Thoughts for the Quiet Hour - September 29
The victory over the world is achieved by making it serve us in our pursuit of a deeper love for God and a clearer vision of His nature.
D.L. Moody emphasizes that true victory over the world is achieved through faith, which allows believers to transform worldly distractions into tools for drawing closer to God. He explains that the world can either hinder our relationship with God or serve as a means to elevate our spiritual journey. By bending the world to our purpose of seeking God, we can attain a clearer vision of His nature and a deeper love for Him. The ultimate victory is when the world becomes a ladder that lifts us toward God rather than an obstacle that obscures our view of Him.
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This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. --1 John 5:4
The world conquers me when it succeeds in hindering me from seeing, loving, holding communion with, and serving my Father, God. I conquer it when I lay my hand upon it and force it to help me to get nearer Him, to get more like Him, to think oftener of Him, to do His will more gladly and more constantly. The one victory over the world is to bend it to serve me in the highest things--the attainment of a clearer vision of the divine nature, the attainment of a deeper love to God Himself, and a more glad consecration and service to Him. That is the victory--when you can make the world a ladder to lift you to God. When the world comes between you and God as an obscuring screen, it has conquered you.
When the world comes between you and God as a transparent medium you have conquered it. To win victory is to get it beneath your feet and stand upon it, and reach up thereby to God. --Alexander McLaren
Sermon Outline
- I. The Victory Over the World
- A. Defined by Faith
- B. Attained by Conquering the World
- C. Resulting in a Deeper Love for God
- II. The World's Conquest
- A. Hindering Communion with God
- B. Preventing Service to God
- III. The Christian's Victory
- A. Bending the World to Serve God
- B. Attaining a Clearer Vision of God
- C. Reaching Up to God
Key Quotes
“The one victory over the world is to bend it to serve me in the highest things--the attainment of a clearer vision of the divine nature, the attainment of a deeper love to God Himself, and a more glad consecration and service to Him.” — D.L. Moody
“When the world comes between you and God as an obscuring screen, it has conquered you. When the world comes between you and God as a transparent medium you have conquered it.” — D.L. Moody
“To win victory is to get it beneath your feet and stand upon it, and reach up thereby to God.” — D.L. Moody
Application Points
- We must make a conscious effort to use the world as a means to get closer to God.
- Our love for God should be the driving force behind our actions and decisions.
- We must be willing to stand on our faith and reach up to God, even when the world tries to hinder us.