Chapter 269—Irresistible
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that
fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before
the sons of men!
Psalm 31:19
.
The Lord calls upon us for confession of His goodness.... Our confession
of His faithfulness is Heaven’s chosen agency for revealing Christ to the
world. We are to acknowledge His grace as made known through the holy
men of old; but that which will be most effectual is the testimony of our
own experience. We are witnesses for God as we reveal in ourselves the
working of a power that is divine. Every individual has a life distinct from
all others, and an experience differing essentially from theirs. God desires
that our praise shall ascend to Him, marked by our own individuality. These
precious acknowledgements to the praise of the glory of His grace, when
supported by a Christlike life, have an irresistible power that works for the
salvation of souls.
In order to confess Christ, we must have Him to confess. No one can truly
confess Christ unless the mind and spirit of Christ are in him.... We must
understand what it is to confess Christ and wherein we deny Him.... The
fruits of the Spirit manifested in the life are a confession of Him. If we have
forsaken all for Christ, our lives will be humble, our conversation heavenly,
our conduct blameless. The powerful, purifying influence of truth in the soul,
and the character of Christ exemplified in the life, are a confession of Him.
Integrity, firmness, and perseverance are qualities that all should seek
earnestly to cultivate; for they clothe the possessor with a power which is
irresistible—a power which makes him strong to do good, strong to resist
evil, strong to bear adversity.... Those who have placed themselves without
reserve on the side of Christ will stand firmly by that which reason and
conscience tell them is right.
The life of the true believer reveals an indwelling Saviour. The follower
of Jesus is Christlike in spirit and in temper. Like Christ, he is meek and
humble. His faith works by love and purifies the soul. His whole life is a
testimony to the power of the grace of Christ.
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