"To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. ". . . but perfect love casts out fear . . ." once we are surrendered to God ( 1 John 4:18 )... Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time."
From Oswald Chambers
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/02/21/devotion.aspx?year=2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
My Heart's Cry
As I was thinking about living a life that prays without ceasing, Steven Curtis Chapman's song This Is My Heart's Cry came to my mind. (The audio is a little fuzzy.)
Listen: http://home.cogeco.ca/~jonesie2/05.htm
Listen: http://home.cogeco.ca/~jonesie2/05.htm
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Praying At All Times
When I read the Apostle Paul's instruction in I Thes. 5:17 to pray without ceasing, I have no doubt that he could do it. But me? Yes, me and you and every single child of God can pray without ceasing when we choose to place our Heavenly Father at the very center of all we do, say, think, see and experience.
He hears our every word, knows our deepest thoughts, sees when we give a kind smile, knows when our heart sings because of His glorious creation, knows our weaknesses and strengths, understands our hearts desires-after all He places them there. There is not one little part of His precious child that is hidden from His sight. The good, the bad and the ugly-He knows AND He loves and desires a RELATIONSHIP in spite of it all.
Spending time with the Lord in prayer builds that relationship. First off, we need set aside time to read the Word, pray, meditate and just "be" in His presence. There is no right amount of time or perfect place or method. Talk to your Abba, your Father. Just speak and He will hear. Need help getting started-read King David's Psalms to the Lord. Then let your own words flow. Simple, plain words. Nothing fancy needed. Think of the way you love it when your little ones come climb up in your lap and tell you about their day. How you comfort them when they scrape their knees. How you encourage them to try the failed task again. How you praise the way they cleaned up the toys. The same with our Father and us. He desires to spend time with us to meet our every need according to His plan and purpose.
Having a sweet, simple relationship with an Awesome Mighty God leads us into worship and prayer. It is the natural overflow from the love of God. I believe it is the cornerstone for a power filled, satisfying prayer life and ever growing relationship with the Lord.
Okay, now back to the praying without ceasing. As our relationship grows, the Lord becomes more and more a part of every part of our lives. We begin to recognize Him in everything! He has been there all along, but we know Him better now. And our prayer comes without even thinking about it. We ask for healing when we see a car accident. We say "thanks" for a sale on children's shoes. We stop to smell the roses along the sidewalk and remember their Creator. We are no longer keeping God in the Sunday morning box. He is ever present now. Our joy, our thoughts, our dreams, our everything is prayer!
" In him we live and move and have our being" Acts 17:28
What an incredible place to be! No striving. No rules. If we fall, we dust off and get back up. He is patient as we build up our strength in Him.
He hears our every word, knows our deepest thoughts, sees when we give a kind smile, knows when our heart sings because of His glorious creation, knows our weaknesses and strengths, understands our hearts desires-after all He places them there. There is not one little part of His precious child that is hidden from His sight. The good, the bad and the ugly-He knows AND He loves and desires a RELATIONSHIP in spite of it all.
Spending time with the Lord in prayer builds that relationship. First off, we need set aside time to read the Word, pray, meditate and just "be" in His presence. There is no right amount of time or perfect place or method. Talk to your Abba, your Father. Just speak and He will hear. Need help getting started-read King David's Psalms to the Lord. Then let your own words flow. Simple, plain words. Nothing fancy needed. Think of the way you love it when your little ones come climb up in your lap and tell you about their day. How you comfort them when they scrape their knees. How you encourage them to try the failed task again. How you praise the way they cleaned up the toys. The same with our Father and us. He desires to spend time with us to meet our every need according to His plan and purpose.
Having a sweet, simple relationship with an Awesome Mighty God leads us into worship and prayer. It is the natural overflow from the love of God. I believe it is the cornerstone for a power filled, satisfying prayer life and ever growing relationship with the Lord.
Okay, now back to the praying without ceasing. As our relationship grows, the Lord becomes more and more a part of every part of our lives. We begin to recognize Him in everything! He has been there all along, but we know Him better now. And our prayer comes without even thinking about it. We ask for healing when we see a car accident. We say "thanks" for a sale on children's shoes. We stop to smell the roses along the sidewalk and remember their Creator. We are no longer keeping God in the Sunday morning box. He is ever present now. Our joy, our thoughts, our dreams, our everything is prayer!
" In him we live and move and have our being" Acts 17:28
What an incredible place to be! No striving. No rules. If we fall, we dust off and get back up. He is patient as we build up our strength in Him.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
My Glory Will Sing His Praise
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
(You have done this so...)
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever~
Psalms 30:11,12
This morning as I read this familiar scripture, it suddenly jumped out to me that the Lord has given me dancing and gladness for a purpose: That my glory may sing His praise and not be silent. How have I managed to read the Psalms many times and miss that?
Lord, I will sing your praise and not be silent. I will be clothed with the gladness that comes from walking as a child of God. Amen. So Be It.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Great Love
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
I John 3:1
I John 3:1
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Holiness & Wonder
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord Almighty
...It is singing in my head when I wake up and throughout the day- even now at 2 am- for weeks the Holiness of God has been on my heart and at the front of my thoughts...the Lord and my "condition" in light of the Holy God who calls me His own.
I want to live in constant wonder of the Lord God Most High. How can one walk in the Life given through the Resurrection without a constant sense of awe?
When a child is caught up in the awesomeness of an enormous ancient oak tree with its leaves towering into the sky and its enormous trunk anchoring it to the earth- he walks around it- head back- face to the sky- unable to take his eyes off of the wonder of it all.
The child is caught in such amazement of what he beholds, that even when he trips on a limb fallen to the ground, he never loses his gaze even for an instant.
I want to be that child. Never taking my eyes of of you, Lord!
Is the Lord Almighty
...It is singing in my head when I wake up and throughout the day- even now at 2 am- for weeks the Holiness of God has been on my heart and at the front of my thoughts...the Lord and my "condition" in light of the Holy God who calls me His own.
I want to live in constant wonder of the Lord God Most High. How can one walk in the Life given through the Resurrection without a constant sense of awe?
When a child is caught up in the awesomeness of an enormous ancient oak tree with its leaves towering into the sky and its enormous trunk anchoring it to the earth- he walks around it- head back- face to the sky- unable to take his eyes off of the wonder of it all.
The child is caught in such amazement of what he beholds, that even when he trips on a limb fallen to the ground, he never loses his gaze even for an instant.
I want to be that child. Never taking my eyes of of you, Lord!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Eternal Life Is Now!
The first witnesses and participants in Jesus' resurrection obviously weren't in heaven. Their understanding of resurrection was something that happened once you were in heaven. Jesus was radically reconfigured and redefined by resurrection. And now they were being radically reconfigured and redefined by resurrection. Jesus was special, of course. But the disciples familiar concept of resurrection as life after death was now being totally recast as life "in the land of the living." Our eternal life begins the instant we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and surrender all to Him. Eternal life is now. Live like it!
Italic portions taken from Eugene Peterson's Living the Resurrection pgs 67, 68
Italic portions taken from Eugene Peterson's Living the Resurrection pgs 67, 68
Monday, March 17, 2008
As Unto the Lord
Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Colossians 3:17 The Message
It took me awhile to get this. As a matter of fact, I still work on it everyday. But one particular day this verse became very real, near and necessary for my survival as a mom of 4 young children.
With a newborn, 2 year old, 4 year old, and a 6 year old I was outnumbered. Everything seemed more than I could accomplish in day or even in several lifetimes. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. Then the straw that broke the camel's back....
The baby had a poopy diaper that had to be washed out in the toilet. (We used cloth diapers.) I will never forget that particular diaper change. God didn't want me to obviously. In my sleep deprived state I began the process of washing out the diaper. Then came the tears. I couldn't think of what to do or say to help myself. Bent over tending to the task at hand and crying this verse came to mind: Do everything as unto the Lord.
I continued washing the diaper and crying. Through the crying I began to confess that I would do everything as unto the Lord. It took several times saying it out loud to convince myself. At last, peace came. I stopped crying and wrung out the diaper.
It is a little funny now, 14 years later. But just a little.
The Lord uses whatever it takes to get me closer to Him. To depend on Him. That day it took a dirty diaper.
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Jesus, Lover of My Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hWENYf9G84
Colossians 3:17 The Message
It took me awhile to get this. As a matter of fact, I still work on it everyday. But one particular day this verse became very real, near and necessary for my survival as a mom of 4 young children.
With a newborn, 2 year old, 4 year old, and a 6 year old I was outnumbered. Everything seemed more than I could accomplish in day or even in several lifetimes. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. Then the straw that broke the camel's back....
The baby had a poopy diaper that had to be washed out in the toilet. (We used cloth diapers.) I will never forget that particular diaper change. God didn't want me to obviously. In my sleep deprived state I began the process of washing out the diaper. Then came the tears. I couldn't think of what to do or say to help myself. Bent over tending to the task at hand and crying this verse came to mind: Do everything as unto the Lord.
I continued washing the diaper and crying. Through the crying I began to confess that I would do everything as unto the Lord. It took several times saying it out loud to convince myself. At last, peace came. I stopped crying and wrung out the diaper.
It is a little funny now, 14 years later. But just a little.
The Lord uses whatever it takes to get me closer to Him. To depend on Him. That day it took a dirty diaper.
Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Jesus, Lover of My Soul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hWENYf9G84
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Seasons: Raising Children
Just thinking...do the hard seasons really last longer than the carefree, easy seasons or does it just feel that way when I am in the midst of one? If I had kept a calender or better a moment by moment count over the past 20 plus years and added the tally, I am positive that the sunshine total would far outweigh cloudy times.
Things I would put in the sunshine column:
*the seconds that a newborn baby smiled at me during a 4 am feeding when I was so exhausted I could barely see
*catching a toddler eat peanut with her hands out of the jar
*babies smiling in their sleep
*my boys heading down the driveway with their fishing gear
*going in at night to make sure all is well before going to bed myself and finding a big, dirty dog snuggled up on the pillow with my son
*watching from the window as my son kisses the horse and hugs her
*seeing my oldest coming off the plane from a six month mission program
*the sound of my son's voice over the phone announcing he shot his first deer
*all eight of us eating a meal together
*hearing my children pray
*listening to my son explaining a revelation he received while reading the Word
*the look on another son's face when he got his drivers licence--something we all thought might never happen. He has autism.
The list is endless! All of the little moments etched in my memory bring much joy, reassurance and peace during the struggles. I have often asked God to burn a memory in my mind, I don't want to forget or overlook the little things. The big moments are planned, photographed and video taped. The unplanned joys are God's blessings during times of exhaustion, heartache, etc. Like sprinkles on ice cream.
James 1:2 reminds me to count everything as joy! The trails, hard times, EVERYTHING!.
Make a decision. Before the trials come, or in the middle of one, whatever they may be, determine, in the Name of Jesus, to find a glimpse of joy and sunshine in the midst of the storm. A bird sitting on the fence, a snow flake, a child laughing. Look for the the hint of happy. It will be there.
He is faithful.
Things I would put in the sunshine column:
*the seconds that a newborn baby smiled at me during a 4 am feeding when I was so exhausted I could barely see
*catching a toddler eat peanut with her hands out of the jar
*babies smiling in their sleep
*my boys heading down the driveway with their fishing gear
*going in at night to make sure all is well before going to bed myself and finding a big, dirty dog snuggled up on the pillow with my son
*watching from the window as my son kisses the horse and hugs her
*seeing my oldest coming off the plane from a six month mission program
*the sound of my son's voice over the phone announcing he shot his first deer
*all eight of us eating a meal together
*hearing my children pray
*listening to my son explaining a revelation he received while reading the Word
*the look on another son's face when he got his drivers licence--something we all thought might never happen. He has autism.
The list is endless! All of the little moments etched in my memory bring much joy, reassurance and peace during the struggles. I have often asked God to burn a memory in my mind, I don't want to forget or overlook the little things. The big moments are planned, photographed and video taped. The unplanned joys are God's blessings during times of exhaustion, heartache, etc. Like sprinkles on ice cream.
James 1:2 reminds me to count everything as joy! The trails, hard times, EVERYTHING!.
Make a decision. Before the trials come, or in the middle of one, whatever they may be, determine, in the Name of Jesus, to find a glimpse of joy and sunshine in the midst of the storm. A bird sitting on the fence, a snow flake, a child laughing. Look for the the hint of happy. It will be there.
He is faithful.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Seasons of Life
This excerpt is from Sally Clarkson's Feb 9 Blog. I read her book Educating the Wholehearted Child when it was first published. I still value it even though the pages have been turned so many times they are falling out. She is such an encourager.
Every season of life is necessary and beneficial.
Spring–time for rejoicing and saying, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Learning to celebrate life and all the spring seasons takes a choice of the heart and a submission to the limitations of each season.
Summer is a time for cultivating and gardening of the souls and planting seeds and foundations. Summer is just for a season and once the season is over, there is no more time to cultivate or garden–The window of opportunity to train and instruct and inspire in eternal values and great thoughts suddenly closes–so how important it is to really take advantage of that season and know just what you want to sow and how you want to immulate the reality of God and His character during that planting season.
Fall, is when one season of life is closing (toddlerhood, elementary, preteens, teenage and college) Falls are a time of readjusting expectations, choosing to be flexible with the life God brings and choosing to accept the harvest for what it is, while planning to be faithful to plant well the next summer season. Learning to accept those ideals that were never grasped and planning for how to continue forging a godly heritage in new seasons.
Winter–the season when all appears to be dead and the times are dark and sometimes overwhelming. During this season, the soul is deepened like in no other season–as roots are pushing downward into God’s word and sap is restoring by learning to wait patiently for God’s answers–and straining towards Him. In winter, souls are made and godliness and faith is forged–no one becomes seasoned and mature in faith or compassionate or ministry oriented without winters–they reveal the true character of our souls and stretch our faith.
http://itakejoy.wordpress.com/
http://wholeheart.org/whmain.php
Every season of life is necessary and beneficial.
Spring–time for rejoicing and saying, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Learning to celebrate life and all the spring seasons takes a choice of the heart and a submission to the limitations of each season.
Summer is a time for cultivating and gardening of the souls and planting seeds and foundations. Summer is just for a season and once the season is over, there is no more time to cultivate or garden–The window of opportunity to train and instruct and inspire in eternal values and great thoughts suddenly closes–so how important it is to really take advantage of that season and know just what you want to sow and how you want to immulate the reality of God and His character during that planting season.
Fall, is when one season of life is closing (toddlerhood, elementary, preteens, teenage and college) Falls are a time of readjusting expectations, choosing to be flexible with the life God brings and choosing to accept the harvest for what it is, while planning to be faithful to plant well the next summer season. Learning to accept those ideals that were never grasped and planning for how to continue forging a godly heritage in new seasons.
Winter–the season when all appears to be dead and the times are dark and sometimes overwhelming. During this season, the soul is deepened like in no other season–as roots are pushing downward into God’s word and sap is restoring by learning to wait patiently for God’s answers–and straining towards Him. In winter, souls are made and godliness and faith is forged–no one becomes seasoned and mature in faith or compassionate or ministry oriented without winters–they reveal the true character of our souls and stretch our faith.
http://itakejoy.wordpress.com/
http://wholeheart.org/whmain.php
Friday, March 14, 2008
Caterpillar Thoughts
Reading the Wisdom of the Caterpillar brought these scriptures to mind:
Ecclesiastes 3
1.To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born , and a time to die ; a time to plant , and a time to pluck up that which is planted ;
3. A time to kill , and a time to heal ; a time to break down , and a time to build up ;
4. A time to weep , and a time to laugh ; a time to mourn , and a time to dance ;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together ; a time to embrace , and a time to refrain from embracing ;
6. A time to get , and a time to lose ; a time to keep , and a time to cast away ;
7. A time to rend , and a time to sew ; a time to keep silence , and a time to speak ;
8. A time to love , and a time to hate ; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Philipians 3
11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
(Funny, all three references are chapter 3. Biblically the number three has do do with completion .)
Ecclesiastes 3
1.To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born , and a time to die ; a time to plant , and a time to pluck up that which is planted ;
3. A time to kill , and a time to heal ; a time to break down , and a time to build up ;
4. A time to weep , and a time to laugh ; a time to mourn , and a time to dance ;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together ; a time to embrace , and a time to refrain from embracing ;
6. A time to get , and a time to lose ; a time to keep , and a time to cast away ;
7. A time to rend , and a time to sew ; a time to keep silence , and a time to speak ;
8. A time to love , and a time to hate ; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Philipians 3
11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
(Funny, all three references are chapter 3. Biblically the number three has do do with completion .)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Wisdom of the Caterpillar
We do not change by trying to be what we are not, but by being fully what we are. This is the secret. We do not change by looking at the future, but by living the present. When I am fully and generously all that I can and want to be in the present moment, I begin to feel inwardly ready to pass on the to the next moment; when I am all I can be now, I spontaneously and obviously begin to be what I am to be next. The fullness of the present leads up by itself in to the newness of the future. Today flowers into tomorrow when it is fully today, not when it pretends to already tomorrow in impatient anticipation and undue haste. Thus change takes place precisely by not worrying about it, by not trying to forcibly to bring it about, by not imposing it, by not seeking it. Let me be fully what I am today, and I shall wake up in a new world tomorrow.
An example: We know that a caterpillar turns into a chrysalis, and a chrysalis into a butterfly, which is a nature lesson of wonderful change. Now, the caterpillar does not turn into a butterfly by trying to be a butterfly, by planning, scheming, endeavoring, or in any way contriving to be changed into a butterfly with colored wings and flying antennae. If it were to do that (as man would surely do if he were in its place) it would only ruin its chances and spoil its future. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly by being a good, honest, healthy, reliable caterpillar; that is, by being fully and genuinely what it is now, not by trying to be what it is not. The better that caterpillar, the better the butterfly. The stronger the present, the brighter the future. The way for me to learn to fly one day is to walk firmly with my feet on the ground today. Nothing is achieved by dreaming and longing and craving and crying. Only by being fully what am I am today can I get ready to be fully tomorrow what I can be tomorrow. My present stage fully lived is the best preparation for the next one. That is the wisdom of the caterpillar, and why it moves around contentedly at its leisurely pace. It trusts nature and it befriends time. It enjoys life crawling among the leaves and branches as one day it will enjoy life flying from flower to flower in the open sky. It is natures’ kingdom.
— Carlos G Valles
Fr Carlos is a Jesuit priest who has worked in India for nearly forty years.]
An example: We know that a caterpillar turns into a chrysalis, and a chrysalis into a butterfly, which is a nature lesson of wonderful change. Now, the caterpillar does not turn into a butterfly by trying to be a butterfly, by planning, scheming, endeavoring, or in any way contriving to be changed into a butterfly with colored wings and flying antennae. If it were to do that (as man would surely do if he were in its place) it would only ruin its chances and spoil its future. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly by being a good, honest, healthy, reliable caterpillar; that is, by being fully and genuinely what it is now, not by trying to be what it is not. The better that caterpillar, the better the butterfly. The stronger the present, the brighter the future. The way for me to learn to fly one day is to walk firmly with my feet on the ground today. Nothing is achieved by dreaming and longing and craving and crying. Only by being fully what am I am today can I get ready to be fully tomorrow what I can be tomorrow. My present stage fully lived is the best preparation for the next one. That is the wisdom of the caterpillar, and why it moves around contentedly at its leisurely pace. It trusts nature and it befriends time. It enjoys life crawling among the leaves and branches as one day it will enjoy life flying from flower to flower in the open sky. It is natures’ kingdom.
— Carlos G Valles
Fr Carlos is a Jesuit priest who has worked in India for nearly forty years.]
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Perfect Love
”Verily God is of infinite greatness more than we can think; ... unknowable by created things; and can never be comprehended by us as He is in Himself. But even here and now, whenever the heart begins to burn with a desire for God, she is made able to receive the uncreated light and, inspired and fulfilled by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, she tastes the joys of heaven. She transcends all visible things and is raised to the sweetness of eternal life....
Herein truly is perfect love; when all the intent of the mind, all the secret working of the heart, is lifted up into the love of God.”’
Richard Rolle
From Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
http://www.geocities.com/johncw7000/tozerknowledgeoftheholy.html
Herein truly is perfect love; when all the intent of the mind, all the secret working of the heart, is lifted up into the love of God.”’
Richard Rolle
From Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
http://www.geocities.com/johncw7000/tozerknowledgeoftheholy.html
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A Word from Oswald
From Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest
DESERTER OR DISCIPLE?
December 29
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." John 6:66
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ.
Do not look at someone else and say - Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you - a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord's teaching.
We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.
DESERTER OR DISCIPLE?
December 29
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." John 6:66
When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ.
Do not look at someone else and say - Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I? You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you - a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord's teaching.
We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ or for going back as a deserter.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Spiritual Giftings
A couple of months ago the thought came to me through the Holy Spirit that possibly it is not good for me to try and pin down my spiritual giftings. Maybe my idea of what God has specifically put me on this earth to do could keep me from doing other things he wants me to do that are outside of the specified giftings. I have heard many within the church say, "I cannot do this or that. It is not part of my calling and giftings." There have been occasions that I have questioned a direction the Lord seemed to be leading me because it did not line up with my ideas.
If I do as Jesus instructed in Matthew 22:37, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,'' and also whatever my hands find to do, do it with all my might (Ec 9:10) then there is no fear of missing my calling or my purpose.
When the Holy Spirit speaks a direction to me, there defintiely are things that I am more excited about doing than others or places I had rather go than others.
In absolute obedience I discover my giftings and callings.
" But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense." from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 4
Links to Oswald Chambers Devotionals
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php (updated version)
http://www.myutmost.org/ (original version)
If I do as Jesus instructed in Matthew 22:37, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,'' and also whatever my hands find to do, do it with all my might (Ec 9:10) then there is no fear of missing my calling or my purpose.
When the Holy Spirit speaks a direction to me, there defintiely are things that I am more excited about doing than others or places I had rather go than others.
In absolute obedience I discover my giftings and callings.
" But once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God asks of you will always be there to prod you on to do His will. You will no longer be able to work for Him on the basis of common sense." from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 4
Links to Oswald Chambers Devotionals
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php (updated version)
http://www.myutmost.org/ (original version)
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