I now send you, to open their eyes . . . that they may receive forgiveness of sins . . . —Acts 26:17-18

This verse is the greatest example of the true essence of the message of a disciple of Jesus Christ in all of the New Testament

This is followed by God’s second mighty work of grace: “. . . an inheritance among those who are sanctified . . . .” In sanctification, the one who has been born again deliberately gives up his right to himself to Jesus Christ, and identifies himself entirely with God’s ministry to others.

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January 10, 2013

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes I think and feel like Oswald Chambers is writing to prove his points, not necessarily your points. This devotional seems a little too complex and disjointed. It seems as if he is trying to make his students learn a thing that he knows. You have taught me that this can be futile. I am not to try and teach someone what You have taught me,  I am to allow You to do the communicating and teaching after I surrender.

And God says…”Like every other lesson you have learned and will be learning, the lesson here is that you are to be connected to Jesus. When you are connected, everything else can and does flow supernaturally from Jesus through you and out to others. Do not be confused or concerned that you will not know what to say to others or if you will teach or communicate the right thing. Simply be connected and surrendered to Jesus and it will flow like living waters to quench the thirst of others….and in the process quench your thirst as well.”

May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless . . . —1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Your whole spirit . . . .” The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139 . The psalmist implies— “O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.”

Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? “. . . the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). If this verse means cleansing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are protected by God with the miraculous sacredness of the Holy Spirit that our spirit, soul, and body can be preserved in pure uprightness until the coming of Jesus-no longer condemned in God’s sight.

We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
Oswald started today with,

“The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach.”

Then Psalm 139 shows the depth at which you can know us and protect us. Depths that we cannot even imagine. The neuroscientists are just beginning to scratch the surface of the places in our brains that address the motives behind our actions and feelings. Although some of them feel smug that they have figured out some of why we do the things we do, it is only perhaps a teaspoonful compared to a swimming pool’s worth of complexity that your Holy Spirit navigates easily. Our problems and also our brilliance originate in those recesses of our soul and spirit which we cannot access. Of course we try with self help programs and studies of Psychology and Neuroscience. But to little avail. Those who’ve studied the most and learned the most seem no happier than the rest of us … maybe even less.
So it is comforting that you can take care of all that behind the scenes stuff in the areas of the brain and soul and spirit that we cannot access. So we learn once again that our job is just to stay connected and let you do your work. Thank you for loving us so much. Help us today to walk in the blessings that you have provided.

Abraham built an altar . . . ; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar . . . —Genesis 22:9

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”

We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.

It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
Us humans, we think death is the ultimate sacrifice, and maybe it is … but living for you, 100%, all out, … we really find that harder than dying. Is that why so few of us do it … really 100%. Why do we hold back?

You have not completely accepted my gift. When you appropriate all that I have for you, you will give all that you have for me. It’s that simple. So come to the well…. Drink in the waters of life. Know that my life in you is only available thru my death for you.

Prayer:
Help me today, Lord, to find the cross and death and surrender all that stuff that I keep hanging onto … so that I can breathe in your life and live for you.

Jesus said to him, ’Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?’ —John 14:9

Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away . . .” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).

Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

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January 7, 2013

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

When I am focused on You Lord, it seems that it is all I need. When I am connected to You, Jesus, I can be at peace without answers or solutions, because You are the answer and solution. You fill up my heart and head, when I seek You and You alone.  How is this Lord, and how can I sustain this kind of intimacy?

And God says…” You cannot capture nor seek intimacy with Me, you can only surrender. When you surrender to Me, you are connected. You are not connected when you try to find Me in works, study or even prayer or  conformity. Although those are all things that are good .You will find our intimacy in your surrender, allowing Me to live through you; works, study prayer and transformation can then occur.  Seek first the Kingdome of God, which is Jesus, acknowledge the Lord in all you ways. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

And I, if I am lifted up . . . will draw all peoples to Myself —John 12:32

When you find yourself face to face with a person who is spiritually lost, remind yourself of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that person can get to God in any other way, then the Cross of Christ is unnecessary. If you think you are helping lost people with your sympathy and understanding, you are a traitor to Jesus Christ. You must have a right-standing relationship with Him yourself, and pour your life out in helping others in His way— not in a human way that ignores God. The theme of the world’s religion today is to serve in a pleasant, non-confrontational manner.

But our only priority must be to present Jesus Christ crucified— to lift Him up all the time (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Every belief that is not firmly rooted in the Cross of Christ will lead people astray. If the worker himself believes in Jesus Christ and is trusting in the reality of redemption, his words will be compelling to others. What is extremely important is for the worker’s simple relationship with Jesus Christ to be strong and growing. His usefulness to God depends on that, and that alone.

The calling of a New Testament worker is to expose sin and to reveal Jesus Christ as Savior. Consequently, he cannot always be charming and friendly, but must be willing to be stern to accomplish major surgery. We are sent by God to lift up Jesus Christ, not to give wonderfully beautiful speeches. We must be willing to examine others as deeply as God has examined us. We must also be sharply intent on sensing those Scripture passages that will drive the truth home, and then not be afraid to apply them.

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December 20, 2012

Lord, help me walk in a more complete understanding of the cross of Jesus; not an understanding of sympathy but a knowledge of the magnitude of the sacrifice. Please help me walk this day with the shadow of the cross in my vision.  I believe that if I acknowledge the cross I could stay more tightly connected to You.

And God says…”I want you to acknowledge the cross, and surrender and allow Jesus to live through you. The sacrifice of Jesus must be taken together with His life and resurrection. The cross can remind you of His sacrifice, and His resurrection reminds you that you too are being reborn, every day. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is  Jesus. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will make your paths straight. Stay connected to Jesus and His cross and allow His resurrection to take place in you, daily.”

I did not come to bring peace but a sword —Matthew 10:34

Never be sympathetic with a person whose situation causes you to conclude that God is dealing harshly with him. God can be more tender than we can conceive, and every once in a while He gives us the opportunity to deal firmly with someone so that He may be viewed as the tender One. If a person cannot go to God, it is because he has something secret which he does not intend to give up— he may admit his sin, but would no more give up that thing than he could fly under his own power. It is impossible to deal sympathetically with people like that. We must reach down deep in their lives to the root of the problem, which will cause hostility and resentment toward the message. People want the blessing of God, but they can’t stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter.

If you are sensitive to God’s way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot possibly hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives. Their response may be, “We can never be that.” Then drive it home with, “Jesus Christ says you must.” “But how can we be?” “You can’t, unless you have a new Spirit” (see Luke 11:13).

There must be a sense of need created before your message is of any use. Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord.
People may say, “How can we do that?” We also must ask, “How can we know, when to show sympathy, always to empathize, but sometimes to hold firm and offer no commiseration?” The answer is the same for us as for the people we are observing … We cant get it right unless we have a New Spirit.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord that you have given us a New Spirit. Help us stay connected to your life-giving Holy Spirit today. And all thru this Christmas Season, help us stay connected in the midst of all the competing voices.

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.

The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

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Excerpt from God Letters, 101 Devotionals for Sinners and Hypocrites Just Like Me – 2008-J D Vaughn

Trust and faith are the  ingredients we lack. For some reason many of us feel that if we gave up our  control for God’s will for our lives, He would make us missionaries in outer  Mongolia, or He would turn us into some uptight version of the “church lady”  full of judgment and pious hypocrisy. For some reason we think we  have a better idea of what will fill our lives with joy and fulfillment, and  that God can be this cosmic killjoy that simply wants to ruin our fun… (Shh!—if God ever finds out I am having  fun here, I am certain He will make some adjustments). But consider
for a moment that God invented fun and humor and if you don’t believe it, then  consider a giraffe or duck- billed platypus.

God wants us to laugh and  have fun. He wants the very best for us as well. He told us He came to give us  life and life more abundantly.

God knows the future—our  very perfect futures that include our greatest levels of joy and fulfillment. I  am convinced He is prepared and waiting for us to let go and let Him give us  the ultimate fulfillment and joy for our lives.

We have written promises  that tell us God arranges all things for our benefit and that He can do more  than we could ever dream or imagine. He is waiting to be our guide. What is the  God of the universe waiting for? He is waiting for us to agree that He should  be in charge of our lives and for us to “let go” just long enough for Him to  take hold.

At the end of the day, I think He is simply waitring for us to surrender.

The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him . . . —1 Corinthians 2:14

The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel. Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe . . .” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion, creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. The inner reality of redemption is that it creates all the time. And as redemption creates the life of God in us, it also creates the things which belong to that life. The only thing that can possibly satisfy the need is what created the need. This is the meaning of redemption— it creates and it satisfies.

Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). When we preach our own experiences, people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus Christ is “lifted up,” the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
We have struggled with the question of “What’s our part? What’s your part?” The problem we run into is that whenever we humans find that there is something that is our part to do we gravitate to making lists, checking them off, comparing our performance to others and generally get into a pride driven performance.
On the other hand, when we realize that we can do nothing and that you have done everything, there may be the tendency to sit on the couch… Over the last months we have seen that there are a few things that are “safe” for us to put on our list of things to do … One is Surrender. Another is just to Show Up. And today we add to the list: To Ask. Ask that You reveal more and more of yourself and draw us deeper and deeper into your ways and your plans for us.
No wonder this is my favorite verse….. Draw me this day, into these plans, this future and this hope….

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

. . . men always ought to pray and not lose heart —Luke 18:1

As an intercessor, be careful not to seek too much information from God regarding the situation you are praying about, because you may be overwhelmed. If you know too much, more than God has ordained for you to know, you can’t pray; the circumstances of the people become so overpowering that you are no longer able to get to the underlying truth.

Our work is to be in such close contact with God that we may have His mind about everything, but we shirk that responsibility by substituting doing for interceding. And yet intercession is the only thing that has no drawbacks, because it keeps our relationship completely open with God.

What we must avoid in intercession is praying for someone to be simply “patched up.” We must pray that person completely through into contact with the very life of God. Think of the number of people God has brought across our path, only to see us drop them! When we pray on the basis of redemption, God creates something He can create in no other way than through intercessory prayer.

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December 19, 2011 (Reprise Journal Entry from 2011)

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this devotional suggests that I make the decision about  who needs  compassion and who does not. I am not certain I am capable of making  that kind of decision. In fact my history says I am not even remotely (and never will be) capable of making that kind of distinction. When people are in  need I suspect I must simply trust You to lead me to my calling.

And God says…”That is  exactly right, when you encounter people in need of Me; you are to rely on Me to respond through you. You are not capable of making those kinds of  distinctions. Trust in Me and simply be available. Trust  in Me with all your heart  and I will make your path straight. When you have absolutely no idea what to say or do for a person that needs Me, simply trust Me and place yourself on My  alter. Let Me deal with them through you; simply be available. Acknowledge Me  in all your ways, and I will make your paths straight.”

. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . . —John 17:22

Personality is the unique, limitless part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. It is too vast for us even to comprehend. An island in the sea may be just the top of a large mountain, and our personality is like that island. We don’t know the great depths of our being, therefore we cannot measure ourselves. We start out thinking we can, but soon realize that there is really only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.

Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality is the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Our Lord can never be described in terms of individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person— “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only reach your true identity once you are merged with another person. When love or the Spirit of God come upon a person, he is transformed. He will then no longer insist on maintaining his individuality. Our Lord never referred to a person’s individuality or his isolated position, but spoke in terms of the total person— “. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . . .” Once your rights to yourself are surrendered to God, your true personal nature begins responding to God immediately. Jesus Christ brings freedom to your total person, and even your individuality is transformed. The transformation is brought about by love— personal devotion to Jesus. Love is the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.

Journal, DJR
Good Morning, Lord.
It is truly good to walk in that state where love has taken over and exceeded our individuality (and independence and rebellion and a lot of other terms that mean doing our own thing with our pleasure, or avoiding pain as our main objective) Why I cant stay in that state more, I dont know, I really do like myself better, and I think you do to, when I am in what Oswald is referring to as personality rather than individuality state.
It has been normal since the garden for humans to think first of themselves. I have offered you a better way to live … with your independence and individuality surrendered and allowing yourself to be led by love. It takes practice and there is some decision making involved. Surrender can be a decision … or it can be what happens when no other options are left. Surrender by decision is a higher level life skill. But I’ll take your surrender either way. And either way, you’ll have a better life. You can surrender your individuality to another person and that is good, you’ll be a team, and two is more than twice as much as one … But the highest and best surrender in the Universe it surrender to the maker of the Universe and the Lover of your soul. It’s really the best way to live and I provided it for you because I love you and want to be in relationship with you.