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Feeling Our Spiritual Need, October 7
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to
me a sinner.
Luke 18:13
.
We should be often in prayer. The outpouring of the Spirit of God came
in answer to earnest prayer. But mark this fact concerning the disciples. The
record says, “They were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost” (
Acts 2:1-4
).
They were not assembled to relate tidbits of scandal. They were not
seeking to expose every stain they could find on a brother’s character. They
felt their spiritual need, and cried to the Lord for the holy unction to help
them in overcoming their own infirmities, and to fit them for the work of
saving others. They prayed with intense earnestness that the love of Christ
might be shed abroad in their hearts.
This is our great need today in every church in our land. For “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
). That which was objectionable
in the character is purified from the soul by the love of Jesus. All selfishness
is expelled, all envy, all evil-speaking, is rooted out, and a radical transfor-
mation is wrought in the heart. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law” (
Galatians 5:22, 23
). “The fruit of righteousness is sown
in peace of them that make peace” (
James 3:18
).
Paul says that “as touching the law”—as far as outward acts were
concerned—he was “blameless,” but when the spiritual character of the law
was discerned, when he looked into the holy mirror, he saw himself a sinner.
Judged by a human standard, he had abstained from sin, but when he looked
into the depths of God’s law, and saw himself as God saw him, he bowed in
humiliation, and confessed his guilt.—
The Review and Herald, July 22, 1890
.
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