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". . . add to your faith virtue . . ." - 2 Peter 1:5
Add means that we have to do something. We are in danger of forgetting that we
cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save
nor sanctify ourselves— God does that. But God will not give us good habits or
character, and He will not force us to walk correctly before Him. We have to do
all that ourselves. We must “work out” our “own salvation” which God has worked
in us ( Philippians 2:12 ). Add means that we must get into the habit of doing
things, and in the initial stages that is difficult. To take the initiative is
to make a beginning— to instruct yourself in the way you must go.
Beware of the tendency to ask the way when you know it perfectly well. Take the
initiative— stop hesitating— take the first step. Be determined to act
immediately in faith on what God says to you when He speaks, and never
reconsider or change your initial decisions. If you hesitate when God tells you
to do something, you are being careless, spurning the grace in which you stand.
Take the initiative yourself, make a decision of your will right now, and make
it impossible to go back. Burn your bridges behind you, saying, “I will write
that letter,” or “I will pay that debt”; and then do it! Make it irrevocable.
We have to get into the habit of carefully listening to God about everything,
forming the habit of finding out what He says and heeding it. If, when a crisis
comes, we instinctively turn to God, we will know that the habit has been formed
in us. We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we have not yet
been.
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Daily Morning and Evening Devotionals by Spurgeon
Wisdom from the Desert Devotional
Daily Devotional with Oswald Chambers Archives
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