By John A. Huffman Jr.
Unless the battery is replaced, the clock is useless. The battery does not have a continuing resource in and of itself. It can go on its own power for a while but not forever.
Another kind of clock is electric. It has no power in and of itself. It has to be plugged into an electrical outlet. As long as that clock is plugged into the flow of current, there is an endless supply of energy. Nothing needs to be replaced. Nothing will wind down. There just needs to be a dependable external supply of energy.
God doesn't store you and me up forever with a life-long supply of His Holy Spirit induced power, either the day on which the Holy Spirit comes into our lives or that day when we fully surrender ourselves to the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
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You and I need to look to Jesus Christ in faith on a daily basis. He calls you and me, saying, "Abide in me and I in you!" Plug in today! Stay plugged in! Don't think your previous experience with the Holy Spirit is an automatic permanent battery pack.
Second is the principle of love.
When you are abiding in Jesus Christ through faith, you have a much greater capacity for love. Jesus said, "'I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another'" (John 13:34).
This is where the church of Jesus Christ so often falls so short. I preach not only to you. I sense my own inadequacy at this point. James H. McConkey writes:
We are to make "Love One Another" the touchstone by which to test every thought, word, and deed of our daily lives, until all are brought into conformity to the law which was supreme in the life of Jesus Christ Himself. The rebuke you administered yesterday to a brother in Christ — was it done in love, or vexation? The counsel you gave — was it proffered in love, or pride of opinion? The meeting you led, the address you made — were they in love, to help others or to add to your own reputation? The money you gave — was it in love to the lost, or in pride and self-esteem? The remarks you make about others — are they in love? The thoughts you cherish in your secret heart concerning them — are they, too, full of love? Your giving, spending, ministering; your praying, and purposing: are they all in love? This is the supreme test of every detail of your life by which you may know whether it is 'God that worketh in you,' or Self . . .
It is equally evident to us that Christ cannot manifest Himself through any act that is selfish or un-Christlike. Every root of bitterness, every yielding to selfishness, every harsh judgment in our daily walk must and does, of necessity, break Christ's communion with us . . .
Wherefore if some grievous wrong, insult, or unkindness goad you from your attitude of love, justify it not, but hasten to confess, and find forgiveness from Him who prayed for those who murdered Him, as well as for those who loved Him.
