"Here, as in the preceding stage, we are facing something that will not be done for us, though in our effort we'll find gracious strength beyond ourselves. Oswald Chambers puts it so well. He states that if we've experienced regeneration, we must not only talk about it, but exercise it, working out what God has worked in. We must show it 'in our fingertips, in our tongue, and in our bodily contact with other people, and as we obey God we'll find we have a wealth of power on the inside.' In becomes a natural part of us, and practice is the key:
The question of forming habits on the basis of the grace of God is a very vital one. To ignore it is to fall into the snare of the Pharisee - the grace of God is praised, Jesus Christ is praised, the Redemption is praised, but the practical everyday life evades working it out. If we refuse to practice, it is not God's grace that fails when a crisis comes, but our own nature. When crisis comes, we ask God to help us, but He cannot if we have not made our nature our ally. The practicing is ours, not God's. God regenerates us and puts us in contact with all His divine resources, but He cannot make us walk according to His will."
- Dallas Willard
St. Paul's Psychology of Redemption
Book: The Spirit of The Disciplines - Understanding How God Changes Lives
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