by Evangelist Billy Strachen
I f one truly wants to help others in these days of spiritual opportunities, there are certain essentials and quali fications he must have. We have exam ined the one thing a certain young man lacked, namely conversion. We studied the one thing a young man, who had received his sight, for he was converted, but that was all he knew. Then we looked at the one thing that was needful in Martha’s life (and in so many of our as well), to let Christ have complete control and to let Him serve us instead of our attempting to serve Him. It is not enough to know what one must do. We must make what we know to profit us by acting upon it. We must allow Christ to be for us what we cannot be for ourselves. In Philippians 3:7-14 we read, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And to be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are be hind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press to ward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” To be a fruitful servant, Paul points out what is needful. We live in a day and age where there are crises experi ences. We must not be misled into thinking that one moment of yielded- ness lasts for eternity. Our measure of usefulness is in accordance with our measure of yieldedness every moment of the day. One’s heart and life is like a concert hall with a grand piano. There are two people who may play the instrument at any given moment of the day. Illustratively, it might be the flesh within you, or, the Holy Spirit of God. The flesh perhaps would play some hot jazzy tune from hell, while the Spirit desires to play holy harmony from heaven. Out of your own volition you decide who sits at the piano stool. If you yield to the Spirit, He will play. If you yield to the flesh, it will sit and make its noise. You see, the Christian life is a process of yieldedness. In every new situation which arises you must yield to the control of Christ. “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” That verse does not say, “Don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh and then you will end up walk ing in the Spirit.” It says positively, of your own volition, “walk in the Spirit.” This means to yield and to do that one needful thing of allow ing Christ to take over control. You (continued on next page) 31
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