5. However blessed and satisfactory our present experience may
be, we must not rest in it, but remember that our Lord has yet
many things to say unto us, as we are able to receive them. We
must stir up the gift of God that is in us, and say with Paul,
"One thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and
stretching forward" (as a racer) "to the things which are before,
I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. iii. 13, 14, R.V.). It is at this
point that many fail. They seek the Lord, they weep and struggle
and pray, and then they believe; but, instead of pressing on,
they sit down to enjoy the blessing, and, lo! it is not. The
children of Israel must needs follow the pillar of cloud and
fire. It made no difference when it moved--by day or by night,
they followed; and when the Comforter comes we must follow, if we
would abide in Him and be filled with all the fullness of God.
And, Oh, the joy of following Him!
Finally, if we have the blessing--not the harsh, narrow,
unprogressive exclusiveness which often calls itself by the
sweet, heavenly term of holiness, but the vigorous, courageous,
self-sacrificing, tender, Pentecostal experience of perfect
love--we shall both save ourselves and enlighten the world, our
converts will be strong, our Candidates for the work will
multiply, and will be able, dare-devil men and women, and our
people will come to be like the brethren of Gideon, of whom it
was said, "Each one resembled the children of a king."
"HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED?"
XXIII.
VICTORY OVER EVIL TEMPER BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you."
Two letters recently reached me, one from Oregon, and one from
Massachusetts, inquiring if I thought it possible to have temper
destroyed. The comrade from Oregon wrote: "I have been wondering
if the statement is correct when one says, 'My temper is all
taken away.' Do you think the temper is destroyed or sanctified?
It seems to me that if one's temper were actually gone he would
not be good for anything."
The comrade from Massachusetts wrote: "Two of our Corps Cadets
have had the question put to them: 'Is it possible to have all
temper taken out of our hearts?' One claims it is possible. The
other holds that the temper is not taken out, but God gives power
to overcome it."
Evidently these are questions that perplex many people, and yet
the answer seems to me simple.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account