Jesus did not say that everyone must cut off his right hand, but that “if your right hand causes you to sin” in your walk with Him, then it is better to “cut it off.” There are many things that are perfectly legitimate, but if you are going to concentrate on God you cannot do them. Your right hand is one of the best things you have, but Jesus says that if it hinders you in following His precepts, then “cut it off.” The principle taught here is the strictest discipline or lesson that ever hit humankind.

When God changes you through regeneration, giving you new life through spiritual rebirth, your life initially has the characteristic of being maimed.

There are a hundred and one things that you dare not do— things that would be sin for you, and would be recognized as sin by those who really know you.But the unspiritual people around you will say, “What’s so wrong with doing that? How absurd you are!” There has never yet been a saint who has not lived a maimed life initially. Yet it is better to enter into life maimed but lovely in God’s sight than to appear lovely to man’s eyes but lame to God’s. At first, Jesus Christ through His Spirit has to restrain you from doing a great many things that may be perfectly right for everyone else but not right for you. Yet, see that you don’t use your restrictions to criticize someone else.

The Christian life is a maimed life initially, but in Matthew 5:48 Jesus gave us the picture of a perfectly well-rounded life— “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

____________________________________________________

June 29, 2011

Lord if the story of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years is a metaphor and life lesson for me, can you please help me take the short cut? If they spent 40 years wandering around on a journey that should have taken weeks, can I please take a more direct route for my life?

And God says…”When you are connected to Me, your journey is completed. You are often concerned about learning the lessons more quickly, or making the right choices more immediately so that your relationship with Me becomes the “means to an end”. You want to be close to Me and connected to Me so that you can cut through the learning and trials more quickly and move on to your “promised land”. But I am your promised land. I am the Alpha and the Omega. Trust in Me…delight in me…NOT because you may receive the delights of your heart, but because I am the delights of your heart. Pray, worship, and meditate to that end and you will never worry about how long a journey takes. You have eternity to worship and delight in Me”

DJR Journal 6 29 11

Good Morning, Lord,

Today I woke up thinking that “whenever I say yes to something, I am saying no to the other options.”   Like if I yield to an obsession or addiction, I am saying no to the other options…and since your best isn’t in the addiction… I am saying no to you and your best.   Then I saw that the inverse is not necessarily true.  When I say no to something, … It still leaves options of what I will say yes to.    So I have to first say no to whatever shiny bauble of the world that is attracting me… and then hear your voice about all of the options… Which one is your best for me for now.???   Then to see Oswald’s devo and the music today … you’re piling it on.   I perceive that I’m supposed to be hearing this….

The key is connection and relationship.  If you stay connected, you wont be confused or fooled.   And even when you miss it or it is waiting time … you will still be OK.  So stay close to me and you will get faster and better at hearing my voice.   Then it will also get easier to quickly obey it.   Because you want to … not because you have to or to avoid 40 year desert trips.