I GOT OUT THIS OLD LEATHER BAG, took some cleaner and shined it up like new! And let me tell you, it really did TAKE WORK! After much rubbing and circular scrubbing it came up like new. Applying this observation to my Christian life, I'm reminded that tending daily to my soul takes much diligence too. Think about how Scripture ardently challenges us to work at living for Jesus by obeying numerous ACTION verbs: The Bible says we are to seek, fight, wrestle, run, beat the body, etc., etc. The Bible tells Christians to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). We don't work FOR it but must work it out. Grace saves us, grace keeps us and grace gives us strength to make this daily effort, but the preciousness and essentiality of grace does not negate my personal responsibility to be confessed up (my daily sins) and filled up (with the Holy Spirit), along with availing myself of the many other means of sanctifying grace.
We must never let our theology rob us of our responsibility. C.H. Spurgeon once remarked, "My dear friends, you may take it as a rule that the Spirit of God does not usually do for us what we can do for ourselves." I add, which we must do for ourselves for the sake of glorifying God in our lives.
- d. christen
