"I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved." - Psalm 16:8
In
the realm of revealed truth what a saving thing a correct apprehension of God's
greatness is! We know the truth of God is inexhaustible, and always progressive
in so far as we are concerned, requiring an open mind, ever ready to receive it
and act upon it. We know that a creed, which never moves, is a vain thing. Any
individual who refuses to open his eyes from time to time to see light in God's
light, and be ready to revise faulty conclusions and many of his preconceived
ideas, may have a name to be living, but like those of Sardis, their real
condition is death. A soul standing today where it stood in knowledge years
ago, and where it intends to stand in years to come, seeking no larger horizons
than that already seen, has limited God and His Word to the very narrow
confines of his own imperfect mind. This
is Satan's' false insulation. Until that which is perfect has come, there
will be streets of gold, gates of pearl, and crystal streams of divine
revelation to be found and rejoiced in by
those who are humble enough to acknowledge that they know as yet only in part.
Such are protected against that spiritual stagnation so unsatisfactory to Him who
walks among the seven candlesticks that he spews the lukewarm from His mouth.
The
Holy Spirit's special work is to take of the things of Jesus and reveal them to
His obedient people. Through this revelation of the deeper meaning hidden in
many of our Savior's words, maturity of vision is given, and the fullness of
Christian stature attained. This enables the heart to weigh all vital issues
with carefulness and sobriety of mind, and remain properly centered amid all
that try men's souls.
Such
was the life of Jesus amid all the diversified circumstances surrounding Him in
those days in which He was leaving footsteps for us to follow. If, then, the Holy
Spirit's work is that of making Christ's words living oracles to us, and giving
us to see how He must dwell within us in order to save, keep, and perfect us;
surely herein lies the secret of our being so completely insulated by this
indwelling that all the strong, beautiful virtues of Christian character will
withstand every adverse wind that may blow upon us, and give us a steadfastness
to principle, by a largeness of true vision, so that "the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." -
2 Cor. 4:11.
Too little emphasis is given the work of the
Holy Spirit in guiding, keeping, and fortifying the child of God. But, those who do give proper attention to New Testament
teachings regarding the infilling and empowering of the Spirit know that its
place in our life is a most important one. When Jesus said, "Without me you can do nothing,” He, of
course, meant that unless He had His abode in us by the Spirit we could have no
safekeeping, nothing of fruitage to glorify God, nor any strength to remain in Him,
the true Vine. There could be no strength of character without the Spirit. Therefore,
"if any man has not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His.” Without this indwelling presence to "perfect, strengthen, establish,
settle," and protect us, we would in our weakness be in a position
similar to that of the daughter in unfaithful Zion mentioned in Isaiah 1:8: "And the daughter of Zion is left as a
cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged
city." What a useless kind of protection from storms a garden of
low-lying cucumbers would be to a cottage standing within it! The illustration
is intended to teach that this is so with those who surround themselves with
any equally useless and ineffectual walls of man's invention. Those who fail to put on Christ can never be
strong trees of righteousness, nor come into the happy experience of knowing
the Lord as their strong Tower, a shelter in the time of storm. What a
contrast obtains between those around whom the Lord encamps, and those without
this ample protection. Contrast a garden of low-growing cucumbers of man's
cultivation in religious life, with the wall of defense so beautifully
portrayed by the Psalmist, "As the
mountains are round about
Thus,
God surrounds, protects, and insulates His people. Underneath are His everlasting
arms holding them above the pull of all gravitation earthward. Over them, His
wings of divine power are a canopy of protection from a host of evil beings
subject to the prince of devils. Around them are all the mountains filled with
guardian legions, more in number and greater in power than all who may be
against them. Then, as new creatures in Christ Jesus, besides having these
agencies above, around, and about them, they are rein-
forced by the Holy Spirit within them, and
thereby "strengthened with might by His
Spirit in the inner man.” What an insulation is ours!
In
the days of ancient
Now He abides in our hearts, opening our eyes to see the wonders of His
grace. Having called us into joint-heirship with Christ, He has provided us
with armor in every way equal to all the fiery darts of the evil one. We have a
lamp to lighten our pathway through our entire journey, from its beginnings in
first principles even unto the deep things of God, by which we are made mature,
full-grown characters in Christ. Thus, we are kept by the power of God unto a
salvation soon to be fully accomplished for us. Inside the charmed circle of His
favor, there is an insulation wonderful and blessedly
effective. We live not in the flesh, but in the spirit by faith. God is for us,
and more than all that can be against us. In all things adverse to us, "we are more than conquerors through Him
that loved us." Confident we are that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38, 39.
J. J. Blackburn
“O,
the Spirit filled life; is it thine, is it thine?
Is
your soul wholly filled with the Spirit Divine?
Does
He give you to know that all things may be done
Through the grace and the power of the Crucified One?
Does
He witness to you of the Glorified Son?
Is
He near you each hour, does He stand at your side?
Does
He gird you with strength, has He come to abide?
Is
His service your choice, and is sacrifice sweet?
Is
the doing His will both your drink and your meat?
Do
you run at His bidding with glad eager feet?
Has
He freed you from self and from all of your greed?
Do
you hasten to succor your brother in need?
As
a soldier of Christ, does your hardness endure?
Is
your hope in the Lord everlasting and sure?
Have
you patience and meekness, are you tender and pure?
O,
the Spirit filled life may be thine, may be thine,
In
your soul evermore, the Shekinah may shine.
It
is yours to live with the tempests all stilled,
It
is yours with the blest Holy One to be filled.
It
is yours, even yours, for your Lord has so willed.”
Author unknown