LATENT POWER
BY C.A.J.
God hath spoken once; twice
have I heard this: that power belongeth unto God. –Psa. lxii:11.
Have we not
heard, as did the Psalmist, that “power belongeth unto God”?
Have we not
heard that by His power He “created the heaven and earth, and all that therein
are”?
Yes, God has
given us the power to hear these things, and we know from the voice of Divine
revelation that “God created man in His own image,” that the breath of life
was breathed into his nostrils, and “man
became a living soul.”
And God, Who has
power over all things, gave to man power over many things; and so today man has
power that he can use either for good or harm. Many a person looks back over
years that have flown, and regrets that the use he has made of the power that
was given him. Some are ready to say that life has been a failure, and with
gloomy indifference look forward to the time when the end shall be.
We have heard of
glorious things which shall happen at the end, and we have also heard of
fearful things. And still the years are flying by, the end is drawing nearer,
and the end is –Judgment. And “what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God?” God is a righteous Judge, and at the end we shall all stand in
His presence.
For what will he
judge us?
“Power belongeth
unto God,” and unto God belong all our powers. Unto Him belong our powers of
thought, our powers of reason, our power to judge, our power to will. These are
“talents” given unto us, and according to the use we make of them God will
judge us.
The power to
will is a faculty of the mind or soul, and if we yield our wills to God He will
conform them to His own blessed will, working in us “both to will and to do of
His good pleasure.”-(Phil. ii:13.)
But perhaps some
will say, “It is too late. My life has been a series of failures and there is
no hope for me now.”
Yes, there is
hope for you; there is hope for all. Not a tiny, weak, struggling ray of light,
but a wonderful overwhelming hope; not born today, to die tomorrow, but a gift
from above meant to exist forever.
“Hope is the anchor
of the soul,” and “we are saved by hope.”
O, my friends,
where are our powers of hope? Where are our powers of faith? Are they lying
latent in our hearts, or are they by the power of God’s Holy Spirit springing
into renewed life and bearing increase ready for the end?
It is not yet ‘too
late.” The Master is still calling, “Go work today in my vineyard,” and today
is the time to go. Let us consider then with care and prayer all our latent
powers, and use them in the service of our King, that at His second coming it
may be said unto each one of us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” –(st. Matthew xxv:21.)
