July 11Whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but … keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not — 1 John 5:18.
So long as the heart (the mind, the will) is holy, in harmony with God and righteousness, that is to say, so long as the … spirit of holiness continues in us, the new mind cannot approve of sin, but must and will be its opponent. Even though many of the battles fought are with the members of our fallen and weak human nature, their appetites and desires, we nevertheless … are separate and distinct from the flesh; and the weaknesses and imperfections of the flesh are not imputed to the new mind in Christ Jesus, but are reckoned as covered, hidden under the merit of our Lord's redemptive sacrifice—Z '99, 58 (R 2438). A new creature is begotten of God. It is a spiritual quality in every organ of the brain, enabling each organ to co-operate in willing God's will. The new creature, therefore, as the will to will and to do God's will, never sins. This new creature keeps guard over all the thoughts, motives, words and deeds, to subject them to God's will, and this prevents the Adversary from contaminating the one begotten of God—P '35, 102. Parallel passages: John 1:13; 3:3-5; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:5, 23; Rom. 7:17; Jude 1:20, 21, 24, 25; Luke 22:31, 32; Rom. 16:20; 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:3; John 8:44; 1 John 2:13, 14. Hymns: 136, 183, 21, 82, 78, 130, 184. Poems of Dawn, 50: God Knows. Tower Reading: Z '15, 237 (R 5742). Questions: What have been this week's experiences in line with this text? How were they met? What resulted therefrom? |
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GOD KNOWS
GOD knows—not I—the devious way
Wherein my faltering feet must tread,
Before into the light of day
My steps from out this gloom are led.
And since my Lord the path doth see,
What matter if 'tis hid from me?
God knows—not I—how sweet accord
Shall grow at length from out this clash
Of earthly discords which have jarred
On soul and sense; I hear the crash,
Yet feel and know that on His ear
Breaks harmony—full, deep and clear.
God knows—not I—why, when I'd fain
Have walked in pastures green and fair,
The path He pointed me hath lain
Through rocky deserts bleak and bare.
I blindly trust—since 'tis His will—
This way lies safety, that way ill.
His perfect plan I may not grasp,
Yet I can trust Love Infinite,
And with my feeble fingers clasp
The hand which leads me into light.
My soul upon His errand goes—
The end I know not—but God knows.
GOD knows—not I—the devious way
Wherein my faltering feet must tread,
Before into the light of day
My steps from out this gloom are led.
And since my Lord the path doth see,
What matter if 'tis hid from me?
God knows—not I—how sweet accord
Shall grow at length from out this clash
Of earthly discords which have jarred
On soul and sense; I hear the crash,
Yet feel and know that on His ear
Breaks harmony—full, deep and clear.
God knows—not I—why, when I'd fain
Have walked in pastures green and fair,
The path He pointed me hath lain
Through rocky deserts bleak and bare.
I blindly trust—since 'tis His will—
This way lies safety, that way ill.
His perfect plan I may not grasp,
Yet I can trust Love Infinite,
And with my feeble fingers clasp
The hand which leads me into light.
My soul upon His errand goes—
The end I know not—but God knows.