Growth in Grace

    One of the remarkable things about growth in grace is that the more you grow, the smaller you become in your own eyes. In the first epistle Paul ever wrote, He was, “The least of the apostles.” He later wrote to the Ephesians that he was, “Less than the least of all the saints.” Shortly before his death, he wrote to Timothy, “I am the chief of sinners.”

    We do not find rest, hope, nor comfort in our faith but in Christ. If you will give careful thought to that statement, it will be of great help to you. Faith is not a foundation, a refuge, nor a source of help. Faith is a means, a look, an empty hand. It is Christ Who is our refuge, Who protects from every storm. He is our rock on which we build. He is our source of every mercy and our only plea. My faith may be weak or weaker, but He cannot fail. If all my debts have been paid by my Surety, I don’t have to be ashamed to come before God. The praise and credit goes not to my boldness and faith but to my gracious Benefactor! I am not debt-free because I believe (though I do, and that faith united me to Him) but because He set me free and paid my debt. Christ is our confidence and our assurance. The moment I seek a reason for hope in anything I do, even in the blessed grace of faith, I forfeit any possibility of peace. “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust” (Psalm 40:4). “When Isaiah saw His glory, he spake of him” (John 12:41). When any man truly sees the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, then Christ becomes the message and object of faith.