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The Results of Inner Renewal, January 16
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.
Ephesians 3:16
.
We are still in probationary time. He that earnestly desires eternal life will
strive for it. He will get it by desire and effort. Gold is hid in the earth. Desire and
effort combined alone will secure the treasure. If we have aroused an interest in
souls that are ready to die, we have aroused our own souls.
What a comfort it is to know that the Lord wants us in His family above.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (
John 3:16
). We need
to cherish and exercise faith. Our faith must work. We must have that faith that
works by love and purifies the soul. The leaven has a vital energy, penetrating
and absorbing all the elements into which it is introduced. So likewise, the law
of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The Word of the Lord is quick and
powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word is a power as we practice
it. The great change that the truth makes is inward. It begins in the heart, and
works outwardly. With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. “Burnt offerings and sacrifices thou
wouldest not.” The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. God is not pleased with
pharisaical pretense.
We will hide in Jesus Christ. We will trust in His love. We will believe day by
day that He loves us with a love that is infinite. Let nothing, nothing discourage
you, and make you sad. Think of the goodness of God. Recount His favors and
blessings.
I am laboring constantly in writing and speaking. The Lord has been my very
best Friend, and you both can testify the same. Let the praise of the Lord be ever
in our hearts and in our minds and upon our lips. In this way we can magnify the
truth. The Holy Spirit will witness with our spirit that we are indeed children of
the heavenly King. Be of good courage; Jesus is our personal Friend and Saviour.
He loves us, and if He notices the little brown sparrow, how much more will He
love and care for us. The memory grows weak when it is not exercised. So will
our faith and hope and courage become feeble unless we look unto Jesus with
all the confidence that a little child looks to its mother. By beholding Him, we
become changed into His righteousness. Let not one thought of unbelief be woven
into our religious experience. The Lord will be our efficiency and exceeding great
reward.—
Letter 20, January 16, 1898
, to “Sister Kelsey.”
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