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Remaking
Ourselves
By inheritance, by the influence of environment, and by
the effect of our own habits, we are weak, undeveloped, or
abnormal in many of the human traits and faculties which
grace either leaves untouched or only partly affects and
which we need to set ourselves about correcting,
improving, or developing. In many things we are the
product of our own effects. Grace does much, but grace can
never take the place of our own efforts in
self-development. Sin often weakens the will until it
loses its original power of control over desire. When we
let desire become master, we destroy the balance of our
forces. The will must rule over desire if we are to be
righteous; so if the will is weak, we need to set about
the task of strengthening it. To do this we must lay out
for ourselves a definite course of action, and then,
knowing what we ought to do, not let ourselves be turned
away from that, no matter what natural desire may suggest.
Form the habit of carrying out what you start to do in
spite of obstacles, in spite of fluctuation of desire and
the inclination to stop instead of going forward. Carry
out your purposes. Never be hasty in deciding to do a
thing; but when you have once decided, carry out that
decision fully unless you discover some good reason why
you should not do so. If you begin things and do not
finish them, but grow weary and let them go or let
yourself be turned aside to something else, you weaken
your will each time. It is better to complete a few things
than to begin many and finish none. One thing carried
resolutely through strengthens you and makes success
easier next time. By this means a weak will can often be
greatly strengthened in a short time. When you say no,
stick to it unless you see you are wrong. Do not let your
refusal become a yielding later. If you ought to say no at
the first, it ought to be no to the end. If one no to
temptation is not enough, say it again and again. Either
you or temptation must lose. You have the power to make
your first no a final no if you hold your ground.
We may have cultivated self-will until submission to
any other will is hard. We love our own way. We find it
hard to submit to God, to our brethren, or to
circumstances. To be successful Christians we must conquer
this self-will. We must compel ourselves to yield against
our natural inclinations until we form the habit of
submission to the extent that we should submit. Some never
conquer themselves sufficiently to yield gracefully, nor
to yield at all until circumstances force them to do so.
They lose many of the sweetest things of life because of
this self-will. They often feel that their rights are
being trespassed on; in fact, whenever you find a person
who is always standing up for his rights, you find one of
those self-willed individuals. Such persons never progress
very deeply into the grace of God, since they are never
willing to make the surrender necessary to give God the
chance to make the spiritual. Conquer your self-will;
cultivate submissiveness. It is the only way to true
happiness.
Another thing that we need to cultivate is courage. The
world hates a coward, and the devil too, I think, has
little respect for him. The man who would be a successful
Christian needs courage. Life is a battle, and it takes
courage to win it. You can be brave just as well as anyone
else. Start in to face your foes just as if you were
brave, no matter how little courage you have not how much
you tremble. If you act as if you were brave, it will
produce the same results upon your foe as if you were
brave; and if you act bravely, you will soon come to feel
brave. If for a time you act more bravely than you feel,
that action will win, and the victory won will produce
confidence, which is the foundation of courage. You will
either cultivate courage by meeting your foes and
obstacles and overcoming them, or you will increase your
fears by yielding to them. Remember this: you may be
courageous if you will. You may become fearless if you
will, no matter how timid you are now. Set yourself to the
task of being a bold soldier for Christ. You may be such
if you will.
Some have cultivated gloominess and despondency in
their sinful days by looking on the dark side of things
until they are discouraged most of the time. If you have
formed this habit, set about breaking yourself of it.
There is just as much sunshine in the world for you as for
anyone else if you will come out of your cavern of gloom.
Cultivate hope. God is on your side. Read his promises and
believe they are for you and begin to act in conformity
with your faith. So many people are always looking at
their trials and their failures, and consequently they see
but little else in their lives. This is always
discouraging. If you want to see something worthwhile,
look at "the pit from whence you were digged."
Look at the things in which you are different from what
you used to be. "Behold what God hath wrought."
Make yourself look away from the dark picture. There is
something better than this to look at. Form the habit of
right thinking, overcome your morbidness. God wills that
you be happy, and there are enough good things around you
to make you happy if you will give them your attention.
Wherever you find yourself weak or undeveloped, set
yourself the task of making yourself what you ought to be.
God will help you, but he cannot accomplish the desired
result alone. You must do your part. Grace has its part,
but only a part. Train your own faculties, develop your
own powers. Do not be content to be a weakling. Be a real
man for God. Do not be satisfied to be less than your
best. Do not fold your arms and lament because you are
what you are. This will not make things better. Get into
the harness and go to work. Many people never develop
their resources. Their lives might count twenty-fold more
if they would have it so. You can make of yourself more
than you have ever hoped if you will set resolutely about
the task in an intelligent way. Be your very best if it
does cost earnest effort. You will not regret the effort
when you see the results.
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