October 13

We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, — 1 Tim 1:9 BSB

Do you have any testimony that God has called you by His grace, that He has quickened your soul to divine life, brought you under the weight of a condemning law, given you repentance for your sins, and stirred up a sigh and cry in your heart for His pardoning love? Has He brought you to the footstool of mercy, given you faith to believe in His dear Son, with a sweet hope that He has begun a gracious work in your heart? Can you look back on a time you can never forget, when the Lord, by His powerful grace, quickened your soul to divine life? I truly believe we can never forget the first stirrings of the Spirit of God upon our souls. Just as Moses describes an eagle stirring up her nest, the Spirit of God flutters over our souls, infusing new and heavenly life, as He did in creation when He moved upon the face of the waters, bringing life to chaos. If we have ever felt the mighty hand of the Lord upon us, we can never forget the moment He first shone His light and life into our dead souls. He poured out the spirit of grace and supplication, separated us from the world, and brought us to His feet with confessions and pleas. He revealed eternal realities with such weight and power that they pierced into our deepest thoughts and emotions. Can you look back to such a time? Then God is for you, and if God is for you, you can, as He strengthens your faith, look through the blessed chain of grace and see that He foreknew you before the foundation of the world and wrote your name in the Book of Life.