Faith and Acceptance
35
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
[53]
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
.