Always now - Chambers, Oswald
2 Corinthians 6:110
behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
We . . . Intreat also that ye receive not the grace of god in vain (RV). The grace we had yesterday wont do for to-day. The grace of god the overflowing favour of god; we can always reckon it is there to draw on if we dont trust our own merits (see 2 cor- inthians 5:1821).
Conditions of saintliness in private trials
But in everything commending ourselves as ministers of god, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, . . . (2 Corinthians 6:4 RV )
Our private life is disciplined by the interference of people in our own matters; the people who do not mean to be a trial are a trial; that is where the test for patience comes. Have we failed the grace of god there? Are we saying, oh, well, i wont count this time? It is not feeling the grace of god, it is drawing on it now. Whatever is our particular condition we are sure to have one of these things Paul mentions afflictions, necessities, distresses. It is not praying to god and asking him to help us in these things, it is taking the grace of god now. Many of us make prayer the preparation for work, it is never that in the bible. Christianity is drawing on the overflowing favour of god in the second of trial.
Conditions of saintliness in public tribulations
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings. (2 Corinthians 6:5)
These verses are pauls spiritual diary, they describe the outward hardships which proved the hotbed for the graces of the spirit the working together of outward hardships and inward grace. Imprisonments, tumults, labours these are all things in the external life. In tumults watch a porridge pot boiling and you will know what tumult means; in that condition draw on the grace of god now. Dont say i will endure it till i can get away and pray; draw now, it is the most practical thing on earth. Whenever you are going through any tribulation that tears, dont pray about it, but draw on the grace of god now. The exercise of prayer is the work of drawing now. Conditions of saintliness in pure temperance in pureness, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the holy ghost, in love unfeigned. (2 Corinthians 6:6 rv) these are the inner characteristics of the temperate life pureness, knowledge, long-suffering, kindness, love unfeigned. There is no room for extravagant impulse there; you cannot be pure and impulsive, you can be innocent and impulsive, because that is the nature of a child. Purity is something that has been tried and found unspotted. We are always inclined to be intemperate about our religion, it is the last thing for which we learn to draw on the grace of god. In our praying we draw on our memories, on our past experiences, on our present desires. We only learn to draw on the grace of god by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering. How many of us have to learn that temperance is knowledge? We want to get short cuts to knowledge and because we cannot take them we rush off into intemperate work. Notice the disproportion between the modern disease called christian work and the one characteristic of the fruit of the spirit. The craze in every ones blood nowadays is a disease of intemperate work, external activities.
In long-sufferinglong-suffering is being drawn out until you can be drawn out no more, and not snapping. God puts his saints into places where they have to exhibit long-suffering. Let circumstances pull and dont give way to any intemperance whatever, but in all these things manifest a drawing on the grace of god that will make you a marvel to yourself and to others. In kindness be perfectly clear and emphatic with regard to your preaching of gods truth, but amazingly kind in your treatment of people. Some of us have a hard, metallic way of dealing with people which never has the stamp of the holy ghost on it. The word of god is sharper than any two- edged sword but when you deal with people, deal with them in kindness; remember yourself that you are where you are by the grace of god. Dont make gods word what it is not. In the holy ghost it is not the tones of a mans speech or the passion of a mans personality, it is the pleading power of the holy ghost coming through him. . . . As though god were intreating by us (RV ): this is the entreaty that is learned at calvary and made real in the worker by the holy ghost.
In love unfeigned. Love feigned is this: i love you very much, but . . . Love unfeigned never thinks or looks at things like that. If love has to give stern rebuke it never prefaces it with remarks like that; the one great thing that moves us is the love of god which has been shed abroad in our hearts, and that love is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
Proclaiming testimony
in the word of truth, in the power of god, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left. (2 Corinthians 6:7 rv )
in the word of truth draw on the grace of god for testimony. Not, oh, lord, i am going to give testimony, please help me: draw on the grace of god while you testify, proclaiming the truth in the presence of god. The first motive of testimony is not for the sake of other people but for our own sake; we realise that we have no one but god to stand by us. Always give your testimony in the presence of god, and ever remember gods honour is at stake. In the word of truth in our testimony; in the power of god working in us, and by the armour of in- the-rightness of our public and private life shielding us. You cannot draw on the grace of god for testi- mony if these three things are not there the word of god, the power of god, and the consciousness that you are walking in the integrity of that testimony in Private, if they are there, then there is an unfaltering certainty. Am i in the rightness all round? Testimony frequently stops short because the armour of righteousness is not on the right hand and on the left. Keep drawing on the grace of god, then there will be the power of the proclaimed testimony.
Personal temperament
by glory and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true. (2 Corinthians 6:8 rv )
Each of these contrasts puts our natural temperament out of it. Let circumstances bring you where they will, keep drawing on the grace of god. Our temperament is not our disposition, temperament is the tone our nature has taken from the ruling disposition. When we had the disposition of sin our temperament took its tone from that disposition; when god alters the disposition the temperament begins to take its tone from the disposition he puts in, and that dis- position is like Jesus Christs.
Perfect trustfulness as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed. (2 cor- inthians 6:9)
I know both how to be abased, and i know how to abound: every where and in all things i am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need (Philippians 4:12)drawing on the grace of god in every conceivable condition. One of the greatest proofs that we are drawing on the grace of god is that we can be humiliated without the slightest trace of anything but the grace of god in us. Draw on the grace of god now, not presently. The one word in the spiritual vocabulary is now. Poverty triumphant as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. (2 Corinthians 6:10) as we draw on the grace of god he increases voluntary poverty all along the line. Always give the best you have got every time; never think about who you are giving it to, let other people take it or leave it as they choose. Pour out the best you have, and always be poor. Never reserve anything, never be diplomatic and careful about the treasure god gives. Always now is the secret of the christian life.