Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . —Matthew 5:3

Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), to do more than my duty, or to be completely devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as my Savior before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of a lofty ideal which only leads to despair. But when I am born again by the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach— He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can place within anyone the same nature that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives us are based on that nature.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work

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July 21, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Thank you Lord for pointing out the futility of my life and efforts without You. Thank you for reminding me that it is You that began and completes the good work in me. My work is to surrender. Thank you for showing me the very narrow road and then showing me I do not have the ability to walk that narrow road.

And God says…”This is a lesson to be learned until it is ingrained into all believers; that the life of the believer can only be realized in personal defeat. My standards are absolute so that you can see the disparity and futility of trying to live the Christian life. It is not for you to “do your very best” I cannot accept your “very best”. I can only accept the purity and absolute righteousness of Jesus. This comes when you surrender and allow Him to live through you.” As Paul wrote to the Corinthians….2 Corinthians 3:18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Those who wait on the Lord . . . shall walk and not faint —Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walkis used in the Bible to express the character of a person— “. . . John . . . looking at Jesus as He walked. . . said, ’Behold the Lamb of God!’ ” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say, “Be spiritual,” but He says, “Walk before Me. . .” (Genesis 17:1).

When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, on mounting up “with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31), it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.

Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience the psalmist speaks of— “We will not fear, even though . . .” (Psalm 46:2)— will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time!” At critical moments in our lives it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying, “Oh, Lord, direct me in this, and in that.” Of course He will, and in fact, He is doing it already! If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.

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July 20, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Waiting is not something I do well Lord. I cannot or perhaps simply do not grasp the sense of the everlasting in my day to day living. For some reason it seems like I am in a race to accomplish, learn, achieve or obtain. Quite often my sense of waiting seems bound up in a “hurry up” kind of living that keeps me from enjoying this day, hour or minute. Lord, please help me grasp your everlasting presence this day and help me enjoy your presence and promises more completely every hour and minute.

And God says…”You can begin to grow and appreciate the everlasting as you praise and worship Me day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute. Pray without ceasing,(that is simply stay conscious of Me all the day) stay connected, and experience my love and peace  beyond understanding. When you pray without ceasing and are connected, waiting becomes a pleasurable experience as you begin to know and appreciate the certainty of My promises and your place in them”.

July 19, 2011

“Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” John 13:13

Our Lord never insists on having authority; He never says – Thou shalt. He leaves us perfectly free – so free that we can spit in His face, as men did; so free that we can put Him to death, as men did; and He will never say a word. But when His life has been created in me by His Redemption I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a moral domination – “Thou art worthy . . .” It is only the unworthy in me that refuses to bow down to the worthy. If when I meet a man who is more holy than myself, I do not recognize his worthiness and obey what comes through him, it is a revelation of the unworthy in me. God educates us by means of people who are a little better than we are, not intellectually but “holily,” until we get under the domination of the Lord Himself, and then the whole attitude of the life is one of obedience to Him.

If Our Lord insisted upon obedience He would become a taskmaster, and He would cease to have any authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we do see Him we obey Him instantly, He is easily Lord, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience. We have to rescue the word “obedience” from the mire. Obedience is only possible between equals; it is the relationship between father and son, not between master and servant. “I and My Father are one.” “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.” The Son’s obedience was as Redeemer, because He was Son, not in order to be Son.

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July 19, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this is where it gets tough for me. There is no evidence that You even heard me praying over the last few weeks; though it seems more like years. And not a clear word from You about what, where, why or when. I suspect I could stay the course more strongly if I know I was right where You wanted me to be. But I am uncertain. I feel like I have been left to receive what I deserve and that frightens me. How can I be certain that I am in your will when all around me seems so tenuous and uncertain?

And God says…”My Son was and is my promise that I will never leave you or leave you alone to your own devices. In fact, I ask you to leave your devices behind. Your uncertainty and anxiety are indicators that you are to search for new revealing truths from Me. IF you are anxious, IF you are uncertain, IF you are fearful, you know with certainty that these feelings cannot and did not come from Me. But I allowed them to touch you so that you could once again come to the end of yourself and a new awareness of your relationship with Me. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for, of things that are not seen. I remain faithful even when you cannot. I am always on your side, always providing, protecting and provisioning… 2Cor 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ, and through us shows the savor of His knowledge in every place.”

July 13, 2011

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord . . . —Isaiah 6:1

Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?

My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.

Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

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July 13, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

The vision is, that no matter what… is occurring in my life, I am focused and connected to You. Over and over again Lord this is the lesson You show us over… and over.. and over. You continue to reinforce the idea that my one and only course of action, in living out my salvation, is to seek you with all that I am.

And God says…”You know the two commandments Jesus gave you. The first is to love Me with all our heart, mind and soul. You know that seeking My kingdom, or the person of Jesus Christ, is the first and foremost step in living out your life. And Jesus said He is the way the truth and the light. Start here, stay here, rest here.”

July 12, 2011

Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “. . . that I may know Him. . .” (Philippians 3:10). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?

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July 12, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Thank you Lord that You have been steadfast in this teaching, in this lesson above and beyond all other lessons; that You are the One. Over the years I struggled to do the right things, be the right kind of person, as I struggled with the conflicts between what is spiritual and what is not; as I struggled with the what, why and how of living out my salvation. And then You began teaching us that the only lesson is You, and being connected to You in all that we are and do. Everything else then falls into place, regardless of our circumstances.

And God says…”Seek first the kingdom of heaven…love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul; acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make all your paths straight. I came that you might have life and life more abundantly. You have this life, with the accompanying  joy and peace within when you are connected to Me.”

July 12, Journal, DJR
Good Morning Lord,
Today Oswald summarized it well at the end, “My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.” You have given us the “peace meter” to indicate that we are getting off track … but its just a meter … not the goal. Another thing I noticed yesterday is that I was “noticing” not wanting to do a particular thing … but realizing that it was your will and deciding to do it …  not even that cheerfully … then having it turn into a blessing at the end.
Yes, that is the way it works. You are beginning to understand the way Heaven works, The way Love works. It can happen on Earth but, since the Fall, humans are so wired to self preservation and pursuit of pleasure that many times you miss my Voice and my Plan … which as you are seeing, will work out better in the end.
So using the Peace Meter, and suspecting that if I dont want to do a particular thing, that I’d better take a second look … is that what you are saying is the way to maximize “getting it” and minimize missing it?
There’s more. But those are good starters.
Thanks, Thanks for CO2 & my brother, Thanks for my family, Thanks for all the blessings, Thanks for your Love, Thanks for your plans and thanks for talking to me. Thanks for everything. I love you. It’s hard, initially, but even thanks for that Laura Story song … what if your blessings come as raindrops…

July 11, 2011

that I may know Him . . . —Philippians 3:10

A saint is not to take the initiative toward self-realization, but toward knowing Jesus Christ. A spiritually vigorous saint never believes that his circumstances simply happen at random, nor does he ever think of his life as being divided into the secular and the sacred. He sees every situation in which he finds himself as the means of obtaining a greater knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he has an attitude of unrestrained abandon and total surrender about him. The Holy Spirit is determined that we will have the realization of Jesus Christ in every area of our lives, and He will bring us back to the same point over and over again until we do. Self-realization only leads to the glorification of good works, whereas a saint of God glorifies Jesus Christ through his good works. Whatever we may be doing— even eating, drinking, or washing disciples’ feet— we have to take the initiative of realizing and recognizing Jesus Christ in it. Every phase of our life has its counterpart in the life of Jesus. Our Lord realized His relationship to the Father even in the most menial task. “Jesus, knowing . . . that He had come from God and was going to God, . . . took a towel . . . and began to wash the disciples’ feet . . .” (John 13:3-5).

The aim of a spiritually vigorous saint is “that I may know Him . . .” Do I know Him where I am today? If not, I am failing Him. I am not here for self-realization, but to know Jesus Christ. In Christian work our initiative and motivation are too often simply the result of realizing that there is work to be done and that we must do it. Yet that is never the attitude of a spiritually vigorous saint. His aim is to achieve the realization of Jesus Christ in every set of circumstances.

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July 11, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord thank you for reminding me that you are all that I need, that you have provided for me in every way imaginable, in all areas of my life. All I must do is accept your complete provision. The only reason there might be secular and or spiritual separation in my life is because I put it there by limiting your access and or control of my life in an area.

And God says…”Your faith will make you whole, and you do not need very much faith. Simply let Me into that area of your life. You limit my access and your wonder and joy when you restrict Me from areas of your life. And often you do this because you think I would not want to be a part of a particular area of Your life…Yet you need to remember…. I want and you need Me to be a part of your entire life, all aspects, every area, every nook and cranny. Stay connected in every area and use your connection tools to be reminded to give me every area of your life this day and every day. Acknowledge Me in ALL your ways, do not rely on your own devices and I will make all your paths straight.

. . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . —Joshua 24:15

A person’s will is embodied in the actions of the whole person. I cannot give up my will— I must exercise it, putting it into action. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit. When God gives me a vision of truth, there is never a question of what He will do, but only of what I will do. The Lord has been placing in front of each of us some big proposals and plans. The best thing to do is to remember what you did before when you were touched by God. Recall the moment when you were saved, or first recognized Jesus, or realized some truth. It was easy then to yield your allegiance to God. Immediately recall those moments each time the Spirit of God brings some new proposal before you.

“. . . choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . .” Your choice must be a deliberate determination— it is not something into which you will automatically drift. And everything else in your life will be held in temporary suspension until you make a decision. The proposal is between you and God— do not “confer with flesh and blood” about it (Galatians 1:16). With every new proposal, the people around us seem to become more and more isolated, and that is where the tension develops. God allows the opinion of His other saints to matter to you, and yet you become less and less certain that others really understand the step you are taking. You have no business trying to find out where God is leading— the only thing God will explain to you is Himself.

Openly declare to Him, “I will be faithful.” But remember that as soon as you choose to be faithful to Jesus Christ, “You are witnesses against yourselves . . .” (Joshua 24:22). Don’t consult with other Christians, but simply and freely declare before Him, “I will serve You.” Will to be faithful— and give other people credit for being faithful too.

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July 8, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes it seems as if all I can recall are my failures and disappointments. And just when I grit my teeth and will myself to do the right thing…I do the wrong thing. Just when I think I have it all under control….I don’t. Just when I know that I have overcome that character flaw or trait, it pops back up again. I want to serve you, but all too frequently, it seems I fail.

And God says…”Paul says it well in Romans 7 (go back and read it in The Message translation). He acknowledged that even when he would strive to do My will he could not. He would do the opposite. And he acknowledged that Jesus Christ is the bridge over that troubled water. Do not judge yourself harshly when you fail, I do not judge you at all. My grace is larger than all your wrong choices. Simply acknowledge your failures and  Jesus as your redeemer. Acknowledge the law is good and let Jesus, My Holy Spirit and the Word continue to mold you into the man you will become. Do not focus on your human nature and inclinations, focus on Jesus and your new nature that is being refined. Trust in the Lord in all your ways and do not rely on your own devices……and He will make your paths straight “

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July 8 2011 Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord
This message today from Oswald, Joshua, & Dylan seems so right on. It seems so clear when I hear it … but living it out minute by minute is another matter. What’s up? What am I doing wrong?

You are on the right track … keep on coming. None of my men got to the peak of their character in a day or a week. And none of them ever really got totally perfected either. They are perfect now, and you will be too. The question for people on earth is “what are you going to do with the time you have left on your side of heaven?” The focus that I’m interested in is, “what are you going to do with your character?” … not so much “how big an organization or how much wealth will you build?” All that will fade away anyway. Character lasts forever.
I agree with all that, but it’s frustrating to fall so short …

Relax … and stay pressing in on it at the same time. You wont be perfect. And I wont kick you out. Just keep on the track. I like your recent commitment to daily reminders … it will help.

OK I’m just looking for a little something, a signpost, a confirmation, something. I’ll be looking for it today. I love you.

… For Those who remember the original…