I Awake! A New Man in a New World
of Light and Love by Alexander Smelly First a leaf blade pushes
through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain
ripens. Mark 4, verse 28. There is a
similar quietness and calm and steadiness as He deals with my
soul. So it is when He first saves
me. For the most part, there is no
stir when Christ revolutionizes my heart. Yet, as quiet and inexplicable
as the work is, it is thoroughly done. My mind is illuminated. My conscience convinces me of
sin. My heart is enlivened. My will is subdued. I awake,
a new man in a new world of light and love, from which I shall
never leave. In the same way, my practical
sanctification progresses gradually, rather than by leaps and bounds.
My ascent up the straight and narrow way to the celestial city
is slower and more agonizing than I had dreamed. My day has
cold in it, and tempest, and tears, as well as sunshine and
warmth. Yet he is ruling within me as
the teacher of my ignorance, the finisher of my faith, the
gardener who matures my spiritual life, even if my growth takes
time and my lot is troubled. The path of the righteous is
like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the
full light of day. Proverbs 4, verse 18. The Lord directs the steps of
the godly. He delights in every detail of
their lives. Though they stumble, they will
never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37, verses
23 and 24. Being confident of this, that
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1 verse 6.