75. How shall we hold on to such a blessing?
We must respond wholly to the will of God so that sin will lose its power over us; and the world, the flesh, and the devil are put under our feet.
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Our intention to walk in the way that pleases God needs to be renewed every morning, even as God’s mercies are. At the climax of Deuteronomy, Moses says: “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. . . . Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him” (Deut. 30:15, 19–20).
Choosing life means choosing lifelong obedience; it is a choice one must continue to make every day of one’s life, a choice reflected in that day’s obedience to God. It is an intention that must be carefully guarded so that it remains not a priority each day, but the priority each day—every day. This is why the means of grace were so important to Wesley and to the discipline of the early Methodists. Morning and evening prayer, daily reading of and meditation on the Scriptures, prayerful self-examination, the kind of fellowship that reinforces each party’s desire for and diligent striving after holiness, frequent encounters with Jesus in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (with its palpable reminder of the cost that Jesus bore for the sake of our sanctification)—all of these practices assist us to remain mindful of God, our desire to be blameless before him, and the promptings and empowerment of the Spirit that make that possible.
Such practices are all the more necessary because of the contrary spiritual forces exercising their own gravitational pull to draw us away from our centeredness on God into their orbit, traditionally named “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” The world includes the political wrangling, the cultural trends, the lures of materialism and self-gratification, and many other such things in our lived context as force themselves upon us and seek to win us over to their agendas. The flesh names our own unruly wills and affections. Beyond, and using both, stands the devil, a perpetual reminder that we are always in the midst of a spiritual contest. These forces are strong—and they are loud. The means of grace are our fortifications against their assault.
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Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Prov. 3:5–8 ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:1–2)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7–8)
See also Deut. 30:19–20; Josh. 24:15; Ps. 37; Matt. 8:18–22; Mark 8:34–38; Rom. 16:20; CoF XI
This is an excerpt from Christian Faith and Doctrine: An Annotated Catechism for the Global Methodist Church. Seedbed is pleased to partner with The Global Methodist Church to offer this companion resource to A Catechism of Christian Faith and Doctrine for the Global Methodist Church.
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