'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' A failure to realize and apply the truth of this Scripture, and of that other forceful one from our Master's own lips, 'Severed from Me, ye can do nothing,' is the cause of the present wide-spread spiritual declension, and inactivity in the work of soul-saving.
Every one who would be a worker together with God in His work of winning souls for the great harvest day, must be yoked up with Him, thus having a living connection with the Fountain Head of wisdom, love, and saving grace. He must realize continually that his dependence is not upon his own feeble powers, but upon the Spirit of truth, who is mighty to save.
By this living connection is created such a holy atmosphere about the soul as shall gather with the Saviour of men; for it is by the atmosphere surrounding the soul that we either gather with Christ, or scatter abroad. 'Every soul is surrounded by an atmosphere of its own,—an atmosphere, it may be, charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love; or it may be heavy and chill with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin. By the atmosphere surrounding us, every person with whom we come in contact is consciously or unconsciously affected. This is a responsibility from which we can not free ourselves. Our words, our acts, our dress, our deportment, even the expression of the countenance, has an influence.'
This being true, the most vital concern of each one professing the name of Christ, should be to have such close union with the Saviour that the golden oil of His Spirit may constantly flow through the heart. In this way alone can our every word and act, our dress and deportment, and the expression of our faces, be influential for the upbuilding of human lives.
The moulding and fashioning of souls for the eternal kingdom of our Father is the most important work in which we can engage. It should absorb our best energies. For the most perfect and lasting work, certain fundamentals, which have been called the indispensables of character, are needed: Power of attention; power of industry; promptitude in beginning work; method, accuracy, and despatch in doing work; perseverance, courage before difficulties; cheer under straining burdens; self-control, self-denial, and temperance. Each one striving to win souls needs these prime qualities of character in order to do effective work.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law. Isa. 42:4.
Do we lack these? 'My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.' These qualities can be gained by a constant looking to Him in childlike faith, and by a joyous acceptance of the toil and stress of daily life.
The thought has been expressed that the beautiful landscape is the result of ages of steady pressure and chiselings, of the scores of floods, the ages of glacier crush and grind, of centuries of storm and sun. Just so beauty of character, fineness of manhood and womanhood, is formed. Shall we not accept the daily pressure and chiselings joyously, that we may become fine-fibered and high-souled?
The higher the ideal, the greater the work, the more need of self-control, self-denial, accuracy, method and power of attention. The sum of these is concentration upon an aim.
'This one thing I do,' said Paul, 'forgetting those things which are behind, . . . I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.'
This prize is perfection through Christ for ourselves, and for those for whom we labor. To strive for it is as necessary to Christian development as is the backbone to the strength of the body. Said Michael Angelo, 'Nothing makes the soul so pure, so religious, as the endeavor to create something perfect; for God is perfection, and whoever strives for it, strives for something that is Godlike.' This aspiration to do perfectly is religion practicalized.
'It is through the exercise of faith, hope, and love that we come nearer and nearer to the standard of perfect holiness.'
Before we can feel the needed burden for the souls about us, for whom we have a large responsibility, we must realize the value of a soul, realize the inestimable price paid for it. That we may realize this, we must behold the Lamb of God, who beareth the sins of the world. We must behold Him on Calvary's cross, and let our hearts break before the magnitude of His sacrifice. Then will our hearts be filled with divine love, which will continually flow out in mighty streams to soften and tender hearts.
