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"Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." "Calling and justification are not one and the same thing. Calling is the drawing of the sinner to Christ, and it is a work wrought by the Holy Spirit upon the heart, convicting of sin, and inviting to repentance." "Many are called, but few are chosen. " "Many hear the invitation of mercy, are tested and proved; but few are sealed with the seal of the living God. Few will humble themselves as a little child, that they may enter the kingdom of heaven." "The Lord has shown me the danger of letting our minds be filled with worldly thoughts and cares. . . . for if the mind is filled with other things, present truth is shut out, and there is no place in our foreheads for the seal of the living God." "It is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved. " "Not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them. It is left with us to remedy the defects in our characters, to cleanse the soul temple of every defilement." "When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it undefiled." "Moral perfection is required of all. " "Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." "It is only the blessed and holy who will be ready for the first resurrection; for when Christ comes, He will not change the character. " "It is the spiritual and moral character that is of value in the sight of Heaven, and that will survive the grave, and be made glorious with immortality for the endless ages of eternity." "Christ Himself will decide who are worthy to dwell with the family of heaven. He will judge every man according to his words and his works. Profession is as nothing in the scale. It is character that decides destiny." "I . . . beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life." "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. " "That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." "None of us need excuse our hasty temper, our misshapen characters, our selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call. " "Through all ages and in every nation those that believe that Jesus can and will save them personally from sin, are the elect and chosen of God: they are His peculiar treasure. They obey His call, and come out of the world and separate themselves from every unclean thought and unholy practice. . . . It is a sad fact that the great proportion of God's professed people have not had faith in Christ as a personal Saviour. If they had believed the promises of God on record for them, they would have been daily receivers of the grace of God, and would have overcome through the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour." "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in know-ledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ." "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. . . . If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all." "Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love of the brethren, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing." "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." "Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace." |