God loves His handicapped children. He will not cast them off. The Servant of the Lord (Christ—Head and Body) will work with each sincere individual until victory is brought forth.

A caution must be introduced at this point. Every human being is capable of doing more than he is aware. This fact has been demonstrated when people have been forced to carry on with their task in spite of starvation, extreme cold or heat, or sickness or physical pain. Mountain climbers, for example, enjoy seeing how far they can push themselves past what ordinarily would be the termination of endurance.

God's people in America are soft. They give in easily to fear, temptation, or laziness. They complain "I can't go on" when in actuality they are nowhere near the limits of their capabilities.

God sees this. He knows what they could do if they truly applied themselves. They are not doing their best and God knows it. They will not escape the punishment assigned to the lazy, careless servants.

God will quickly, cheerfully assist every sincere believer who cries out for help. But let not the careless, soft, American baby Christian (after twenty years of church attendance) imagine that God is a soft-hearted, indulgent parent who will overlook laziness, cowardice, a willingness to yield to the demands of the flesh.

God will help those who seek Him, but He is not at all sympathetic with surfeited American believers who are surrounded by every material and spiritual blessing. (It is not this way for many people of the world and may not continue to be so for us Americans!)

We must learn to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ if we expect to stand in the coming years.

Righteousness and obedience to God are absolutes. Every saved person must be brought to total righteousness and total obedience of behavior. No unrighteousness or disobedience will be permitted in the new heaven and earth reign of Jesus Christ.

Any act of unrighteousness or disobedience is badness, the opposite of goodness. Goodness always acts righteously, always obeys God.

Holiness, however, exists in degrees. Holiness has to do with closeness to God. One may think of God being the Center of a series of concentric circles. Each circle is at a different distance from God. The circles nearest to God are the most holy levels.

Holiness, closeness to God, comes from God's calling on the individual. Some are called to be very close to God; others not as close. The High Priest of Israel was required to practice many regulations of holiness not demanded of the members of the tribes.

God requires goodness of us. The goodness must spring from a pure heart that is dedicated to righteous behavior, holiness according to the calling of the individual, and absolute obedience to God. God's will and His Kingdom are synonymous. There is no disobedience to God's will in the Kingdom of God.

We are born with badness in our personality. How then do we gain goodness? How do we gain a nature that loves iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to the Father?

To be continued.