(the song was written spontaneously, to honor the victims of the recent Colorado shooting. But see if it doesn’t speak to today’s message as well. djr)
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit . . . —Romans 8:16
We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him—we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.
Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself—He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28 , “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden . . . .” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13).
The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.
Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord.
Today you remind us again that you are the source and the power for anything good that we do or become. Since you provide the redemption and the empowering of the Spirit and the witness of the Spirit and the conviction of the Spirit … we are left with the question: “OK, then, what is our part? What are we to do without it being in the power of our own flesh. It seems that our job is to simply “Show Up” daily with a context of belief and expectation. Belief in what you’ve already shown me and expectation that you have plans for me … plans for good and a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11) So why study? Not so I can know more, the Pharisees knew lots, but so I can believe more and expect more … and from that context, I will be able to obey more.
Click Image for John White's Original Vision For CO2's
