Held by the Grip of God 6-28-2010

June 28th, 2010 by JDVaughn Leave a reply »

Held by the Grip of God

June 28 2010
I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me —Philippians 3:12

Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” ( Deuteronomy 5:32 ). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.” What you are to preach is also determined by God, not by your own natural leanings or desires. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God, and remember that you are called not simply to convey your testimony but also to preach the gospel. Every Christian must testify to the truth of God, but when it comes to the call to preach, there must be the agonizing grip of God’s hand on you— your life is in the grip of God for that very purpose. How many of us are held like that?

Never water down the Word of God, but preach it in its undiluted sternness. There must be unflinching faithfulness to the Word of God, but when you come to personal dealings with others, remember who you are— you are not some special being created in heaven, but a sinner saved by grace.

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do. . . I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” ( Philippians 3:13-14 ).

Today’s Journaling , DJR

Good morning Lord.  I hear what Oswald is saying today.   I dont feel gripped the way he talks about.  Usually at least.   What is up with that?   Is my faith defective, weak or is something else wrong with me?

You suffer from some of the same malady that my servant, John noted about the people in Laodacea.

Yes, I know this.  What is to be done?

Oswald is right, you cannot choose your calling or your passion.   You are to discover it.    And then be obedient to it and there is room for diversity in how you work it out.      But you can water  and fertilize the seeds and that is what you do by your choice to meet me here daily and other disciplines that I offer you to choose to do.    Dont crank up passion.  Let me build it as I have created you to be a vessel of passion and creativity to be a blessing. My eyes are looking thru the whole earth to find those who will say, with Isaiah, “here am I, send me.”   and not draw back.

I want to be that man.   But my experience is that of starting and running out of gas and falling back to a level of mediocrity, lukewarmness….

Wait on the Spirit for the passion and direction.  You must start in the Spirit and finish in the Spirit.   The flesh will always run out of gas.    Stay connected to me and practice obedience to the small things first.   Then they will get bigger.  Just stay connected and stay obedient and dont worry about lukewarmness.   I’ll take care of the temperature of all who will seek me and keep on knocking…  they will find me.

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