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In Cooperation With the Spirit, February 25
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 2:12
.
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
). Nothing but divine
power can regenerate the human heart and imbue souls with the love of Christ,
which will ever manifest itself with love for those for whom He died. The fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance. When a man is converted to God, a new moral taste is supplied,
a new motive power is given, and he loves the things that God loves; for his
life is bound up by the golden chain of the immutable promises to the life of
Jesus. Love, joy, peace, and inexpressible gratitude will pervade the soul, and
the language of him who is blessed will be, “Thy gentleness hath made me
great” (
Psalm 18:35
).
But those who are waiting to behold a magical change in their characters
without determined effort on their part to overcome sin will be disappointed.
We have no reason to fear while looking to Jesus, no reason to doubt but
that He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto Him; but we may
constantly fear lest our old nature will again obtain the supremacy, that the
enemy shall devise some snare whereby we shall again become his captives.
We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is
God that worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. With our
limited powers we are to be as holy in our sphere as God is holy in His sphere.
To the extent of our ability, we are to make manifest the truth and love and
excellence of the divine character. As wax takes the impression of the seal,
so the soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and retain the image
of Christ.
We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our
efforts to copy the divine Pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep
at the feet of Jesus, because of our shortcomings and mistakes; but we are not
to be discouraged; we are to pray more fervently, believe more fully, and try
again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of our Lord.—
Selected
Messages 1:336, 337
.
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