Bible Promises regarding what Jesus is doing!
John 17:17 "Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth."
Titus 2:14 "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
Eph 5:25-27. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."
1 Thess 5:23,24 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it."
A. B. Simpson
"I am crucified with Jesus,
And He lives and dwells in me;
I have ceased from all my struggling,
'Tis no longer I, but He;
All my will is yielded to Him,
And His Spirit reigns within,
And His precious blood each moment,
Keeps me cleansed and free from sin.
All my cares I cast upon Him,
And He bears them all away;
All my fears and griefs I tell Him,
All my needs from day to day.
All my strength I draw from Jesus,
By His breath I live and move;
E'en His very mind He gives me,
And His faith, and life, and love.
For my words I take his wisdom,
For my works His Spirit's power,
For my ways His gracious presence,
Guards and guides me ev'ry hour.
Of my heart He is the portion,
Of my joy the ceaseless spring;
Saviour, sanctifier, keeper,
Glorious Lord and coming King."
Quoted by Mead MacGuire, The Life of Victory, pp. 152,153.
MacGuire, Mead
"Let us be sure that we understand clearly how this abiding experience is secured and maintained. Many have striven earnestly to obtain it, but without success, for we have already read that it is the work of God. We must cease striving to abide, and believe that God has 'stabished' us 'in Christ,' and will, with our consent and co-operation, maintain the relationship. This co-operation means the exercise of faith.
'Do you ask, 'How am I to abide in Christ?' In the same way as you received Him at first.... You gave yourself to God, to be His wholly, to serve and obey Him, and you took Christ as your Saviour. You could not yourself atone for your sins or change your heart; but having given yourself to God, you believed that He for Christ's sake did all this for you. By faith you became Christ's, and by faith you are to grow up in Him-by giving and taking. You are to give all,-your heart, your will, your service,-give yourself to Him to obey all His requirements; and you must take all,-Christ, the fulness of all blessing, to abide in your heart, to be your strength, your righteousness, your everlasting helper,-to give you power to obey."—Steps to Christ, pp. 69,70
Thousands of people have surrendered all to the Lord as fully as they knew how, and yet in perplexity because of the consciousness of some great deficiency, they cry, like the young man who came to Christ, 'What lack I yet?' Here the difficulty is clearly pointed out. Abiding in Christ is the result of 'giving and taking.' They may have given all with honest and sincere hearts, but they have not taken all. There must be a constant appropriation of Christ by faith.
We need not say, 'Lord, give Thyself to me,' for He has already done that. But we should say, 'Blessed Saviour, since Thou has given Thyself to me, and invited me to receive Thee into my heart, I now open wide the door, and welcome Thee in. I thank Thee that Thou hast come in, and Thy presence is a reality this moment.' The promise is realized as soon as we meet the conditions and claim its fulfillment.
Thus by the exercise of simple faith His indwelling is a reality in us, and in the same manner we enter into and abide in Him. He knows well how helpless we are to place ourselves in Him, or to keep ourselves abiding; but He says that 'we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ,' and He bids us to abide in Him.
Even after we have entered 'the secret place of the Most Hihg,' how often we worry and fear lest we shall forget and cease to 'abide under the shadow of the Almighty.' Ps 91:1. All this hinders our progress, for we are assuming responsibility for something which only our Lord can do. He requires only what we can do, and then He promises His people, under the beautiful figure of the vineyard, 'I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment:...I will keep it night and day.' Isa 27:3. So long as we do not neglect the simple conditions of co-operation, God will do all for and in us that is required.
'Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, 'Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.' This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.' (Steps to Christ, p. 70) MacGuire, Mead, from "Abiding In Christ," The Life of Victory, pp. 154-157