February 19: AIDED BY GRACE

Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Therefore we make it our aim…[whether by life or by death]… to be well pleasing to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:5,9

There is great value to be gained in knowing history. Powerful glimpses into the great controversy between good and evil become center stage as they are dramatically played out. France became a battleground for all to see, both on the corporate level and the individual one, across all socio-economic classes, for there is no partiality with God (Romans 2:11). Never underestimate the power that God exerts through a single soul who steadily looks to Him. Love for Him brings a response of obedience to His leading. Your will to be pleasing to Him, readily aided by His grace, has a supernatural drawing power, that others may be drawn towards the kingdom which shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44).

The sister of Francis I, Princess Margaret, valued the truth of God above any earthly station or rank. Among other high-ranking individuals, there was a knight of noble birth, Louis de Berquin, whose devotion to study, courtliness, and polish of manners placed him under a spotlight. Like each of the aforementioned reformers, he had been steeped in Catholicism. But, having laid hold of the Scriptures, his studies amazed him. He found there, “not the doctrines of Rome, but the doctrines of Luther!” He was considered to be the most learned of the French nobility, generously endowed with courage, zeal, and influence. He was also a favorite of King Francis. Many regarded him as the one destined to reform France. But the papists declared him to be “worse than Luther” and sent him to the dungeon three times. And three times Francis I ordered his release.

To treat all people with kindness and courtesy is impossible without the grace that God imparts. Our good and kind treatment of others—all others—is an extension of God’s invitation directly to the heart of each person. My relationship with my Savior and King must remain ever before Him for constant refinement. This is the first priority in my life. The moment I look away is the very time that I am at risk of bringing harm to God’s cause. Paul spoke of this principle of continually bringing himself to full surrender in Christ, lest “I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Taking the name of Christ, as a bride takes the name of her husband, is a commitment above all others: to love Him supremely!

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7