A proper sense of the fitness of a matter with knowledge on our part of possibility to correct or help, brings us to the fourth step: “I will' or “I will not.” All these other steps have been necessary to bring us to finality in the matter which is in our power to decide. One may successfully step through the other three stages and be able to boldly make positive statement, but utterly fail at the fourth. Moral grace and courage are needed to hold one in the place where he really lives-the will.
May I help you here? In the study of personality we must consider three fundamental elements which characterize it. They do not define it; they are elements: the intellect, the emotions and the will. Often great stress and emphasis are laid upon the power of our intellect, and in many cases it is mistaken for the real or essential point in man’s entire scheme. The intellect is like a hand that reaches out and gathers material and places it before us-facts, truths, data and events upon which one is to pass choice. The mind is the means for its gathering and displaying. This chapter does not permit me to move over this interesting field. Here we find the creative, constructive, elevating and liberating uses of the intellectual life. Also the degrading, destructive, and ruinous power. In some, the intellect is limited; in others it amounts to genius. But one’s character is not formed on the basis of this power. God does not condemn nor compliment man in the natural for the limitation or fine capacity of intellect. Do not condemn yourself if limited, or develop a superiority complex because you found an extra quality in your measure of gray matter. Just accept it as it is and work from that point, using it as a means only. It has its place, God recognizes it and ample provision is made for its purposes. But God does not judge a man in the matter of moral or spiritual quality by how much or how little he knows.
Also we must consider the emotional life as part of our human nature. Some are limited and stoical and almost barren of emotional power. Others have a range that is extreme and amazing in expression. It is the field upon which Cod and man work whenever the intellectual powers have functioned to lay before one the data for choice. Here a stimulant is often used to arouse the soul to a keen consciousness of privilege or duty. It is the place of atmosphere. In the natural life, one familiar with the laws of psychology knows the realm as a seat of vital importance for developing consequences. Jesus made continual use of the emotional life. He knew its legitimate and proper use and did not abuse it but acknowledged it. And He has ever sought to redeem it from the subtle snares of the flesh. In dealing with souls, He did not make direct or dogmatic attack upon the intellect as an avenue. He used that, but His primary appeal was to the emotional life. He was always correcting man, freeing and cleansing him in this department. He gave gracious and abundant supply of correct and heavenly portions for the deep hunger innate in man for adequate emotional expression. Did you ever notice in His teaching He does not waste time to argue? He does not dictate or prove points in the usual style of human methods. He takes for granted that people are intelligent on the basic matters. He does not try to prove there is a Cod. He takes it for granted they are intelligent enough to know and believe that already. He uses such terms as Cod, devil, heaven, hell, life, death and all human, natural concepts, and does not define, analyze or prove any of them. He uses them all as first class working material for His message.
There were no racial class lines with Jesus. He spoke to all men as man. We have surface distinctions-money, education, social position, etc. but they were too much on the surface for Him. He deals with the fundaments of the human-the common understanding of life, the primary features of conscience and the basic emotions of the human heart. Here all men are alike. Not that all are in quality the same. It is the logical and safe place of approach. How wonderfully wise He is! There is a sane and scriptural place for the emotions in our spiritual life. But do not slip here and misjudge your quality and depth of spiritual life by the emotional reaction you may express. The emotional life can be one of the most deceptive elements in your Christian experience. That is why, as you grow in grace and move through cycles of spiritual evolution, you learn not to rely upon them or pay much attention to them. Your emotional life is not where God is judging you. He is looking beyond that, for He knows too well how fluctuating and deceptive emotions are.
It is in the will that we live. The vital, telling quality of the person is in his power of will—what he wills and how. The intellect gathers and displays the data, and appeal is made to the person and here the emotional life is touched. One may know, see clearly and be convinced in mind that a certain question or matter is the truth. He may give mental assent to it and thrill even at the thought. The emotions may be aroused and stimulated as he contemplates and weighs the matter, and he may sense the power of the truth and be deeply moved, and yet absolutely fail in his will to say “Yes” or “No.” Here the Holy Spirit brings conviction to play upon the heart and God makes appeal in all possible forms and terms He can. But it rests wholly with the person as to his decision. Here is where God looks when He desires to know what we are.
He does not mind how much we know about truth, the Christ and the revelation of life He brings, or how much we may philosophize about it, preach it, teach it, and admire it if it merely rests in our thought range. He waits for us to do something with the truth in the realm of choice-something He cannot do for us. It is what we are choosing about the matter that counts. It does not matter how much we may know about truth or feel about it-we must choose to let it work in life and build us into men and women He desires. Thus you can see the will is at once the most valuable and most dangerous thing we have.
Knowing this and its strange power, God is continually seeking the surrender of our wills to His wisdom and power. In this surrender the will is not lost or destroyed, nor is personality made less. It is strengthened. The will thus surrendered to God becomes safe, and as the will of God is continually chosen· in place of our own, one is conscious of fuller spiritual revelation, power and life.
The motto in the life of Jesus was to do the will of God, His Father. (Psa. 40:7, 8) It was meat and drink to Him even unto the end. The highest prayer he prayed, most costly and far-reaching, was, “Thy will be done.” “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.” In dealing with hearts and lives and especially young people who are waking to the subtle power of the will, I find them in trouble, doubt, unrest and fear. Sometimes the dissatisfaction and unrest is due to a simple fact: they have never absolutely surrendered to the supreme good—God’s will. Desiring their own wills here and there, and in this matter or that, (not necessarily evil), but in things less than the best, they find an inner division and conflict. This warfare is cruel and costly, and consumes the energy and attention of the soul until the person is not a positive factor for good, but a painful, restless and distracted, divided heart.
When the heart refuses to surrender to the will of God in moral matters, automatically it fills with shadows and darkness. Too many times I find the difficulty is not a lack of knowledge or even conviction. But it is a matter wholly within the power of the person-it is an un-surrendered will.
Self-will is the root sin of the world. From this central taproot of sin spring all the multitudinous ramifications of sin in every known form. But self-will is at the root. Why not then get at the root of the matter and get some first and necessary issues settled? Are you still self-willed? Or have you surrendered your will absolutely (in all matters) to God? Do not dodge now and in a weak, self-defending way say, “I do not know the will of God or understand the things He might ask.” Where you do not know the full will of God, you can safely trust Him and He is faithful to let you know His will. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself' (John 7:17).
Are you willing to be made willing? With many young people who with the light of morning shining upon their faces are contemplating the glorious possibilities of a career and life, there is a haunting fear when they face the will of God lest He will spoil life for them. Of course this is due to a lack of knowledge and love for Him. They do not understand His desire. It is the enemy who comes to spoil a life. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). One cannot possibly lose in a full surrender to the will of God. One will, of course, suffer the loss ( in the natural) of any or all features, good or doubtful, if they interfere with the best in God’s plan for him. Here is where the difficulty rests sometimes. In surrendering to God’s will for a deeper and fuller fellowship in spiritual understanding, it is not always a question of morals or sin, but the surrender of what to the natural heart seems good, commendable and lawful. It is often the good or better in life which becomes the deadly enemy to the BEST. Learn to see through and past the present and your natural conceptions to the ultimate or end which Christ holds for your life. Make choice not only in the presence of the “here and now” but in the light of God’s best for ages ahead.
This question was wonderfully illustrated in the dealings I had with a fine Christian minister who was seeking light and truth. He was a preacher with splendid cultural background and educational qualities, Rev.-B.A., M.A., B.D., Ph.D. What I enjoyed in my fellowship with him was the fact that he had successfully passed through the fine schooling without being ensnared and spoiled. He passed successfully the usual eclipse of reason, doubt and perplexity generally encountered in educational life. He came out with his faith not blurred, but shining and clear. Being sincerely hungry and honest he was free to open his heart to me. He had discovered that in his fields of research in science, philosophy, psychology, theology and kindred studies he had not found full satisfaction he craved. He knew my life, teaching, and general philosophy of a Christian life. He honored me by listening to me speak. He warmed to the truth as time and time again the Holy Spirit made clear the teaching of Christ concerning an adequate philosophy of life as found in His Word. He had followed my vision of truth for years.
Finally he had a long heart-to-heart talk with me. It did not take long after going over his apparent difficulties, inner divisions and restlessness to find the whole difficulty was simple. It was merely a matter of a price to pay. He was free to own his mental convictions and conversion to the truth. He knew the truth and acknowledged that-that was very clear. He owned the emotional appeal the Holy Spirit made by the hunger and deep desire. But-Oh the word “but,” so wrecking at times! If he were to actually surrender to the whole will of God and embrace truth as he knew it to be, it would involve a complete revolution in his life. This he feared and dreaded. His faith could not carry him beyond the consciousness of the immediate local present life. Should he yield fully to God’s will his ministry would be changed: that is, his message would have a deeper and fuller spiritual tone and also demands. His fellowship in the church would be changed. He would not be able to climb up to certain social positions he desired. None of these things were in themselves bad, but they were tragic hindrances.
The story of Jesus and the rich young man is enacted every day. Finally he said, “You are right. You have the truth. It is wonderful and beautiful. I wish I too held it as you. But I can’t pay the price.” Those tragic words still ring in my ears. Here was a soul making a decision which carried consequences into ages to come. He was making a choice. The power of his spiritual life did not depend upon how much he knew (he is a gifted Christian minister) but in his will he took a step which will make an eternal difference in his destiny. He did not lose his soul. It was not a matter of salvation. He chose to live on a lower level of Christian life than God offered him. Of course he will continue to serve and go to heaven but he has lost the best in this life and in the life to come because he refused God’s best for something less. He did not bring his will completely gathered up to a supreme surrender to God’s will.
Do not deceive yourself. You, too, are facing some decision. We continually do. Life is a series of choices. The whole Christian experience is a series of crises in which we learn to make n proper spiritual choice. The decision opens up vistas of spiritual possibilities to be explored, attained and incorporated into life. Learn to make a good choice; do not fear the consequences. If made for God and His will you cannot lose.
How strange and yet how true it is that we are what we choose to be. Desire governs. Look out for the desires and those to which you surrender your choice. We become what we desire and choose. It is a fixed law so do not quarrel with it or pray God to change it. As you sit now reading this message and as I sit at my desk writing it we are now the sum total (quantum) of all the many choices we have made. Mine are all registered in my life. They are reflected in the trinity of my personality and being. So are yours.
When I have made a good choice (God’s will) there is marked upon me a certain quality of strength. I take on spiritual life and power in that act. When I have chosen for self (either in wrong doing or in a decision to feed the self-life in less disagreeable forms) I have just so far lost out. The image is blurred and marred and defaced. By the will one surrenders to life or by the will to defeat.
“Motives issue in conduct, conduct issues in character, and character into destiny.”
Your choices are reflected upon your immortal spirit where there is being etched an image. Is it the image of the Christ or the image of a defeated, deformed sell? The will is where we live. Surrender it to God and live in Him. How aptly Tennyson has said the truth:
Our wills are ours, we know not how;
Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.
Motives issue in conduct, conduct issues in character, and character into destiny.