When your graces are in a state of decline, you do feel far from God and heaven; you do begin to wonder whether you were ever really saved.
Imagine that you held an estate because of having custody of a child, upon whose death the estate would be taken away from you. I have no doubt that the child would be well looked after. You would never let him out of your sight, and the slightest headache would send you running for a physician. The only claim we have to our heavenly estate is the child of grace that comes to dwell within us when we accept Christ as Savior and Lord. So when this "child of grace" is sick or weak, we had better use every means to make it well again.
If God's grace in you is sickly, you will find little joy in life, present or future. A person with a chronic illness gets no pleasure from anything else. His food is tasteless; he sleeps fitfully; he has no energy to work or play. If the image of Christ in you has faded, you are chronically ill. You will not taste the sweetness of the promise, nor enjoy any rest in Him. You will limp painfully to every duty, wondering whether you have strength enough to see it through. All the while, your disconsolate heart will be crying out at the heavy load you make it carry.
How sad that our own carelessness so often gives Satan the advantage! By our own spiritual complacency we put a staff in his hand and an argument in his mouth, which he uses to question our salvation. But how sweet is the promise to our faith when it is active and vigorous! How easy the yoke when the Christian is not galled with guilt, nor his strength enfeebled by declining grace! When your relationship to Christ is set aright, you and your brothers and sisters in Christ are alike benefited, and your heavenly Father is glorified."
Reflection: We deny Satan any weapon or argument against us if we exercise wisdom and disciplined daily.
Prayer: Father God, help me to not allow spiritual complacency to hinder my relationship with you. Strengthen me so that my faith will be active and vigorous, that the sweet promise of your goodness in me may prosper!
You can order the Armor of God Pamphlet at this link
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://
No comments:
Post a Comment