February 13

Read: James 1:5-8

A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).

Instability

Instability is one of the common failures of the Christian life, and carnality is the cause of much of it. A subtle love for the things of the world robs the spirit of its loyalty to Christ. Commissioner Brengle of the Salvation Army testified, “After I was converted to God I did not want any evil thing, but there was something in me that did.” The recognition of this double mindedness has awakened many a new Christian to the existence of carnality and has started him on his search for heart holiness.

Dr. Harry E. Jessop recalls: “From the first moment of the realization of saving grace, I wanted all that God could give me, and soon found myself yearning for a deeper life in Him. It was not long before I began to feel that, glorious as my new experience of conversion had been, God was now holding before me something of a deeper nature than that which I already enjoyed.

“While my love for Christ was such that it pained me to know that I had grieved Him, my spiritual life was far from constant, and my communion was not sustained. Frequently the conflicts into which I came did not end in such a manner as to bring glory to the Lord. I was conscious of a lack of power in service, and of a strange inward conflict which did not seem consistent with New Testament standards” (Flames of Living Fire, Beacon Hill Press).

God has for us something better than halfway religion. When we give ourselves wholly to Him, He gives himself fully to us.

All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.

— J. W. Van Deventer