A weekly devotional by John Woodward
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
(2 Cor 12:9a)
Roy and Revel Hession commented in their sequel to Calvary Road, ". . . We do not need to itemize the Christian life; it is enough to see Jesus. Seeing Him we are convicted of sin, broken, cleansed, filled with the Spirit, set free from bondage, and revived. Each aspect of the Christian life is made real by seeing Him." [1]
By "seeing Jesus" they refer to total surrender to Him and full dependence upon Him. This may be discovered in a crisis experience, but new insights into Christ's sufficiency for our needs will enrich the disciple on the path toward spiritual maturity.
The Hessions commented on this process of growth. "To see Jesus is to apprehend Him as the supply of our present needs, and believingly lay hold of Him as such. The Lord Jesus is always seen through the eye of need. . . The acknowledgement of need and the confession of sin, therefore, is ever the first step in seeing Jesus. Then where there is acknowledged need, the Holy Spirit delights to show to the heart the Lord Jesus as the supply of just that need. . . Then as the soul believingly appropriates for himself what the Spirit shows of Jesus, striving, strain, a consciousness of guilt, fear, and sorrow flee away." [2]
A.B. Simpson learned this precious truth of the centrality and sufficiency of Christ and penned the following lines:
HIMSELF
Once it was the blessing, now it is the Lord; Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word. Once His gifts I wanted, now the Giver own; Once I sought for healing, now Himself alone.
Once 'twas painful trying, now 'tis perfect trust; Once a half salvation, now the uttermost. Once 'twas ceaseless holding, now He holds me fast; Once 'twas constant drifting, now my anchor's cast.
Once 'twas busy planning, now 'tis trustful prayer; Once 'twas anxious caring, now He has the care. Once 'twas what I wanted, now what Jesus says; Once 'twas constant asking, now 'tis ceaseless praise.
Once it was my working, His it hence shall be; Once I tried to use Him, now He uses me. Once the power I wanted, now the mighty One; Once for self I labored, now for Him alone.
Once I hoped in Jesus, now I know He's mine; Once my lamps were dying, now they brightly shine. Once for death I waited, now His coming hail; And my hopes are anchored, safe within the veil.
J.B.W.
May 1, 2000 vol. 3, #18 reissued from Dec. 14, '98
Notes :
Correction: The title of the Ray Boltz song alluded to last issue is "Watch the Lamb."
Notes [1] Roy and Revell Hession, "We Would See Jesus," (CLC) p. 5.
[2] Ibid., p. 23.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
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