"I have come to believe that the mark of the truly sanctified heart is that it cares more about another's salvation than it does about its own well-being. It is not the words you say or the deeds you do that really matter. It is whether deep down in your spirit you have taken the way of the Cross and come to the place where you care about what Jesus cares about and are willing to give up everything so that people will be redeemed.
What do you do for your entertainment? How do you spend your free time? Is your constant concern the welfare of the world? If you get caught up in success, or if you get bogged down in defeat and forget to care about others, you have become sterile. You have walked away from the Spirit of Christ.
The key to every person lies in someone else. You are spiritually responsible for some other person or persons, and your obedience to the Lord Jesus will enable those people to obey. If you want your neighbor to come to know Christ, you have to start allowing Christ to work in your own life so that out of your clean heart He can draw your neighbor to himself. I do not believe that anyone's salvation starts in himself or herself. It began in the heart of the Father, and it should be continued in the hearts of those who love the Lord Jesus. The Father cared more about us than He did about himself, and so He gave us the best thing He had. The Son cared about us more than He did about himself, and so He died for our redemption. When we care more about the people around us than we do about ourselves, the Holy Spirit will be free to win the world for Christ."
This Day With the Master, Dennis F. Kinlaw, September 2, "Mark of the Sanctified Heart."
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