POSITION WITHOUT POWER
POSITION WITHOUT POWER
The first difficulty in educating a soul, is to get it to accept its position in Christ, from mere knowledge of forgiveness upward; but after that position has been seen, if it be regarded merely as a title of nobility, there will not be practical power in keeping with the great title. The man is ennobled, but he has no property to support his rank. This is too often the case with saints in the present day. They can talk of their rank in Christ, as some in another day could say, “We have Abraham for our father” (Matthew 3: 9), our title and nobility are indisputable; but the poverty is so great that it seems to be almost an appendage of nobility. There are many poor nobles now; and there is no question as to their right to be ennobled; the patent of the title is perfectly genuine; but the reason why there is not power or property to support the rank is that these ennobled ones are not dependent ones.
If I have been lifted by the hand of another to a high position, I am dependent on that hand for everything, and if I am as powerless as a child myself, it is plain, if I do not depend on the hand that exalted me, I must fall from my position from sheer inability to retain it. I may assert that I am entitled to it, because I have been elevated through the grace of the Lord;
[p. 7] but my support depends on and flows only from the same source and hand that elevated me. The fact is, the greater my elevation, if I have a true sense of the grace and the goodness of Him who elevated me, the more do I depend on Him who has done it: and thus, if the dependence increases, the higher the position, the more abundant will be the power to sustain it. Title to position, without dependence, is poverty. A person of high title in poverty is a very sad spectacle. I am not only through grace a king, but I am, because a son, privileged to draw everything from Him who is my life and my portion. Dependence always ensures property; and you will find some christians who have a little property because they are dependent, though they are ignorant of their title, and have no consciousness of their high rank. I do not defend that. If they knew the grace of God, they would know that they are ennobled; but it is better to be a rich commoner than a poor noble. There is a general acceptance of our divine rank now among saints. The knowledge of high position is very attractive, when the conscience does not feel that there is any exaction from the knowledge of it. Alas! many a well-to-do commoner who daily drew his income from his Lord, has lost his means since he found out that he was a nobleman, because he has held it in theory and lost his dependence.
Israel in the wilderness were commoners, but because of a measure of dependence, they were not poor. In the land they were nobles, and they soon became very poor, because they were not dependent. The church of Ephesus (Revelation 2: 1), was of the highest rank, and had large property, but she gave up dependence, and with all her titles, she became poor indeed. If saints are dependent on God, they support their rank in Christ; but if not, however assured of their nobility, they can do nothing noble. They are destitute of all divine resources. Among men nothing is more despicable than a great noble able to do nothing in any way worthy [p. 8] of his high position. Thus it is too often nowadays with christians well taught in truth, who in their lives set forth nothing of the heavenly kingdom; and all because they are holding title without dependence.
The Lord give us to be daily more dependent on Him, drawing supplies from Him, so that everything worthy of our rank may be maintained and expressed. I should rather prove that I was a noble by my ways and acts, than be acknowledged as one by title, and yet be found deficient in true nobility.