September 26, 2011

If you . . . remember that your brother has something against you . . . —Matthew 5:23

This verse says, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you . . . .” It is not saying, “If you search and find something because of your unbalanced sensitivity,” but, “If you . . . remember . . . .” In other words, if something is brought to your conscious mind by the Spirit of God— “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). Never object to the intense sensitivity of the Spirit of God in you when He is instructing you down to the smallest detail.

“First be reconciled to your brother . . . .” Our Lord’s directive is simple— “First be reconciled . . . .” He says, in effect, “Go back the way you came— the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing.” Jesus does not mention the other person— He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus.

“. . . and then come and offer your gift.” The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God, which builds an attitude or state of mind that places no blame on the one with whom you have been in the wrong. And finally there is the glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God.

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September 26, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, over and over again you set the mark so high it is almost impossible for me to obey. And when I rely on my own understanding or strength, it is absolutely impossible. I am not spiritual enough to reach the standards you set. Perhaps others are good enough, strong enough, “spiritual” enough, but I am not. In this case, you tell me that if somebody else has a grudge against me that I am to initiate the reconciliation; that I am to ask forgiveness……and it is their issue. Here you are telling me that if another person has an issue with me, and it is their problem with me, not mine with them…that I am to reach out, and ask forgiveness. It is clear Lord, that I can only do this, when I am truly connected to You. When you are living Your life through me.

And God says…”That is correct. I set the mark (s) so high that you can only truly obey when you are surrendered to Me. And rest in knowing that all have fallen short of the mark, not just you. Everyone falls short, when they “try” to reach the standards I set with a modicum of their own “goodness”.  You can only come to Me with the “goodness” of Jesus covering even the very best you can or could achieve. In this case I speak to you of asking forgiveness even when you did nothing wrong, in another verse I remind you that if you even “think” about doing the wrong think it is “off the mark”. Who can save you from this unachievable standard? Jesus. Simply surrender to Jesus and let Him respond as I require. Let Him respond with obedience you cannot.”

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant . . . —Isaiah 49:5

The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in
John 3:16
— “For God so loved the world. . . .”
We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.
Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life

September 20, 2011

. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect —Matthew 5:48

Our Lord’s exhortation to us in Matthew 5:38-48 is to be generous in our behavior toward everyone. Beware of living according to your natural affections in your spiritual life. Everyone has natural affections— some people we like and others we don’t like. Yet we must never let those likes and dislikes rule our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7), even those toward whom we have no affection.

The example our Lord gave us here is not that of a good person, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. “. . . be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” In other words, simply show to the other person what God has shown to you. And God will give you plenty of real life opportunities to prove whether or not you are “perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Being a disciple means deliberately identifying yourself with God’s interests in other people. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit divine characteristics in your life, not just good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself asGod’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian’s life is that the supernatural becomes natural in him as a result of the grace of God, and the experience of this becomes evident in the practical, everyday details of life, not in times of intimate fellowship with God. And when we come in contact with things that create confusion and a flurry of activity, we find to our own amazement that we have the power to stay wonderfully poised even in the center of it all.

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September 20, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes I cannot muster the energy or focus to reach out to others in love. Sometimes I feel like my own stuff is too heavy to carry and as a result I am just too focused on my own needs. I find myself all used up trying to manage my own …….. Ah ha…Ok I get it. If I forget about my own needs, and allow you to meet all my needs I am free to focus on others.

And God says…”You are beginning understand. You cannot meet your needs…..your needs will always be greater than your ability to meet them, as you have discovered over the years.  This kind of plan helps keep you in a place of faith, hope and trust.  However, as you become well practiced, trusting Me to meet all your needs becomes second nature. You actually begin to EXPECT and count on Me to meet all your needs…according to My riches in glory. When you expect Me to meet all your needs, according to My riches in glory, you are free to reach out to others, knowing you do not need to give your needs any thought. You are always free to focus on others“

You are those who have continued with Me in My trials —Luke 22:28

It is true that Jesus Christ is with us through our temptations, but are we going on with Him through His temptations? Many of us turn back from going on with Jesus from the very moment we have an experience of what He can do. Watch when God changes your circumstances to see whether you are going on with Jesus, or siding with the world, the flesh, and the devil. We wear His name, but are we going on with Him? “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66).

The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going on with Jesus in the life we are living right now?

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings around us. May it never be! It is God who engineers our circumstances, and whatever they may be we must see that we face them while continually abiding with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. Jesus Christ’s honor is at stake in our bodily lives. Are we remaining faithful to the Son of God in everything that attacks His life in us?

Are you going on with Jesus? The way goes through Gethsemane, through the city gate, and on “outside the camp” (Hebrews 13:13). The way is lonely and goes on until there is no longer even a trace of a footprint to follow— but only the voice saying, “FollowMe” (Matthew 4:19)

Sept 19, 2011 DJR Journal
Good Morning Lord,
The song and Oswald’s words today ask if we will go on with you. I am tempted to jump up like Peter and say, “Yes, of course!” But I see that many times I share some of Peter’s traits and end up denying you and walking my own way. … What am I to do? My brother points out that I get introspective and self condemning about this and it does no good. I agree that it does no good….

You are right it does no good to dwell on your failings to walk in full Christlikeness. It is just your humanity and just like Peter, you wont arrive at perfection this week. It is good to see your shortcomings … just dont dwell there … that will inactivate you in my work. And that will make Satan happy. He is the accuser of the brethren. The best thing to do is see his accusations and agree with him … but remind him and yourself, that your debt has been paid and your perfecting is still in process.

September 15, 2011

We have renounced the hidden things of shame . . .  —2 Corinthians 4:2

Have you “renounced the hidden things of shame” in your life—the things that your sense of honor or pride will not allow to come into the light? You can easily hide them. Is there a thought in your heart about anyone that you would not like to be brought into the light? Then renounce it as soon as it comes to mind—renounce everything in its entirety until there is no hidden dishonesty or craftiness about you at all. Envy, jealousy, and strife don’t necessarily arise from your old nature of sin, but from the flesh which was used for these kinds of things in the past (see Romans 6:19 and 1 Peter 4:1-3). You must maintain continual watchfulness so that nothing arises in your life that would cause you shame.

“. . . not walking in craftiness. . .” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point. This is a terrible trap. You know that God will allow you to work in only one way—the way of truth. Then be careful never to catch people through the other way—the way of deceit. If you act deceitfully, God’s blight and ruin will be upon you. What may be craftiness for you, may not be for others—God has called you to a higher standard. Never dull your sense of being your utmost for His highest—your best for His glory. For you, doing certain things would mean craftiness coming into your life for a purpose other than what is the highest and best, and it would dull the motivation that God has given you. Many people have turned back because they are afraid to look at things from God’s perspective. The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted

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September 15, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, the song is my prayer for today and the days that follow. Please help me to walk by faith; even when I cannot see, or understand the why or when. Lord, let me trust You in all I say and do. Help Me to say connected to You trusting and believing. And God I need Your help to walk by faith and not make it look like anything special or different. Help me make it a simple part of my every day, every minute life.

And God says…”You are being transformed into the likeness of Christ; day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute; not just behavior and thoughts, but confidence and awareness. This transformation does not come from you, but through your surrender and acceptance…and faith, from Me. You can renounce many things, but you cannot rid yourself of them. Only Jesus can accomplish this and He does when you walk by faith.”……And when you find you cannot and have not walked by faith? Simply reach up to Me. Even when you do not have the words, deeds or right thoughts, I can and will complete the work I began in you.”

September 14, 2011

the simplicity that is in Christ.  —2 Corinthians 11:3

Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your “arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you (2 Corinthians 10:5). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25).

Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.

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September 14, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

It is very simple isn’t it God? …Simply bring everything under your will. But whoa, there are a number of things that I would still like control over… God. You know, like what kind of work I do, the kinds of friends I choose, the clothes I wear, the trips and vacations I take.  I can give you the “church stuff”.  And it seems easy to turn it all over to you when I am up against the wall. But I wonder what it would be like if I could give you everything I am and do..all the time?

And God says…”Just as Oswald Chambers wrote in the devotional,  your spiritual confusion comes about when you fail to turn the smallest thing over to Me. When parts of your life are not under My will, confusion results. This is repaired when you obey.  And it is simple…..obedience, that is.  Acknowledge that you have been following your own way, confess, and ask Me to take over that area of your life. You cannot bring everything into submission to My will, however I can do this through You when you let go of every “little thing”.”

Jesus answered and said, ’You do not know what you ask’ —Matthew 20:22

There are times in your spiritual life when there is confusion, and the way out of it is not simply to say that you should not be confused. It is not a matter of right and wrong, but a matter of God taking you through a way that you temporarily do not understand. And it is only by going through the spiritual confusion that you will come to the understanding of what God wants for you.

The Shrouding of His Friendship (see Luke 11:5-8). Jesus gave the illustration here of a man who appears not to care for his friend. He was saying, in effect, that is how the heavenly Father will appear to you at times. You will think that He is an unkind friend, but remember?He is not. The time will come when everything will be explained. There seems to be a cloud on the friendship of the heart, and often even love itself has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When God appears to be completely shrouded, will you hang on with confidence in Him?

The Shadow on His Fatherhood (see Luke 11:11-13). Jesus said that there are times when your Father will appear as if He were an unnatural father?as if He were callous and indifferent— but remember, He is not. “Everyone who asks receives . . .” (Luke 11:10). If all you see is a shadow on the face of the Father right now, hang on to the fact that He will ultimately give you clear understanding and will fully justify Himself in everything that He has allowed into your life.

The Strangeness of His Faithfulness (see Luke 18:1-8). “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will He find the kind of faith that counts on Him in spite of the confusion? Stand firm in faith, believing that what Jesus said is true, although in the meantime you do not understand what God is doing. He has bigger issues at stake than the particular things you are asking of Him right now.

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September 12, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

There are times Lord when I have absolutely no idea about what is going on. Just like the devotional says, it does not make any sense to me…right now. But I am learning Lord that things do not always have to make sense. Circumstances in my life and the world may not make sense to me, but I am learning to trust you regardless. Now I understand how patience has its perfect reward…that is my faith has become stronger even though my circumstances may remain the same.

And God says…”Trusting in Me is not a natural response even for believers. Trust in Me is a supernatural response that can require development over time. Remember that nothing can ever separate you from My love, and that all things work together for your good…regardless of how you may interpret them. Acknowledge Me in all your ways, and I will make your paths straight. And ask Me for wisdom and understanding and trust Me to meet all Your needs including the need for a stronger faith.”