Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still
some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin,
but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless.
Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no
carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the
way we eat and drink.
Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward
expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will
allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His
scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point
over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one
point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the
finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature,
but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought
us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle
and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest.
Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing
that is not entirely right in our lives.
We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed
truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And
His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with
Him. “Let patience have its perfect work . . . .” The Holy Spirit
speaking through James said, “Now let your patience become a finished
product.” Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and
saying, “Oh, that will have to do for now.” Whatever it may be, God
will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His.
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