February 11

The Word of God rightly understood and resolutely obeyed is the only path to spiritual maturity and personal holiness.

Any tinkering with the truth, any liberties taken with the scripture, and we throw ourselves out of sync with the Spirit of God and cast ourselves upon our own resources.

The work of God is not finished in the heart of a believer when he first experiences that inward cleansing and sense of forgiveness and relief that comes with the bending of the knee to God. That is but the beginning and God would go on from there to bring our total life into harmony with His will, so that we can say that we are truly walking in His ways.

This work is accomplished by prayer and discipline and, because of our self-will and stubbornness, suffering.

In “bringing many sons to glory”, God works with the material at hand, which is unique to each individual believer; for that reason, we cannot look to Churches, teachers or books to effect any sort of shortcut. Each one must look to God alone to undertake what He alone began.

“Take up your cross and follow Me”, Jesus said; this is directed to each individual who would follow Him. No man can die on the cross of another.