Test of Discipleship
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own power, let us trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise
Him who is the health of our countenance.
The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in
your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections
will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is
evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying
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influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.
No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not
realize its own sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of
Christ will admire His divine character; but if we do not see our own
moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that we have not had a
view of the beauty and excellence of Christ.
The less we see to esteem in ourselves, the more we shall see to
esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of our Saviour. A view
of our sinfulness drives us to Him who can pardon; and when the
soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will reveal
Himself in power. The more our sense of need drives us to Him and to
the word of God, the more exalted views we shall have of His character,
and the more fully we shall reflect His image.
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