Scripture: "The God of all grace, Who called you unto His eternal glory in Christ, shall Himself perfect, stablish, strengthen you, after ye have suffered a little while."—1 PETER v. 10.
We know how the Epistle to the Hebrews gathers up all its teaching in that wonderful promise, "the God of peace perfect you in every good work." Peter does the same thing here: "The God of all grace perfect, stablish, strengthen you." God Himself is to be the one object of our trust, day by day; as we think of our work, of our needs, of our life and all our hearts' desire, God Himself must be the one object of our hope and trust.
Just as God is the centre of the universe, the one source of its strength, the one Guide that orders and controls its movements, so God must have the same place in the life of the believer. With every new day the first and chief thought ought to be—God, God alone, can fit me this day to live as He would have me.
And what is now to be our position towards this God? Do we not feel that the first thought of every day ought to be the humble placing of ourselves in His hands to confess our absolute helplessness, and to yield ourselves in childlike surrender to receive from Him the fulfilment of such promises as these: "The God of peace perfecting you in every good work": "the God of all grace perfecting, stablishing, strengthening you"?
Some of us have learned in the section on "The Secret of Adoration, how absolutely indispensable it is to meet God every morning and give Him time to reveal Himself and to take charge of our life for the day. Is not this just what we have to do with these wonderful words of Peter? Until it be an understood thing between God and ourselves: Blessed Father, in view of the life and work of this new day, my heart is resting on Thee; my hope is in Thy Word: "The God of peace perfect you in every good work": "the God of all grace perfect, stablish, strengthen you."
By Thy grace may this henceforth be the spirit in which I awake every morning to go out to my work, humbly trusting in the word: "God shall Himself perfect you. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me."
Ever blessed Father, be pleased, I beseech Thee, to open the eyes of Thy children to the vision that even as Thy Son was perfected for evermore, so Thou art waiting to work in each of us that work of perfecting Thy saints in which Thy glory will be seen.
