April 5

Read: Luke 11:9-13

If you then, imperfect as you are, know how to give your children gifts that are good ]or them, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13, Weymouth)

Take Him Now

The really worthwhile changes in the human spirit come to us as a result both of decision and of gradual growth. Saintly character is not achieved by a decision alone. But no saintly character is ever achieved without the decision to give myself wholly to God. A doctrine of sanctification which omits either the decision or the process is untrue to the facts of human experience.

The Wesleyan position stresses growth in grace. But it also emphasizes the importance of the personal decision as the key to the experience of entire sanctification. If a man wants to be holy he can tell God about that desire. We believe that God does not disappoint any desire to be like himself. He fills the hungry heart with His Holy Spirit, by faith, in a moment of time.

What will God do for us in that moment? Call it cleansing, call it eradication, call it enduement. Call it what you will — but try it! God will do for us all that we need to have done. He may do more than our timid theology has thought possible. He may do less than a mistaken, unscriptural dream has led us to expect. But our Lord has promised to give us the Holy Spirit.

When He has come He will guide us into all the further truth that we need. He may show us how He can do for us day at a time what He did not plan to do in a moment of time. Perhaps looking back we shall discover that He did more for us than we had dared to hope.

Praise For Today

Now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).