Slapped Around By God

Have you ever felt like God has your number? Like He is paying attention to you and wants you to wake up to some awful thought or practice in your life? Boy, oh boy. This morning's message from the great Oswald Chambers and his classic My Utmost For His Highest hit me square between the eyes! So, let me share my personal correction from God with you:

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 He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.— 2 Peter 1:4

Through God’s promises, we participate in the divine nature. But if we want to express the divine nature in our human nature, we must form habits—and the very first habit we must form is the habit of recognizing God’s provision.

Do you often find yourself saying, “I can’t afford it”? One of the worst lies is tucked up in this statement. It’s considered bad taste to talk about money—how much you have or don’t have—and the same is true of spiritual riches. We talk as though our heavenly Father has cut us off without a cent. We think it’s a sign of modesty to say, “It was a real struggle, but I got by.” Meanwhile, all of God Almighty is ours through the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we obey God, he will tax the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us. What does it matter if our external circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be? If we indulge in the luxury of misery and give way to self-pity, we banish God’s riches from our lives. No sin is worse than self-pity, because it erases God and puts self-interest on the throne. It opens our mouths to spit out streams of complaint, and our lives become constantly craving spiritual sponges, with nothing lovely or generous about them.

When God is beginning to be satisfied with us, he will impoverish every source of phony wealth in our lives, until we learn that true wealth lies only in him. If we aren’t consciously aware of the fact that his majesty and grace and power are being manifested in us, God holds us responsible.

“God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Learn to lavish the blessings of God on others, and his blessings will come through you all the time.

New Year, New Beginnings

A fresh year! A chance to start again and reimagine our future! I just love the hope that a new year brings and the opportunity to refocus and begin again. Let yesterday's failures fall behind you. Join with me on the beginning to a new path, a new life, a different way of seeing yourself, others, and God. He is for you! His love is so deep that he sent Jesus to the earth to redeem us from our broken state and offer us eternal life if we follow Him. As good as that is in itself, our God also promises to be with us each step of the way giving us the strength we need to live out our lives in a way that honors Him and blesses us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

                                              Hebrews 12:1-2

We don't have to do this on our own! In fact, God goes before us. 

Let me encourage you further with some great words from Oswald Chambers on how God sees our past, our present, and our future. This is from the book My Utmost For His Highest, taken from the entry for December 31:

"You shall not go out with haste,

. . . for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" —Isaiah 52:12

Security from Yesterday. “. . . God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “. . . the Lord will go before you . . . .” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste . . . .” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

Are We Kidding Ourselves?

"Games people play! Night and day they just can't help it!" So sings the incredible 70's R&B/Pop group the Spinners. A great slice of Philly Soul that holds a lot of truth. Playing games is just something we do. More often than not, the biggest games we play are with ourselves. I know that describes me, and it probably describes you if you're honest. And honesty is part of the problem! It's hard to get real with ourselves. Check this out:

Jesus doesn’t say, “Make converts to your way of thinking.” He says, “Look after my sheep. Make sure they are nourished with knowledge of me.” We think that the work we do in Christian ministry counts as service; Jesus Christ says that service is what we are to him, not only what we do for him. Christianity is not devotion to a work or a cause or a doctrine; it is devotion to a person.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). Jesus doesn’t argue or compel. He simply says that if we wish to be his disciples, we must be devoted to him. When we are touched by the Spirit of God, we see suddenly who Jesus is, and this becomes the source of our devotion.

Today, we’ve substituted ideological belief for personal belief. This is why so many are devoted to causes and so few to him. People don’t want to be devoted to Jesus; they want to be devoted to the cause he started. Jesus Christ the person is deeply offensive to the educated mind of today, to those who don’t want to see him as anything other than a champion of their cause.

Our Lord’s obedience was to the will of the Father, not to the needs of humanity. The saving of humanity was the natural outcome of that obedience. If we are devoted only to humanity, our love will falter, and we will soon be exhausted. But if we love Jesus, personally and passionately, we will be able to serve humanity, even if people treat us like doormats.

The secret of the disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ; its hallmark is unobtrusiveness. It is like a kernel of wheat that falls to the ground and dies, then springs up, transforming the entire landscape (John 12:24).

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These words from Oswald Chamber's classic My Utmost for His Highest slapped me hard, so to speak. A very good reminder of the games we play.

 

AI and Apple- For Good or For Evil? A Prediction from 1927.

This guy is so ahead of the times! He certainly called it regarding AI- and he did so a long, long time ago. In the previous century, actually, almost 100 years ago. It was the year 1927 to be exact. Take a look at what the late great Oswald Chambers wrote in his devotional classic, My Utmost For His Highest in today's entry:

 

"He moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 12:8

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship.

If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.

Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram "pitched his tent" between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him.

Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have daily quiet time with God. That is why we must "pitch our tents" where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be.

There are not three levels of spiritual life worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work.

God's idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight."

So, even though it's a play on words, Chambers makes a good point. God's way is the truth. AI is an opportunity to create falsehood as well as being used for good. There's a reason the Apple symbol includes a bite mark. It goes back to the story in the Garden of Eden of Man and Woman disobeying God so they can have His Knowledge in exchange for relationship with Him. AI is just another opportunity, isn't it?

(Text copyright Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. Graphic copyright The Independent.)

Living Beyond Disney

There's so much more to life than Disney! Be it trips to the parks, seeing the movies, or owning merchandise and following the latest news, your life is and can be bigger than that. Listen to these words of wisdom:

It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis. 

What do I really count dear? If I have not been gripped by Jesus Christ, I will count service dear, time given to God dear, my life dear unto myself. Paul says he counted his life dear only in order that he might fulfil the ministry he had received; he refused to use his energy for any other thing. Acts 20:24 states Paul's almost sublime annoyance at being asked to consider himself; he was absolutely indifferent to any consideration other than that of fulfilling the ministry he had received. Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument - Remember how 'useful you are here, or - Think how much value you would be in that particular type of work." That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgment as to where we are of most use. Never consider whether you are of use; but ever consider that you are not your own but His. 

Above taken from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest". Devotional for March 4 

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself." Acts 20:24 

Copyright Statement Taken from 'My Utmost for His Highest', by Oswald Chambers. © l935 by Dodd Mead & Co., renewed © 1963 by the Oswald Chambers Publications Assn., Ltd., and is used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Uhrichsville, Ohio. All rights reserved.

The Challenge Before Me

It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and without a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires. Common sense, covered with a layer of Christian emotion, becomes your guide. You may be more prosperous and successful from the world’s perspective, and will have more leisure time, if you never acknowledge the call of God. 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.

These words above are from the well known Oswald Chambers. This amazing Scottish pastor knew how to keep faith real- practical, encouraging, and oh so challenging. Boy, I needed to hear this today. These words from his classic My Utmost for His Highest keep things in perspective. I must follow His lead and His call versus the other things that struggle for my time and work against my faith.

Notable and Quotable: Oswald Chambers

"The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. 

At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper."

The great Scottish preacher Oswald Chambers wrote these words over a hundred years ago. Yielding to Jesus is something that is so hard for me to do! I want to give Him all my strengths for His use, ask forgiveness for being weak, but do I really want to yield my life to what He desires? I read this today and was struck by its sheer simplicity. I had to share it! It's so easy to say we believe. Easy to say we'd give up our life for His truth, yet it's so hard to live out every day as He leads. God help me!

2018 Starts Off With a Bang!

Happy New Year! Let's begin by taking a look at this beautiful photo from Nine by Nine. I'm going to toss aside "Best of" and "Top Ten" lists this year in favor of something much more wonderful- a bit of wisdom and insight from Oswald Chambers. Enjoy- and see you tomorrow!

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Security from Yesterday. “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste….” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.
Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
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Can't wait to see what is in store for 2018!

Sailing on the Tide

It wasn't all that long ago that I realized that during the course of their career, siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter recorded quite a few songs that had references to the sea. This prompted me to compile a Carpenters collection that included songs such as Boat to Sail, Eventide, All You Get From Love is a Love Song, Maybe It's You, and Sailing on the Tide.

The power and mystery of the sea has captured imaginations and hearts since the beginning of time. The quote below powerfully plays to the theme:

"If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and to send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself— begin to have spiritual discernment."  

The great Scottish preacher Oswald Chambers penned this a century ago, and it is just as powerful and compelling today as it was when he first wrote it. It drives me to ask myself, "Where am I not letting go of the dock of safety and self-control? Where I am not letting God direct me and use me?" I'm struggling through the answers to those questions, but I know to let God take me new places would be the continuation of a thrilling, scary, but very powerful adventure. 

How would you answer those same questions?

Notable and Quotable: Oswald Chambers

"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time."

Despair

Returning from any vacation leaves me a bit cold and a little depressed. Yesterday, I felt lost, but once again, God comes to the rescue- this time in the form of Oswald Chambers' classic book My Utmost for His Highest:

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In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, "Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore." If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, "Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing." In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.

There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, "Get up, and do the next thing." If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.

Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.