The Lord is good, a strong-
hold in the day of TROUBLE;
and He knoweth them that
TRUST IN HIM. Nahum 1:7
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
To see this blessing in our duty
we must bow in absolute
helplessness and dependence
on Him, turning away wholly
from self.
In Christ, this obedience was faith in entire dependence upon God's strength. "I can
of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30) "The Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth
the works" (John 14:10).
The Son's unreserved surrender to the Father's will was met by the Father's unceasing
and unreserved bestowal of His POWER working in Him. AMEN
It will be even so with us. If we learn that giving up our wills
to God is always the measure of His giving His POWER to us,
we will see that a surrender to full obedience is nothing but a
full faith that God will work all in us.
God's promises fo the New Covenant all rest
on this scripture: "And the Lord thy God will
circumcise thine heart...
to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart...
And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 30:6,8-9). "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you
shall keep my judgments
and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27)
Let us, like the Son, believe
that God works everything out for the good of those who love and obey Him Amen
we must bow in absolute
helplessness and dependence
on Him, turning away wholly
from self.
In Christ, this obedience was faith in entire dependence upon God's strength. "I can
of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30) "The Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth
the works" (John 14:10).
The Son's unreserved surrender to the Father's will was met by the Father's unceasing
and unreserved bestowal of His POWER working in Him. AMEN
It will be even so with us. If we learn that giving up our wills
to God is always the measure of His giving His POWER to us,
we will see that a surrender to full obedience is nothing but a
full faith that God will work all in us.
God's promises fo the New Covenant all rest
on this scripture: "And the Lord thy God will
circumcise thine heart...
to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart...
And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 30:6,8-9). "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you
shall keep my judgments
and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27)
Let us, like the Son, believe
that God works everything out for the good of those who love and obey Him Amen
The Master Of our Entire Lives
If only fellow believers could understand that in nothing less than
absolute obedience in everything will bring joy and peace with a lasting
confidence and hope in Father as in the Son along with the Presence of
The Spirit of Hope Amen
As long as there is a doubt about universal obedience, and with that
lurking sense of the possibility of failure, we lose the confidence that
secures the victory. But when we recognize that God is asking for
full obedience, we must then decide to work
at it and offer Him nothing less.
If we give ourselves
up to the working
of the Divine Power, the Holy Spirit can Master our Entire Lives.
In Christ, this obedience sprang from
the deepest humility. "Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ...
Who made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant
and humbled himself, and became obedient unto death" (Philippians 2:5-8)
It is the man who is willing to entirely
empty himself, to be and to live as a servant
of obedience, to be humbled before God and
man, to whom the obedience of Jesus The Christ
will unfold its heavenly beauty and power. He may
have a strong will that secretly trusts in self, that strives
for obedience and fails. Only as we approach God in humility, meekness, patience,
and entire resignation to His will does He reveal to us the blessings in obedience.
absolute obedience in everything will bring joy and peace with a lasting
confidence and hope in Father as in the Son along with the Presence of
The Spirit of Hope Amen
As long as there is a doubt about universal obedience, and with that
lurking sense of the possibility of failure, we lose the confidence that
secures the victory. But when we recognize that God is asking for
full obedience, we must then decide to work
at it and offer Him nothing less.
If we give ourselves
up to the working
of the Divine Power, the Holy Spirit can Master our Entire Lives.
In Christ, this obedience sprang from
the deepest humility. "Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ...
Who made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant
and humbled himself, and became obedient unto death" (Philippians 2:5-8)
It is the man who is willing to entirely
empty himself, to be and to live as a servant
of obedience, to be humbled before God and
man, to whom the obedience of Jesus The Christ
will unfold its heavenly beauty and power. He may
have a strong will that secretly trusts in self, that strives
for obedience and fails. Only as we approach God in humility, meekness, patience,
and entire resignation to His will does He reveal to us the blessings in obedience.
Waiting And Watching
As obedience becomes the fervor
of our lives, God's spirit will open
our ears to wait for His teaching.
We will be content with nothing
less than DIVINE guidance into
God's perfect will for us.
In Christ, this obedience was unto death.
When He spoke, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of Him that sent me" (John 6:38), He was ready to go to
all lengths in denying His own will and doing the Father's will. He may have said
to Himself, 'In nothing, my will; at all costs, God's will.'
This is the obedience to which He invites
us and for which He enpowers us. This whole-
hearted surrender to obedience in everything
is the only true obedience. It is the only power
that will survive to carry us through life.
As obedience becomes the fervor
of our lives, God's spirit will open
our ears to wait for His teaching.
We will be content with nothing
less than DIVINE guidance into
God's perfect will for us.
In Christ, this obedience was unto death.
When He spoke, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of Him that sent me" (John 6:38), He was ready to go to
all lengths in denying His own will and doing the Father's will. He may have said
to Himself, 'In nothing, my will; at all costs, God's will.'
This is the obedience to which He invites
us and for which He enpowers us. This whole-
hearted surrender to obedience in everything
is the only true obedience. It is the only power
that will survive to carry us through life.
The Blessings Of Obedience
I delight to do Thy will, O my God Psalm 40:8
For Christ, obedience was a joy.
Our food is refreshment and invigoration. The healthy man eats his bread
with pleasure. But food is more than enjoyment; it is a necessity of life. Likewise, doing the will of God was the food that Christ hungered after; without this, He could not live. Obedience was the one thing that satisfied His hunger, the one thing that refreshed Him, strengthened Him, and made Him happy.
This was David's idea when he spoke of God's Word being "sweeter... than honey
and the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10)
As this is understood and accepted, obedience will become more natural and necessary
for us. It will become more refreshing than our daily food.
For Christ, this obedience led to His waiting for God to reveal His will. God did not reveal His will to Christ at once, but day by day, week after week, according to the circumstances of that hour of that day. In His life of obedience, there was growth and progress; the most difficult lesson was the last. Each act of obedience equipped Him for the new discovery of the Father's next command.
He spoke, "Mine ears has thou opened...I delight to do Thy will, O my God" (Psalm 40:6,8).
I delight to do Thy will, O my God Psalm 40:8
For Christ, obedience was a joy.
Our food is refreshment and invigoration. The healthy man eats his bread
with pleasure. But food is more than enjoyment; it is a necessity of life. Likewise, doing the will of God was the food that Christ hungered after; without this, He could not live. Obedience was the one thing that satisfied His hunger, the one thing that refreshed Him, strengthened Him, and made Him happy.
This was David's idea when he spoke of God's Word being "sweeter... than honey
and the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10)
As this is understood and accepted, obedience will become more natural and necessary
for us. It will become more refreshing than our daily food.
For Christ, this obedience led to His waiting for God to reveal His will. God did not reveal His will to Christ at once, but day by day, week after week, according to the circumstances of that hour of that day. In His life of obedience, there was growth and progress; the most difficult lesson was the last. Each act of obedience equipped Him for the new discovery of the Father's next command.
He spoke, "Mine ears has thou opened...I delight to do Thy will, O my God" (Psalm 40:6,8).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
No living Habits
The Habit of Having No Habits
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . —2 Peter 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, "I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God." No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.
If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful . . . —2 Peter 1:8
When we first begin to form a habit, we are fully aware of it. There are times when we are aware of becoming virtuous and godly, but this awareness should only be a stage we quickly pass through as we grow spiritually. If we stop at this stage, we will develop a sense of spiritual pride. The right thing to do with godly habits is to immerse them in the life of the Lord until they become such a spontaneous expression of our lives that we are no longer aware of them. Our spiritual life continually causes us to focus our attention inwardly for the determined purpose of self-examination, because each of us has some qualities we have not yet added to our lives.
Your god may be your little Christian habit— the habit of prayer or Bible reading at certain times of your day. Watch how your Father will upset your schedule if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes. We say, "I can’t do that right now; this is my time alone with God." No, this is your time alone with your habit. There is a quality that is still lacking in you. Identify your shortcoming and then look for opportunities to work into your life that missing quality.
Love means that there are no visible habits— that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it. If you are consciously aware of your own holiness, you place limitations on yourself from doing certain things— things God is not restricting you from at all. This means there is a missing quality that needs to be added to your life. The only supernatural life is the life the Lord Jesus lived, and He was at home with God anywhere. Is there someplace where you are not at home with God? Then allow God to work through whatever that particular circumstance may be until you increase in Him, adding His qualities. Your life will then become the simple life of a child.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I Corinthians 3:10-15
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (New International Version)
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Counting the Cost
The conditions of discipleship given to us by our Lord in verses 26, 27, and 33 mean that the men and women He is going to use in His mighty building enterprises are those in whom He has done everything. "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple " (Luke 14:26 ). This verse teaches us that the only men and women our Lord will use in His building enterprises are those who love Him personally, passionately, and with great devotion— those who have a love for Him that goes far beyond any of the closest relationships on earth. The conditions are strict, but they are glorious.
All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work
All that we build is going to be inspected by God. When God inspects us with His searching and refining fire, will He detect that we have built enterprises of our own on the foundation of Jesus? (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ). We are living in a time of tremendous enterprises, a time when we are trying to work for God, and that is where the trap is. Profoundly speaking, we can never work for God. Jesus, as the Master Builder, takes us over so that He may direct and control us completely for His enterprises and His building plans; and no one has any right to demand where he will be put to work
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