If I dwell on the Cross of Christ, I do not simply become inwardly devout and solely interested in my own holiness— I become strongly focused on Jesus Christ’s interests. Our Lord was not a recluse nor a fanatical holy man practicing self-denial. He did not physically cut Himself off from society, but He was inwardly disconnected all the time. He was not aloof, but He lived in another world. In fact, He was so much in the common everyday world that the religious people of His day accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Yet our Lord never allowed anything to interfere with His consecration of spiritual power.It is not genuine consecration to think that we can refuse to be used of God now in order to store up our spiritual power for later use. That is a hopeless mistake. The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).

We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested. The way to make that determination, when faced with a perplexing problem, is to ask yourself, “Is this the kind of thing in which Jesus Christ is interested, or is it something in which the spirit that is diametrically opposed to Jesus is interested?”

 

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November 27 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God and thank You for the Thanksgiving and gratitude reminders yesterday. And thank You for the lesson today about consecration, and how we might live more consecrated lives. Consecration or setting ourselves apart seems to me to be almost synonymous with surrender; giving up my rights to myself and choosing You and Your rest. Is that right Lord? When David and I speak about surrender and being focused on You we talk about how we are so easily distracted by the stressors of our days, the demands on our time, and how we get caught up in all of that. But then the song today stopped me in my tracks when I heard the chorus; just breathe.

And God says…”When you take the time to stop, just stop, and breathe Me in, notice how the world slows down, and the main things become the main things? When you focus on the cross of Jesus, notice how the needs you thought were so important become points of trust and faith. When you trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own ways, means and frenetic activity, you allow Me to make your paths straight. When you take your hands off of your life and the “control” and “speed” buttons, and seek Me, I can then provide everything you need. And when you focus on Jesus and the cross you receive power to live an abundant life without concern or worry about the material things of this world. You also receive the power to live without concern about the ongoing pressures of everyday life. You begin to trust Me and know, simply know, that all things work together for your good. Take a moment ,  just breathe, and know that I am your God, and I love you more than you can ever imagine. ”