they went forth for His name’s sake . . . 3 John 7
Our Lord told us how our love for Him is to exhibit itself when He asked, “Do you love Me?” (John 21:17). And then He said, “Feed My sheep.” In effect, He said, “Identify yourself with My interests in other people,” not, “Identify Me with your interests in other people.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 shows us the characteristics of this love— it is actually the love of God expressing itself. The true test of my love for Jesus is a very practical one, and all the rest is sentimental talk.
Faithfulness to Jesus Christ is the supernatural work of redemption that has been performed in me by the Holy Spirit— “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (Romans 5:5). And it is that love in me that effectively works through me and comes in contact with everyone I meet. I remain faithful to His name, even though the commonsense view of my life may seemingly deny that, and may appear to be declaring that He has no more power than the morning mist.
The key to the missionary’s devotion is that he is attached to nothing and to no one except our Lord Himself. It does not mean simply being detached from the external things surrounding us. Our Lord was amazingly in touch with the ordinary things of life, but He had an inner detachment except toward God. External detachment is often an actual indication of a secret, growing, inner attachment to the things we stay away from externally.
The duty of a faithful missionary is to concentrate on keeping his soul completely and continually open to the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit.
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October 18, 2011
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, I get a bit uneasy when I worry about things and then remember all that You have done. It strikes me that I should immediately recall all Your blessings and provision. But the urgency of the immediate threatens my memory of your faithfulness, and then I feel less faithful to You. When threatened by a pressing need, I can forget your history of faithfulness, and fall into despair, searching for a modicum of faith and hope.
And God says…”The enemy wants you to condemn yourself, when your natural man takes over. When you know you should feel safe and secure in My arms, and do not, you can fall into deeper despair wondering why you are not strong or faithful enough. It is only natural that you will be unable to find the strength, courage or hope. That is why it is important to find your strength in Jesus and the knowledge that Jesus has the faith, hope, strength and courage you need. He lives through you. Let your own weakness simply testify to His strength. Let your failures be reminders of His victory. It is not necessary for you to be victorious. It is only important that you identify with Jesus and His victory, and be transformed.”
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