None of us lives to himself… Romans 14:7
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people? For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We “sit togetherin the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 2:6). “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (1 Corinthians 12:26). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness, everyone in contact with you will suffer. But you ask, “Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?” “Our sufficiency is from God…” and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5).
“You shall be witnesses to Me…” (Acts 1:8). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ? That is what God means when He uses the word witness. But it takes time, so be patient with yourself. Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say “thank you” to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation. Remember, it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to Him— “…lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord, There is a recurring dissonance in the way Chambers and I see things. We actually agree on most of the end results. But our motivation is different. Whereas he emphasizes being willing to suffer and give things up and focus only on serving You and being a witness… I am hearing that if I just strive only to be with you…that whatever comes out of that, as a by-product, will be just fine. It will probably include similar serving and being a witness, but it happens as it becomes the obvious thing to do, rather than me striving to meet an objective. At least thats how it seems to me. Lord, make me simple. And Lord keep me simple. You know I have a propensity to complicate things. But as I’m getting used to simple….. I’m seeing the wisdom of it and really liking it.
Simple is good. Complex, when trying to figure out relationships, especially our relationship, will lead you off the path and will degrade the relationship. It won’t change my love for you. But it will change your experience of it. If you find that happening, find yourself feeling out of relationship… you know the way back. It’s simple. Get simple. Cast off cares, thoughts, worries, anger, analysis, and everything that holds you back from simply coming to me. Revel in my grace and our love and stay there as long as you can. It’s the only thing worth striving for…
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