To gain the victory we must not only put on the armor of God, but we must also be heroes in the strife, and wage an aggressive warfare upon the lusts of the eye and flesh and pride of life and all the foes of righteousness and purity. Love—love for the Lord, for the Truth and for righteousness—must inspire us, or we shall never be victors. Love alone will keep us faithful even unto death, and make us meet for the inheritance of the saints. Where fervent love rules the heart, it implies that the heart is fully submitted to the Lord, and that means that nine tenths of the battle is already won. But, even then, as the Apostle says (Jude 1:21), we must keep ourselves in the love of God, in watchfulness and prayer and zeal; and grace will abound where love abounds.
The Christian life is compared to a race. To win the race, careful preparation, great exertion, undiminished perseverance, undeviating endeavor, and the closest possible adherence to regulations are required. He who neglects these will fail to win, while he who persists in these to the end will surely win. Our endeavor should be so to run as to win.
Psa. 19:5; Eccles. 9:11; Jer. 12:5; Phil. 3:14; Heb. 12:1; 1 Cor. 9:25-27; Gal. 2:2; 5:7; Phil. 2:16; 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:7, 8; Eph. 6:12; 1 Tim. 6:12; 1 Pet. 1:4; 5:4; Jas. 1:12; Rev. 3:11.
