For necessity is laid upon me: yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

We are apt to forget the mystical, supernatural touch of God. If you can tell where you got the call of God and all about it, I question whether you have ever had a call. The call of God does not come like that, it is much more supernatural. The realization of it in a man’s life may come with a sudden thunder-clap or with a gradual dawning, but in whatever way it comes, it comes with the undercurrent of the supernatural, something that cannot be put into words, it is always accompanied with a glow. At any moment there may break the sudden consciousness of this incalculable, supernatural, surprising call that has taken hold of your life – “I have chosen you.” The call of God has nothing to do with salvation and sanctification. It is not because you are sanctified that you are therefore called to preach the gospel; the call to preach the gospel is infinitely different. Paul describes it as a necessity laid upon him.

If you have been obliterating the great super natural call of God in your life, take a review of your circumstances and see where God has not been first, but your ideas of service, or your temperamental abilities. Paul said – “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” He had realized the call of God, and there was no competitor for his strength.

If a man or woman is called of God, it does not matter how untoward circumstances are, every force that has been at work will tell for God’s purpose in the end. If you agree with God’s purpose He will bring not only your conscious life, but all the deeper regions of your life which you cannot get at, into harmony.

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NIV) For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

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September 29, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, last night in men’s’ small group study we talked about using words to communicate the gospel and not using words. I seem to favor the prayer attributed to St. Francis …” let me spread the gospel and use words only if necessary.” It seems to me that we might have more converts if we did less preaching and more living the gospel.

And God says…”A changed life is the most dramatic message anyone can deliver. However, there are many that respond to the words of the gospel, combined with the work of the Holy Spirit. And everyone has their own congregation or sphere of influence. Some are called to preach, others to serve in other ways. One is called to preach the gospel, using words, others called to live the gospel as their “preaching”; every part of the body working in harmony as directed by the Holy Spirit. Stay connected to Me, listen closely for the call of the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit of God direct you. Whether you use words or not, let your life communicate the life changing power of the gospel.”

September 27, 2011

Our Lord’s attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement, “for He knew what was in man” (John 2:25). We would have said, “I can’t imagine why He lost the opportunity of winning that man! Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!” Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord’s answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of “what was in man.” If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of its death.

Luke 9:58 . These words destroy the argument of serving Jesus Christ because it is a pleasant thing to do. And the strictness of the rejection that He demands of me allows for nothing to remain in my life but my Lord, myself, and a sense of desperate hope. He says that I must let everyone else come or go, and that I must be guided solely by my relationship to Him. And He says, “. . . the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Luke 9:59 . This man did not want to disappoint Jesus, nor did he want to show a lack of respect for his father. We put our sense of loyalty to our relatives ahead of our loyalty to Jesus Christ, forcing Him to take last place. When your loyalties conflict, always obey Jesus Christ whatever the cost.

Luke 9:61 . The person who says, “Lord, I will follow You, but . . .,” is the person who is intensely ready to go, but never goes. This man had reservations about going. The exacting call of Jesus has no room for good-byes; good-byes, as we often use them, are pagan, not Christian, because they divert us from the call. Once the call of God comes to you, start going and never stop.

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September 27, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, I love to sing this song and to imagine my commitment to follow You wherever You lead. But the fact of the matter is I have had many opportunities to follow You and I very often choose an easier way. I would love to tell everyone about how I follow your directions Lord, but I do not. I get right up to the place where I could (and need to) do the right thing and yet I end up doing the wrong thing. I know what I should do, and I do not do it. I know clearly which road to take and then I take the other one. What is wrong with me?

And God says…”So you are not strong enough to follow Me all the time as the song proclaims; you have a difficult time doing the right thing when the right thing is called for? You often take the easy way out and opt out for a more comfortable decision? You are not a strong mature and completed Christian? Welcome to the very large club My son. You never will be able to make all the right decisions, take the “high” road, or even do the “right thing”. No one can. You will always lack the strength, power and courage. But Jesus can make the right choices for you, He can cover the wrong decisions you make and then live and grow inside of you to the point (over time) that He makes the choices you cannot. Remember this is the very same place the apostle Paul found himself when he said He could not do the right thing.” ……Romans 7 14:25 (The Message)

^14-16I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

^17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

^21-23It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

²⁴I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

²⁵The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

September 26, 2011

If you . . . remember that your brother has something against you . . . —Matthew 5:23

This verse says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you . . . .” It is not saying, “If you search and find something because of your unbalanced sensitivity,” but, “If you . . . remember . . . .” In other words, if something is brought to your conscious mind by the Spirit of God— “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when He is instructing you down to the smallest detail.

“First be reconciled to your brother . . . .” Our Lord’s directive is simple— “First be reconciled . . . .” He says, in effect, “Go back the way you came— the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing.” Jesus does not mention the other person— He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.

“. . . and then come and offer your gift.” The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God, which builds an attitude or state of mind that places no blame on the one with whom you have been in the wrong. And finally there is the glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.

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September 26, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, over and over again you set the mark so high it is almost impossible for me to obey. And when I rely on my own understanding or strength, it is absolutely impossible. I am not spiritual enough to reach the standards you set. Perhaps others are good enough, strong enough, “spiritual” enough, but I am not. In this case, you tell me that if somebody else has a grudge against me that I am to initiate the reconciliation; that I am to ask forgiveness……and it is their issue. Here you are telling me that if another person has an issue with me, and it is their problem with me, not mine with them…that I am to reach out, and ask forgiveness. It is clear Lord, that I can only do this, when I am truly connected to You. When you are living Your life through me.

And God says…”That is correct. I set the mark (s) so high that you can only truly obey when you are surrendered to Me. And rest in knowing that all have fallen short of the mark, not just you. Everyone falls short, when they “try” to reach the standards I set with a modicum of their own “goodness”.  You can only come to Me with the “goodness” of Jesus covering even the very best you can or could achieve. In this case I speak to you of asking forgiveness even when you did nothing wrong, in another verse I remind you that if you even “think” about doing the wrong think it is “off the mark”. Who can save you from this unachievable standard? Jesus. Simply surrender to Jesus and let Him respond as I require. Let Him respond with obedience you cannot.”

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant . . . —Isaiah 49:5

The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in
John 3:16
— “For God so loved the world. . . .”
We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.
Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life

September 20, 2011

. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect —Matthew 5:48

Our Lord’s exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7), even those toward whom we have no affection.

The example our Lord gave us here is not that of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. “. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” In other words, simply show to the other person what God has shown to you. And God will give you plenty of real life opportunities to prove whether or not you are “perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself asGod’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.

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September 20, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes I cannot muster the energy or focus to reach out to others in love. Sometimes I feel like my own stuff is too heavy to carry and as a result I am just too focused on my own needs. I find myself all used up trying to manage my own …….. Ah ha…Ok I get it. If I forget about my own needs, and allow you to meet all my needs I am free to focus on others.

And God says…”You are beginning understand. You cannot meet your needs…..your needs will always be greater than your ability to meet them, as you have discovered over the years.  This kind of plan helps keep you in a place of faith, hope and trust.  However, as you become well practiced, trusting Me to meet all your needs becomes second nature. You actually begin to EXPECT and count on Me to meet all your needs…according to My riches in glory. When you expect Me to meet all your needs, according to My riches in glory, you are free to reach out to others, knowing you do not need to give your needs any thought. You are always free to focus on others“

You are those who have continued with Me in My trials —Luke 22:28

It is true that Jesus Christ is with us through our temptations, but are we going on with Him through His temptations? Many of us turn back from going on with Jesus from the very moment we have an experience of what He can do. Watch when God changes your circumstances to see whether you are going on with Jesus, or siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We wear His name, but are we going on with Him? “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66).

The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going on with Jesus in the life we are living right now?

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. May it never be! It is God who engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be we must see that we face them while continually abiding with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. Jesus Christ’s honor is at stake in our bodily lives. Are we remaining faithful to the Son of God in everything that attacks His life in us?

Are you going on with Jesus? The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow— but only the voice saying, “FollowMe” (Matthew 4:19)

Sept 19, 2011 DJR Journal
Good Morning Lord,
The song and Oswald’s words today ask if we will go on with you. I am tempted to jump up like Peter and say, “Yes, of course!” But I see that many times I share some of Peter’s traits and end up denying you and walking my own way. … What am I to do? My brother points out that I get introspective and self condemning about this and it does no good. I agree that it does no good….

You are right it does no good to dwell on your failings to walk in full Christlikeness. It is just your humanity and just like Peter, you wont arrive at perfection this week. It is good to see your shortcomings … just dont dwell there … that will inactivate you in my work. And that will make Satan happy. He is the accuser of the brethren. The best thing to do is see his accusations and agree with him … but remind him and yourself, that your debt has been paid and your perfecting is still in process.

September 15, 2011

We have renounced the hidden things of shame . . .  —2 Corinthians 4:2

Have you “renounced the hidden things of shame” in your life—the things that your sense of honor or pride will not allow to come into the light? You can easily hide them. Is there a thought in your heart about anyone that you would not like to be brought into the light? Then renounce it as soon as it comes to mind—renounce everything in its entirety until there is no hidden dishonesty or craftiness about you at all. Envy, jealousy, and strife don’t necessarily arise from your old nature of sin, but from the flesh which was used for these kinds of things in the past (see Romans 6:19 and 1 Peter 4:1-3). You must maintain continual watchfulness so that nothing arises in your life that would cause you shame.

“. . . not walking in craftiness. . .” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point. This is a terrible trap. You know that God will allow you to work in only one way—the way of truth. Then be careful never to catch people through the other way—the way of deceit. If you act deceitfully, God’s blight and ruin will be upon you. What may be craftiness for you, may not be for others—God has called you to a higher standard. Never dull your sense of being your utmost for His highest—your best for His glory. For you, doing certain things would mean craftiness coming into your life for a purpose other than what is the highest and best, and it would dull the motivation that God has given you. Many people have turned back because they are afraid to look at things from God’s perspective. The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted

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September 15, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, the song is my prayer for today and the days that follow. Please help me to walk by faith; even when I cannot see, or understand the why or when. Lord, let me trust You in all I say and do. Help Me to say connected to You trusting and believing. And God I need Your help to walk by faith and not make it look like anything special or different. Help me make it a simple part of my every day, every minute life.

And God says…”You are being transformed into the likeness of Christ; day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute; not just behavior and thoughts, but confidence and awareness. This transformation does not come from you, but through your surrender and acceptance…and faith, from Me. You can renounce many things, but you cannot rid yourself of them. Only Jesus can accomplish this and He does when you walk by faith.”……And when you find you cannot and have not walked by faith? Simply reach up to Me. Even when you do not have the words, deeds or right thoughts, I can and will complete the work I began in you.”