POSSESSING AND USING POSSESSION

POSSESSING AND USING POSSESSION

I rejoice to hear of blessing amongst you. My heart has some of you often in remembrance before the Lord. I sometimes hope that much of the contention of late has arisen from not seeing the difference between possessing a property and using that property in turning it to account. The property is mine through God’s grace, however I use it, but it is as I use it that I know the good of it. A youth owns a horse (his father’s gift), but does he turn the gift to good account? I am sure many have contented themselves with the assurance that they have divine property as the gift of God’s grace, without being exercised as to the use and benefit of the property. And as we all know, it is in the use of a thing that originality comes out, like another leaf of the one and self-same tree (no two leaves of any tree are alike), and on comparing notes, the new leaves as well as the old ones are found to come from the one and same ^[p. 98] tree, though the new leaves were first thought to be innovation.

I believe all the contention arises from the natural unwillingness to leave our own side for Christ’s side; we like to have Him at our side of things, but He is not there now, and this is an immense difficulty to some, for if He is not there (though He sympathises with me there, for He was there), I must, like Peter, if He has drawn my heart to Himself, leave the ship, and in divine power join Him where He is.

I feel assured that much of the opposition arises, too, from accepting truth without practical acquaintance with it; that is, it is accepted in the mind and not in faith, which is counting on God to make it effectual.