The Charge And The Commandment
When Christ calls an individual to follow Him, He commands him to live. What does this mean? Following Christ is impossible without the Spirit of God in the heart, working to enable them to do so. All possible to the one who is born of the Spirit, thus, the individual must LIVE by Christ's Spirit, if he would love and serve Him. Obedient faith is the response of God's work in the heart.
The Anointing From This Day Forward
The present and continuing anointing by the Spirit of God upon the believer has been illustrated in the Old Testament in the lives of certain individuals, but in the New Testament, this unction has been given to each believer that he should show forth the excellencies of Christ. The anointing is not only the evidence of being separated unto God but the confirmation of His power to live a victorious life by the Spirit.
Newness In The Morning
What constitutes "newness" in the Christian life? Is it not the freshness of Christ's eternal, never changing presence and sufficiency? His newness is the perpetual of His endless, unchanging goodness and life, to be known daily, renew by the Spirit. The Spirit of God has been given to all who believe that they might individually appropriate the newness, freshness of the love of God in Christ, and give that love to others.
A Life Entwined With Christ
The salvation which Christ gives is not an object or thing. It is a relationship between the Eternal Father, His son, His Spirit, and the believer. That relationship is not only represented by a branch attached, and absolutely dependent upon the Vine (Christ), but a life entwined with His life. Out of this communion with Christ by the Spirit is born the very fruit of Christ's life. To live is to know Christ, God the Father, by the Spirit.
The Sovereign God Of Salvation
Scripture teaches us that God is sovereign over His creation, and also in the matter of Redemption, or the saving of men's souls. How is this so? We know that when He spoke, creation came into being. Also, when He speaks to the heart of an individual, convicting of sin, granting repentance and faith, that another "creation" comes into being, that of a new life in Christ. This one, because of the sovereign purpose and power of God, is born into the family of God, never to be separated from the love of God.
The Fulfillment Of God's Good Word
God is faithful. What does this mean but that He is not only committed to accomplish all that He promises, but that He possesses all power in heaven and in earth to do so. As Christ is the Living Word, so God's objective word is the means by which He reveals Himself to man, bringing Him to faith and salvation.
The Certain Meeting With God
There is a certainty about coming to God that must be grasped if we are to come in an acceptable manner. The believer is to believe that He IS and that He IS a rewarder of those who truly seek Him. One must believe in the presence of God because of His promise. The believer must believe that God will answer Him, for Jesus said: "Seek, and ye shall find."
The Blessedness Of Thirst
How does God deal with us, to bring us to a saving knowledge of Him? It is by drawing us to Himself by the thirst He gives for things eternal, sure and certain. Is the creation of thirst for that which is real, and is truly the answer for the deep needs of man's soul, spirit, and body, both now, and forever. Christ alone gives us a knowledge of the truth, but also, the realization of it by communicating to the believer His love, joy, and peace.
Looking Intently Unto Jesus
For some people, the object of their hope and trust is in the things of this earth. Not so for the believer in Christ, for He is our Maker, and Redeemer. Not only are all "fountains" of endeavor and resources found in Him, but the direction and the truth necessary for the accomplishment of His will and purpose. He is the singular object of worship, for to put it in its simplest, and most complex form, IS the believer's life.
Joy Breaking Forth
When God reveals His goodness, He does so by giving, first of Himself, and then those things which are good. Because He is love, He delights to do that which is good, and for the benefit and blessing of others, especially as it applies to the eternal well-being of men. When the birth of Christ was announced to the shepherds there was great joy in heaven, a joy that would be also known on earth, and revealed in the hearts of those who were waiting for His coming.