, as the supreme end of life, how can we dream that we are the disciples of Him, of whom it is declared, "he pleased not himself;" especially since it is said, "Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus?"
For whom then are to to live, and whom are we to please, if not ourselves? Who is to come in the place of self? GOD! And for this obvious reason. We are God's! God's servants! God's property!
Many of you have hired servants, both in your house and in your shops, with whom you have contracted for so much wages given to have so much work in return. To their bodily labor, to their time, in short to their whole energies of body and mind, up to the stipulated amount of work, you have therefore an undoubted and equitable right and if instead of living for you, they live for themselves; if instead of seeking to please you, they seek to please themselves; if instead of making it their aim and business to serve you, they make it their aim and business to enjoy and gratify themselves - you consider them as dishonest, and yourself defrauded of your property.
Apply this to God. You are His, not only by the right of creation, and preservation; but by the more sacred right of redemption. You, your body, soul, time, talents, property, influence - are all his - bought and paid for by the price of His Son's most precious blood.He is forever following you with His demand, and pressing it upon you. He does not allow it to lie in abeyance. He does not permit it to sleep and be forgotten, but is ever saying, "You are not your own - you are mine!" He says to you in His Word, "You are mine." He bids His ministers enforce the claim every Sunday. He collects you around the sacramental table, where the symbols of the body and blood of the Lord, with silent yet impressive demand, say to you, "you are bought with a price - you are therefore not your own - you are God's."
Nor can you be at a loss in what way the claim of God is to be acknowledged and met, for this is specified: "Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." You cannot of course add to His glory: the glowworm might as well think of adding to the effulgence of the sun. A worthless bit of tin, or glass, cannot increase the rays of the great luminary, but even these insignificant substances can "reflect" them. So the believer, though he cannot increase the glory of Jehovah - can manifest it. God is glorified, when He is acknowledged, loved, served, imitated. The glory of God consists of His attributes, especially His moral perfections of holiness, justice, truth, love and mercy. Hence the imitation of these in the conduct of the believer glorifies God, for these attributes in Him are the same in kind as, though infinitely less in degree, than in God, and therefore they are the rays of God's glory falling upon the spirit, and reflected by Him before the eyes of mankind.
The apostle, speaking of the great spiritual change wrought in the soul of a real Christian, calls it a participation of the "Divine nature," (2 Peter 1:4). Now as God is always glorified when He is seen, the very manifestation of Him being to His own praise, He is glorified by His people, because He is seen, very imperfectly I admit, but in measure, in their holy character. Hence man was said to be created in the image of God and is now new-created in that same image, in conversion. A Christian is God's witness, image, representative in the world; and his great business is, by an imitation of God's attributes, to remind men of God; and to teach them who and what He is.
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 3 - "How It's Done")
Why do believers murmur at the painful dispensations of Providence, and find submission so hard an achievement? Because "self" is disturbed in its enjoyment! Why are they so easily offended, and experience such difficulty in showing forgiveness? Because self-esteem has been wounded! Why are they covetous? Because self is gratified by its increasing stores.
What is vanity - but the indulgence of self-love? What is ambition - but the exultation of self? What is pride - but the worship of self? Why are they so reluctant to give their time and labor for the good of others, and the glory of God? Because they want it for ease, and the enjoyment of self? Why are they peevish, quarrelsome, and discontented with the little annoyances of life, which are everywhere and continually occurring? Because they want to settle down in unmolested ease, and undisturbed quiet, to enjoy themselves!
But is this right? Is not this living as if we were our own? Is not this living for ourselves? I not this forgetting that we are purchased property, belonging to another? My dear friends, do consider this subject. Weigh well the import of the condition of Christian discipleship, as laid down by our Lord: "If any man will come after me, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF." Self-denial, not self-pleasing, is your business; and the evidence of our being disciples is in exact proportion to our disposition thus to take up our cross. If we are coveting ease, quiet, soft indulgence, luxurious gratification; and are dissatisfied, and discontented, and contentious, and peevish, because we cannot please ourselves, nor get others to please us, as the supreme end of life, how can we dream that we are the disciples of Him, of whom it is declared, "he pleased not himself;" especially since it is said, "Let the same mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus?"
For whom then are to to live, and whom are we to please, if not ourselves? Who is to come in the place of self? GOD! And for this obvious reason. We are God's! God's servants! God's property!
Many of you have hired servants, both in your house and in your shops, with whom you have contracted for so much wages given to have so much work in return. To their bodily labor, to their time, in short to their whole energies of body and mind, up to the stipulated amount of work, you have therefore an undoubted and equitable right and if instead of living for you, they live for themselves; if instead of seeking to please you, they seek to please themselves; if instead of making it their aim and business to serve you, they make it their aim and business to enjoy and gratify themselves - you consider them as dishonest, and yourself defrauded of your property.
Apply this to God. You are His, not only by the right of creation, and preservation; but by the more sacred right of redemption. You, your body, soul, time, talents, property, influence - are all his - bought and paid for by the price of His Son's most precious blood.He is forever following you with His demand, and pressing it upon you. He does not allow it to lie in abeyance. He does not permit it to sleep and be forgotten, but is ever saying, "You are not your own - you are mine!" He says to you in His Word, "You are mine." He bids His ministers enforce the claim every Sunday. He collects you around the sacramental table, where the symbols of the body and blood of the Lord, with silent yet impressive demand, say to you, "you are bought with a price - you are therefore not your own - you are God's."
Nor can you be at a loss in what way the claim of God is to be acknowledged and met, for this is specified: "Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." You cannot of course add to His glory: the glowworm might as well think of adding to the effulgence of the sun. A worthless bit of tin, or glass, cannot increase the rays of the great luminary, but even these insignificant substances can "reflect" them. So the believer, though he cannot increase the glory of Jehovah - can manifest it. God is glorified, when He is acknowledged, loved, served, imitated. The glory of God consists of His attributes, especially His moral perfections of holiness, justice, truth, love and mercy. Hence the imitation of these in the conduct of the believer glorifies God, for these attributes in Him are the same in kind as, though infinitely less in degree, than in God, and therefore they are the rays of God's glory falling upon the spirit, and reflected by Him before the eyes of mankind.
The apostle, speaking of the great spiritual change wrought in the soul of a real Christian, calls it a participation of the "Divine nature," (2 Peter 1:4). Now as God is always glorified when He is seen, the very manifestation of Him being to His own praise, He is glorified by His people, because He is seen, very imperfectly I admit, but in measure, in their holy character. Hence man was said to be created in the image of God and is now new-created in that same image, in conversion. A Christian is God's witness, image, representative in the world; and his great business is, by an imitation of God's attributes, to remind men of God; and to teach them who and what He is.
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 3 - "How It's Done")
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Self-Renunciation # 1
Self Renunciation # 1 (or "You Are Not Your Own")
The Apostle Paul teaches this important duty, by the following awakening and impressive appeal: "Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). What is intended in these words is, that through the vicarious sufferings and death of Christ, as an atonement to Divine justice for human transgressions - all who believe in Him are freed from the curse of the law, and the dominion of sin, and are both justified and sanctified. The Christian is thus a bought man, a captive redeemed by price. It is in this sense the whole church is called the "purchased possession," (Eph. 1:14. Yes, and what an idea! I repeat it - a believer is a purchased man! And at what price has he been bought! All the jewels which adorn and enrich the crown and scepter of the British monarch; with all the others that compose the regalia of all the sovereigns of the Eastern or Western world, are of no more worth in the redemption of the poorest widow in the church of God, than the dust of the street. Nothing but the blood of the Son of God could purchase a single soul. What then must be the value of the soul; and on, what must be the worth of its salvation.
How obvious is the inference! "You are not your own, for you were bought at a price!" How is it possible you should be your own - if you have been bought? In what sense a Christian is not his own, is explained to you by another portion of Scripture - "None of us lives to himself," (Romans 14:7). Do enter very seriously, and solemnly, and deeply, into these two impressive passages -
"None of us lives to himself."
It is for you to recollect that the renunciation of SELF, as well as of SIN, was one of the solemn transactions of that scene, and that time, when you bowed by faith at the foot of the Cross, received mercy through Jesus Christ, and yielded yourselves to God. You then abjured - not only self-righteousness, but self-seeking, self-pleasing, self-living. Self, as a supreme object, was in every view of it renounced. Self, until then, had been your loftiest air; self-love your highest affection; but then you transferred your aim and your affection to another object. The Christian has no right to ask what he will do with himself; or to what he will give himself; or how he will employ himself. He is no longer at liberty to inquire how he shall spend his energies, his time, his property, his labor, and his influence; for he is not his own, he is bought with a price.
He is not to live for fame - and please himself with the applause of his fellow creatures. Nor is he to live for riches - and please himself with increasing wealth. Nor is he to live for health - and please himself with the glowing energies of a sound body. Nor is he to live for taste - and please himself with the pursuit of literature, science, or the arts. Nor is he to live for social enjoyment - and please himself with an agreeable circle of friends. Nor is he to live for ease -and please himself with unmolested quiet. In short, he is not to consider himself as his own master to please himself supremely in any way, nor his own property to employ himself on his own account, and for his own benefit. He is not to image that personal gratification is to be his end and aim,for the accomplishment of which he may lay down his own schemes, select his own course, and pursue his own methods, as if he had an independent and sovereign right over himself.
Self is "the old man" to be crucified with Christ; the body of sin to be destroyed; the corrupt nature to be put away; the law in our members to be resisted; the lusts of the mind to be subdued. Self is the enemy of God to be fought against; the rival interest with Christ in our soul to be put down; the means by which the devil would hold us in alienation from holiness to be opposed. Self is the most subtle, the most stubborn, the most tenacious foe with which grace has to contend, in the soul of the believer. It lives, and works, and fights, when many other corruptions are mortified. Self is the last stronghold, the very citadel of satan in the heart, which is reduced to the obedience of faith.
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 2)
The Apostle Paul teaches this important duty, by the following awakening and impressive appeal: "Don't you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20). What is intended in these words is, that through the vicarious sufferings and death of Christ, as an atonement to Divine justice for human transgressions - all who believe in Him are freed from the curse of the law, and the dominion of sin, and are both justified and sanctified. The Christian is thus a bought man, a captive redeemed by price. It is in this sense the whole church is called the "purchased possession," (Eph. 1:14. Yes, and what an idea! I repeat it - a believer is a purchased man! And at what price has he been bought! All the jewels which adorn and enrich the crown and scepter of the British monarch; with all the others that compose the regalia of all the sovereigns of the Eastern or Western world, are of no more worth in the redemption of the poorest widow in the church of God, than the dust of the street. Nothing but the blood of the Son of God could purchase a single soul. What then must be the value of the soul; and on, what must be the worth of its salvation.
How obvious is the inference! "You are not your own, for you were bought at a price!" How is it possible you should be your own - if you have been bought? In what sense a Christian is not his own, is explained to you by another portion of Scripture - "None of us lives to himself," (Romans 14:7). Do enter very seriously, and solemnly, and deeply, into these two impressive passages -
"None of us lives to himself."
It is for you to recollect that the renunciation of SELF, as well as of SIN, was one of the solemn transactions of that scene, and that time, when you bowed by faith at the foot of the Cross, received mercy through Jesus Christ, and yielded yourselves to God. You then abjured - not only self-righteousness, but self-seeking, self-pleasing, self-living. Self, as a supreme object, was in every view of it renounced. Self, until then, had been your loftiest air; self-love your highest affection; but then you transferred your aim and your affection to another object. The Christian has no right to ask what he will do with himself; or to what he will give himself; or how he will employ himself. He is no longer at liberty to inquire how he shall spend his energies, his time, his property, his labor, and his influence; for he is not his own, he is bought with a price.
He is not to live for fame - and please himself with the applause of his fellow creatures. Nor is he to live for riches - and please himself with increasing wealth. Nor is he to live for health - and please himself with the glowing energies of a sound body. Nor is he to live for taste - and please himself with the pursuit of literature, science, or the arts. Nor is he to live for social enjoyment - and please himself with an agreeable circle of friends. Nor is he to live for ease -and please himself with unmolested quiet. In short, he is not to consider himself as his own master to please himself supremely in any way, nor his own property to employ himself on his own account, and for his own benefit. He is not to image that personal gratification is to be his end and aim,for the accomplishment of which he may lay down his own schemes, select his own course, and pursue his own methods, as if he had an independent and sovereign right over himself.
Self is "the old man" to be crucified with Christ; the body of sin to be destroyed; the corrupt nature to be put away; the law in our members to be resisted; the lusts of the mind to be subdued. Self is the enemy of God to be fought against; the rival interest with Christ in our soul to be put down; the means by which the devil would hold us in alienation from holiness to be opposed. Self is the most subtle, the most stubborn, the most tenacious foe with which grace has to contend, in the soul of the believer. It lives, and works, and fights, when many other corruptions are mortified. Self is the last stronghold, the very citadel of satan in the heart, which is reduced to the obedience of faith.
~John Angell James~
(continued with # 2)
Think Like God Thinks (and more)
Think Like God Thinks (and more)
"Search me, O God...try me, and know my thoughts" (Psalm 139:23).
If God knows that your intention is to worship Him with every part of your being, He has promised to cooperate with you. On His side is the love and grace, the promises and the atonement, the constant help and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
On your side there is determination, seeking, yielding, believing. Your heart becomes a chamber, a sanctuary, a shrine in which there may be continuous, unbroken fellowship and communion with God. Your worship rises to God moment by moment.
We have all found that God will not dwell in spiteful and proud and selfish thoughts. He treasures our pure and loving thoughts, our meek and charitable and kindly thoughts. They are the thoughts like His own!
As God dwells in your thoughts, you will be worshiping - and God will be accepting. He will be smelling the incense of your high intentions even when the cares of life are intense and there is activity all around you.
This leaves us no argument. We know what God wants us to be. He wants us to be worshipers.
Lord, I worship You this morning. I look forward to our fellowship throughout the busy activities of this day. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
______________________________
Our Highest Happiness
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17).
Let me call it to your attention that the happiness of all moral creatures lies in the giving of obedience to God, the Creator.
The psalmist cries out in Psalm 103:20; "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word."
The angels in heaven find their complete freedom and highest happiness in obeying the commandments of God. They do not find it a tyranny - they find it a delight!
Here is something that we should know and realize: Heaven is a place of surrender to the whole will of God, and it is heaven because it is such a place.
I thank God that heaven is the world of God's obedient children. Whatever else we may say of its pearly gates, golden streets and jasper walls, heaven is heaven because children of the Most High God find they are in their normal sphere as obedient moral beings.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your patience with me as I learn to obey You more fully in my daily walk with You. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
___________________________
Activity Is Not Enough
"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart...and rest a while" (Mark 6:3).
Those who try to give warnings to the Christian church are never very popular. Still, I must voice the caution that our craze for "activity" brings very few enriching benefits into our Christian circles. Look into the churches, and you will find groups of half-saved, half-sanctified, carnal people who know more about social niceties than they do about the New Testament.
It is a fact that many of our church folks are activists - engaged in many religious journeys - but they do not seem to move up any closer to Jesus in heart and in spirit.
This modern religious emphasis on activity reminds me of the Japanese mice I have seen in the pet store windows. They are called waltzing mice- but they do not waltz. They just run continually!
Many of our churches hope to have a part in "something big and exciting." But God calls us back - back to the simplicity of the faith; back to the simplicity of Jesus Christ and His unchanging Person!
Dear Lord, help me to find some quiet moments in the midst of today's schedule to focus my thoughts on Your goodness and mercy. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
"Search me, O God...try me, and know my thoughts" (Psalm 139:23).
If God knows that your intention is to worship Him with every part of your being, He has promised to cooperate with you. On His side is the love and grace, the promises and the atonement, the constant help and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
On your side there is determination, seeking, yielding, believing. Your heart becomes a chamber, a sanctuary, a shrine in which there may be continuous, unbroken fellowship and communion with God. Your worship rises to God moment by moment.
We have all found that God will not dwell in spiteful and proud and selfish thoughts. He treasures our pure and loving thoughts, our meek and charitable and kindly thoughts. They are the thoughts like His own!
As God dwells in your thoughts, you will be worshiping - and God will be accepting. He will be smelling the incense of your high intentions even when the cares of life are intense and there is activity all around you.
This leaves us no argument. We know what God wants us to be. He wants us to be worshipers.
Lord, I worship You this morning. I look forward to our fellowship throughout the busy activities of this day. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
______________________________
Our Highest Happiness
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17).
Let me call it to your attention that the happiness of all moral creatures lies in the giving of obedience to God, the Creator.
The psalmist cries out in Psalm 103:20; "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word."
The angels in heaven find their complete freedom and highest happiness in obeying the commandments of God. They do not find it a tyranny - they find it a delight!
Here is something that we should know and realize: Heaven is a place of surrender to the whole will of God, and it is heaven because it is such a place.
I thank God that heaven is the world of God's obedient children. Whatever else we may say of its pearly gates, golden streets and jasper walls, heaven is heaven because children of the Most High God find they are in their normal sphere as obedient moral beings.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your patience with me as I learn to obey You more fully in my daily walk with You. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
___________________________
Activity Is Not Enough
"And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart...and rest a while" (Mark 6:3).
Those who try to give warnings to the Christian church are never very popular. Still, I must voice the caution that our craze for "activity" brings very few enriching benefits into our Christian circles. Look into the churches, and you will find groups of half-saved, half-sanctified, carnal people who know more about social niceties than they do about the New Testament.
It is a fact that many of our church folks are activists - engaged in many religious journeys - but they do not seem to move up any closer to Jesus in heart and in spirit.
This modern religious emphasis on activity reminds me of the Japanese mice I have seen in the pet store windows. They are called waltzing mice- but they do not waltz. They just run continually!
Many of our churches hope to have a part in "something big and exciting." But God calls us back - back to the simplicity of the faith; back to the simplicity of Jesus Christ and His unchanging Person!
Dear Lord, help me to find some quiet moments in the midst of today's schedule to focus my thoughts on Your goodness and mercy. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Who Will Come to Jesus? (and more)
Who Will Come to Jesus? (and more)
"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).
God's invitation to men is broad but not unqualified. The words "whosoever will may come" throw the door open, indeed, but the church is carrying the gospel invitation far beyond its proper bounds, turning it into something more human and less divine than that found in the sacred Scriptures.
What we tend to overlook, is that the word "whosoever" never stands by itself. Always its meaning is modified by the word "believe" or "will" or "come."
According to the teachings of Christ no one will or can come and believe unless there has been done within him a prevenient work of God enabling him to do so.
In the sixth chapter of John, Jesus teaches us that no one can come of himself; he must first be drawn by the Father. "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing," Jesus said (6:63).
Before any man or woman can be saved, he or she must feel a consuming spiritual hunger. Where a hungry heart is found, we may be sure that God was there first - "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16).
Heavenly Father, I pray today for evangelists and missionaries around the world who are representing You in teeming cities and remote areas. Through them, I ask that You will draw many people to Yourself who have never heard the gospel message. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
_______________________
Christ Came to Save
"For God sent his Son into the world to condemn the world" (John 3:17).
Millions who have rejected the Christian gospel have generally been too busy and too involved to ask themselves a simple question: "What really is God's intention toward me?"
They could have found the plain and simple answer given by the Apostle John: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).
This is a gravely significant message from the heart of God Himself! Yet, even in the full light it provides, people are indifferent. Upon our eyes there seems to have fallen a strange dimness; within our ears, a strange dullness. It is a wonder, and a terrible responsibility, that we should have this message in our possession and be so little stirred about it!
I confess that it is very hard for me to accept the fact that it is now very rare for anyone to come into the house of God, silently confessing: "Dear Lord, I am ready and willing to hear what you will speak to me today!"
Dear Lord, how grateful I am that You do not condemn, but by Your Spirit You do convict. Help me to hear and act upon Your promptings today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
______________________
We Are Not Orphans
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23).
I once wrote in an editorial that Christian believers are not orphans in this world, making the point that the divine Shepherd goes before us and that we travel an appointed way.
A reader wrote to question my allusion to our traveling an "appointed" way, asking: "I was brought up a Methodist In your comments, do you mean this to be foreordination? That is what the Presbyterians believe. Just what did you mean?"
I replied that I had not meant to go down that deep into doctrine - that I had not been thinking of foreordination, predestination or the eternal decrees.
"I was just satisfied that if a consecrated Christian will put himself in the hands of God, even the accidents may be turned into blessings," I told him.
Anyway, I am sure the Methodist brother can go to sleep at night knowing that he does not have to become a Presbyterian to be certain that God is looking after him!
Dear Lord, in these quiet moments this morning, prepare my mind and heart for the encounters You've arranged for me today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
"Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).
God's invitation to men is broad but not unqualified. The words "whosoever will may come" throw the door open, indeed, but the church is carrying the gospel invitation far beyond its proper bounds, turning it into something more human and less divine than that found in the sacred Scriptures.
What we tend to overlook, is that the word "whosoever" never stands by itself. Always its meaning is modified by the word "believe" or "will" or "come."
According to the teachings of Christ no one will or can come and believe unless there has been done within him a prevenient work of God enabling him to do so.
In the sixth chapter of John, Jesus teaches us that no one can come of himself; he must first be drawn by the Father. "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing," Jesus said (6:63).
Before any man or woman can be saved, he or she must feel a consuming spiritual hunger. Where a hungry heart is found, we may be sure that God was there first - "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16).
Heavenly Father, I pray today for evangelists and missionaries around the world who are representing You in teeming cities and remote areas. Through them, I ask that You will draw many people to Yourself who have never heard the gospel message. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
_______________________
Christ Came to Save
"For God sent his Son into the world to condemn the world" (John 3:17).
Millions who have rejected the Christian gospel have generally been too busy and too involved to ask themselves a simple question: "What really is God's intention toward me?"
They could have found the plain and simple answer given by the Apostle John: "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).
This is a gravely significant message from the heart of God Himself! Yet, even in the full light it provides, people are indifferent. Upon our eyes there seems to have fallen a strange dimness; within our ears, a strange dullness. It is a wonder, and a terrible responsibility, that we should have this message in our possession and be so little stirred about it!
I confess that it is very hard for me to accept the fact that it is now very rare for anyone to come into the house of God, silently confessing: "Dear Lord, I am ready and willing to hear what you will speak to me today!"
Dear Lord, how grateful I am that You do not condemn, but by Your Spirit You do convict. Help me to hear and act upon Your promptings today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
______________________
We Are Not Orphans
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23).
I once wrote in an editorial that Christian believers are not orphans in this world, making the point that the divine Shepherd goes before us and that we travel an appointed way.
A reader wrote to question my allusion to our traveling an "appointed" way, asking: "I was brought up a Methodist In your comments, do you mean this to be foreordination? That is what the Presbyterians believe. Just what did you mean?"
I replied that I had not meant to go down that deep into doctrine - that I had not been thinking of foreordination, predestination or the eternal decrees.
"I was just satisfied that if a consecrated Christian will put himself in the hands of God, even the accidents may be turned into blessings," I told him.
Anyway, I am sure the Methodist brother can go to sleep at night knowing that he does not have to become a Presbyterian to be certain that God is looking after him!
Dear Lord, in these quiet moments this morning, prepare my mind and heart for the encounters You've arranged for me today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Truth Is A Person (and more)
Truth Is A Person (and more)
"Then said Jesus...And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
Let me say boldly that it is not the difficulty of discovering truth, but the unwillingness to obey it, that makes it so rare among men.
Our Lord said, "I am...the Truth" (John 14:6). And again He said, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Truth, therefore, is not hard to find for the very reason that it is seeking us!
So we learn that Truth is not a thing for which we must search, but a Person to whom we must hearken! In the New Testament, multitudes came to Jesus for physical help, but only rarely did one seek Him out to learn the Truth. The whole picture in the Gospels is one of a seeking Saviour, not one of seeking men.
The Truth was hunting for those who would receive it, and relatively few did, for "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).
Thank You for this truth, Lord, that You came "to seek and to save that which was lost."I don't want to keep this truth tucked in my back pocket. Give me the opportunities to share Your good news with someone today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
_________________________
Christ Is Not Divided
"Jesus answered...If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23).
Much of our full gospel literature and much of our preaching tend to perpetuate a misunderstanding of what the Bible says about obedience and Christian discipleship.
I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught in my early Christian experience and before I began to pray and study and anguish over the whole matter:
"We are saved by accepting Christ as our Saviour."
"We are sanctified by accepting Christ as our Lord."
"We may do the first without doing the second."
What a tragedy that in our day we often hear the gospel appeal made in this way:
"Come to Jesus! You do not have to obey anyone. You do not have to give up anything. Just come to Him and believe in Him as Saviour!"
The fact that we hear this everywhere does not make it right! To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching - for no one can receive a half or a third or a quarter of the divine Person of Christ!
Heavenly Father, You are a wonderful Saviour and Lord deserving my full obedience to all of Your teachings. Forgive me, Lord, for the times that I've obeyed only a portion of Your Word. Show me the areas in my life in which I am weak. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
__________________________
Who Hears The Call of God?
"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
Who can deny that there are certain persons who, though still unconverted, nevertheless differ from the crowd, marked out by God, stricken with an interior wound and susceptible to the call of God?
In the prayer of Jesus in John 17:11, He said, "Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me." Surely no man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, perhaps some not easy to detect.
First might be a deep reverence for divine things. A sense of the sacred must be present or there can be no receptivity to God and truth.
Another mark is great moral sensitivity. When God begins to work in a man to bring him to salvation, He makes him acutely sensitive to evil.
Another mark of the Spirit's working is a mighty moral discontent. It does take a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened he is psychologically unable to repent and believe!
Lord, I pray that Your Spirit will continue to make me sensitive to the "divine things" at work in this immoral world so that I may make a difference for Christ among my network of relationships. Amen.
~A. W. Tozer~
"Then said Jesus...And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
Let me say boldly that it is not the difficulty of discovering truth, but the unwillingness to obey it, that makes it so rare among men.
Our Lord said, "I am...the Truth" (John 14:6). And again He said, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Truth, therefore, is not hard to find for the very reason that it is seeking us!
So we learn that Truth is not a thing for which we must search, but a Person to whom we must hearken! In the New Testament, multitudes came to Jesus for physical help, but only rarely did one seek Him out to learn the Truth. The whole picture in the Gospels is one of a seeking Saviour, not one of seeking men.
The Truth was hunting for those who would receive it, and relatively few did, for "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).
Thank You for this truth, Lord, that You came "to seek and to save that which was lost."I don't want to keep this truth tucked in my back pocket. Give me the opportunities to share Your good news with someone today. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
_________________________
Christ Is Not Divided
"Jesus answered...If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23).
Much of our full gospel literature and much of our preaching tend to perpetuate a misunderstanding of what the Bible says about obedience and Christian discipleship.
I think the following is a fair statement of what I was taught in my early Christian experience and before I began to pray and study and anguish over the whole matter:
"We are saved by accepting Christ as our Saviour."
"We are sanctified by accepting Christ as our Lord."
"We may do the first without doing the second."
What a tragedy that in our day we often hear the gospel appeal made in this way:
"Come to Jesus! You do not have to obey anyone. You do not have to give up anything. Just come to Him and believe in Him as Saviour!"
The fact that we hear this everywhere does not make it right! To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching - for no one can receive a half or a third or a quarter of the divine Person of Christ!
Heavenly Father, You are a wonderful Saviour and Lord deserving my full obedience to all of Your teachings. Forgive me, Lord, for the times that I've obeyed only a portion of Your Word. Show me the areas in my life in which I am weak. Amen
~A. W. Tozer~
__________________________
Who Hears The Call of God?
"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
Who can deny that there are certain persons who, though still unconverted, nevertheless differ from the crowd, marked out by God, stricken with an interior wound and susceptible to the call of God?
In the prayer of Jesus in John 17:11, He said, "Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me." Surely no man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, perhaps some not easy to detect.
First might be a deep reverence for divine things. A sense of the sacred must be present or there can be no receptivity to God and truth.
Another mark is great moral sensitivity. When God begins to work in a man to bring him to salvation, He makes him acutely sensitive to evil.
Another mark of the Spirit's working is a mighty moral discontent. It does take a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened he is psychologically unable to repent and believe!
Lord, I pray that Your Spirit will continue to make me sensitive to the "divine things" at work in this immoral world so that I may make a difference for Christ among my network of relationships. Amen.
~A. W. Tozer~
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