Gives Power to Obey

[Daily Devotional]

Gives Power to Obey 

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Rom. 5: 19. 

One honored of all heaven came to this world to stand in human nature at
the head of humanity, testifying to the fallen angels and to the
inhabitants of the unfallen worlds that through the divine help which
has been provided, every one may walk in the path of obedience to God's
commands. . . . 

No one less holy than the Only Begotten of the Father, could have
offered a sacrifice that would be efficacious to cleanse all-- even the
most sinful and degraded-- who accept the Saviour as their atonement and
become obedient to Heaven's law. Nothing less could have reinstated man
in God's favor. 

Christ gave His life to make it possible for man to be restored to the
image of God. It is the power of His grace that draws men together in
obedience to the truth. 

God desires us to reach the standard of perfection made possible for us
by the gift of Christ. He calls upon us to make our choice on the right
side, to connect with heavenly agencies, to adopt principles that will
restore in us the divine image. In His written Word and in the great
book of nature He has revealed the principles of life. It is our work to
obtain a knowledge of these principles, and by obedience to cooperate
with Him in restoring health to the body as well as to the soul. 

Men need to learn that the blessings of obedience, in their fullness,
can be theirs only as they receive the grace of Christ. It is His grace
that gives men power to obey the laws of God. It is this that enables
him to break the bondage of evil habit. This is the only power that can
make him and keep him steadfast in the right path. 

To the heart that has become purified, all is changed. . . . The Spirit
of God produces a new life in the soul, bringing the thoughts and
desires into obedience to the will of Christ; and the inward man is
renewed in the image of God. Weak and erring men and women show to the
world that the redeeming power of grace can cause the faulty character
to develop into symmetry and abundant fruitfulness. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 102