The Warning Against Desiring Spiritual Success

April 24th, 2012 by Dave No comments »


Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you . . . —Luke 10:20

Worldliness is not the trap that most endangers us as Christian workers; nor is it sin. The trap we fall into is extravagantly desiring spiritual success; that is, success measured by, and patterned after, the form set by this religious age in which we now live. Never seek after anything other than the approval of God, and always be willing to go “outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Hebrews 13:13). In Luke 10:20  , Jesus told the disciples not to rejoice in successful service, and yet this seems to be the one thing in which most of us do rejoice. We have a commercialized view— we count how many souls have been saved and sanctified, we thank God, and then we think everything is all right. Yet our work only begins where God’s grace has laid the foundation. Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them. Salvation and sanctification are the work of God’s sovereign grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others’ lives until they are totally yielded to God. One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit. As workers for God, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually, and those lives will be God’s testimony to us as His workers. God brings us up to a standard of life through His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that same standard in others.

Unless the worker lives a life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3), he is apt to become an irritating dictator to others, instead of an active, living disciple. Many of us are dictators, dictating our desires to individuals and to groups. But Jesus never dictates to us in that way. Whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced His words with an “if,” never with the forceful or dogmatic statement— “You must.” Discipleship carries with it an option.

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Do You Worship The Work?

April 23rd, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

We are God’s fellow workers . . . —1 Corinthians 3:9

 


Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God. This will mean that all the other boundaries of life, whether they are mental, moral, or spiritual limits, are completely free with the freedom God gives His child; that is, a worshiping child, not a wayward one. A worker who lacks this serious controlling emphasis of concentration on God is apt to become overly burdened by his work. He is a slave to his own limits, having no freedom of his body, mind, or spirit. Consequently, he becomes burned out and defeated. There is no freedom and no delight in life at all. His nerves, mind, and heart are so overwhelmed that God’s blessing cannot rest on him.But the opposite case is equally true–once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing–to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . .” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
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April 23,  2012

 

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, please let me know that you are here with me right now, leading me. Lord, please help me to let my lifesong sing to you. I am concerned that my lifesong has been too much about me recently; my needs, my hopes, dreams and vision. Lord please give me Your hopes, dreams and vision for my life. Help me to want to be and then to actually be your arms and feet living out your plan for my life.

And God says…”In order to live in My will, you will need to surrender your own will, daily. In order to experience the love I have for you and for those around you, you must let go of your own needs and give them to me daily. I will meet all your needs, and show you how you can live a most abundant life, when you give it up. If you want to save your life, you will lose it. Seek first the kingdom of God which is
Jesus, surrender everything else to Me, and your lifesong will sing to Me and to many that will need to hear and see it.”

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Can a Saint Falsely Accuse God?

April 20th, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen . . . —2 Corinthians 1:20


Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30  was a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacities. This parable has nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities, but relates to the gift of the Holy Spirit as He was first given at Pentecost. We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, “Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me.” Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”? (Matthew 6:33). Worrying means exactly what this servant implied— “I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable.” A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God. Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God. Is God able to fulfill His promises? Our answer depends on whether or not we have received the Holy Spirit.
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April 20, 2012
Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this line from Chamber’s devotional; …..”Worrying means exactly what this servant implied—I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable” struck me as a very powerful indictment on my worrying. It occurs to me that being concerned (worrying) about not being spiritual enough, obedient enough, or studious enough as a believer can also fall into the category of not trusting God. Is it possible that my concerns about not being “good enough” fall into the category of accusing God? Lord is it possible that because You began the work in me, and promised to complete it, that any worry about my progress could be accusing You?

And God says…”Seek first the kingdom of heaven which is Jesus. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways, and trust that as you look to and for Jesus for every hope and need, you are transformed into His likeness. There is no requirement for measuring up, keeping the rules or adhering to certain disciplines. There is only your surrender to Jesus. Surrender your needs, hopes, dreams; yes all of your life, and experience life and life more abundant. Nothing can separate you from My love, mercy and grace. You need not even try to measure up. Simply surrender and allow Jesus living through you to meet all the requirements that you cannot.” 

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Beware of the Least Likely Temptation

April 19th, 2012 by Dave No comments »

Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom —1 Kings 2:28

Joab withstood the greatest test of his life, remaining absolutely loyal to David by not turning to follow after the fascinating and ambitious Absalom. Yet toward the end of his life he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly Adonijah. Always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back (see 1 Corinthians 10:11-13). You may have just victoriously gone through a great crisis, but now be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt you. Beware of thinking that the areas of your life where you have experienced victory in the past are now the least likely to cause you to stumble and fall.

We are apt to say, “It is not at all likely that having been through the greatest crisis of my life I would now turn back to the things of the world.” Do not try to predict where the temptation will come; it is the least likely thing that is the real danger. It is in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect. They may not be forceful and dominant, but they are there. And if you are not careful to be forewarned, they will trip you. You have remained true to God under great and intense trials— now beware of the undercurrent. Do not be abnormally examining your inner self, looking forward with dread, but stay alert; keep your memory sharp before God. Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness, because that is where the least likely temptations will be effective in sapping strength. The Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.

“. . . kept by the power of God . . .”— that is the only safety. (1 Peter 1:5).

Journal DJR
Good Morning, Lord.
I found two songs with lyrics that spoke to the message today, so I’ll put the second one here. In the scripture, Joab wasn’t diligent and made a bad decision toward the end of his life. Earlier David had made some bad decisions. How do we stay diligent, when there are so many areas that we can get off track in? A regimen of constant diligence doesn’t seem right, especially when it probably isn’t enough to guarantee never falling anyway.
You will never get to where you “never fall” You will get to where you never fall in some basic areas that you may have struggled in in the past. But then new vista and opportunities will open up. New ways to fall. New targets to aim for and also to fall short of. Dont worry about those. I don’t get tipped over when you miss the mark. Look at it as feedback. When you fall, get back up and keep walking with me. You cannot escape my love and my sacrifice covers all of your mishaps (sins) Some might say, “well then why wouldn’t I just go out and sin up a storm?” You can do that, but let me ask, “How well has that worked out for you? And for others in history?” As you gain wisdom, you will see that walking in close communion with me is the highest and best way to live.
Yes, I see that Lord, help me keep on seeing it.

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Readiness

April 18th, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

God called to him . . . . And he said, ’Here I am’ —Exodus 3:4

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When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog, and we give no answer. Moses’ reply to God revealed that he knew where he was and that he was ready. Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are. We are so busy telling God where we would like to go. Yet the man or woman who is ready for God and His work is the one who receives the prize when the summons comes. We wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensational will be coming our way, and when it does come we are quick to cry out, “Here I am.” Whenever we sense that Jesus Christ is rising up to take authority over some great task, we are there, but we are not ready for some obscure duty.Readiness for God means that we are prepared to do the smallest thing or the largest thing— it makes no difference. It means we have no choice in what we want to do, but that whatever God’s plans may be, we are there and ready. Whenever any duty presents itself, we hear God’s voice as our Lord heard His Father’s voice, and we are ready for it with the total readiness of our love for Him. Jesus Christ expects to do with us just as His Father did with Him. He can put us wherever He wants, in pleasant duties or in menial ones, because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father. “. . . that they may be one just as We are one . . .” (John 17:22).Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God. A ready person never needs to getready— he is ready. Think of the time we waste trying to get ready once God has called! The burning bush is a symbol of everything that surrounds the person who is ready, and it is on fire with the presence of  God  Himself .
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April 18, 2012

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord,

Like the song and devotional today, I would like to be ready at all times, and Lord I would rather not just “go through the motions”. Sometimes I feel as if I am just going through the motions and I am only ready for those things that I like, enjoy or understand. Or I am ready for You when I am in desperate need or hurting. Please help me be ready and willing to follow You wherever and whenever you lead, even when it is not about my needs or I do not understand where and why You are directing me. Please make me a man after Your own heart.

And God says…”When you keep your eyes on Jesus, you are transformed. You are instantly ready for whatever comes your way when you are connected to Him. It is not you that is ready and willing; it is Christ inside of you; ready, willing and able, all the time. Stay connected to Jesus, ask Him to take control of your day to day, minute by minute life, and He will make and keep you ready throughout your day. And you can be certain that you will not “just go through the motions”.

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All or Nothing?

April 17th, 2012 by Dave No comments »

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment . . . and plunged into the sea —John 21:7

Have you ever had a crisis in your life in which you deliberately, earnestly, and recklessly abandoned everything? It is a crisis of the will. You may come to that point many times externally, but it will amount to nothing. The true deep crisis of abandonment, or total surrender, is reached internally, not externally. The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.
Have you deliberately committed your will to Jesus Christ? It is a transaction of the will, not of emotion; any positive emotion that results is simply a superficial blessing arising out of the transaction. If you focus your attention on the emotion, you will never make the transaction. Do not ask God what the transaction is to be, but make the determination to surrender your will regarding whatever you see, whether it is in the shallow or the deep, profound places internally.
If you have heard Jesus Christ’s voice on the waves of the sea, you can let your convictions and your consistency take care of themselves by concentrating on maintaining your intimate relationship to Him.

 

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Journal, DJR
Good Morning Lord. At first I was feeling guilty that I had not had the total emotional surrender that Oswald talks about at the beginning … but then he ties it all together in the last sentence and we both said, “Yes, that’s what we’ve been learning” Making the decision ahead of time is also a good technique.
I did that in Gethsemane. After Satan came and tried 3 more times and saw that my mind was made up … he departed … and I marched through the next events without having to make decisions … I had already made them, It was now just a matter of walking them out. You can do that too. It’s what Oswald is talking about today.
I will try to pre-decide to 100% surrender all to you in various potential situations. Like you did in Gethsemane. It seems helpful to imagine possible situations, in addition to a general blanket surrender. Help me stay on the surrender track. I seem to get off track when circumstances arise that are different than I imagined. Sometimes I am half way through a situation, or all the way through it, before I remember consciously to surrender. I’m glad you are patient with me.
I’m glad you keep coming to me. Together we’ll work it out. There is no other way to overcome that lethal dose of humanity that you inherited from the Fall. But I see past your sins to what I created and what I died for. Keep coming to me.
OK, I love you.

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Can You Come Down From the Mountain?

April 16th, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

While you have the light, believe in the light . . . —John 12:36


We all have moments when we feel better than ever before, and we say, “I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like this!” We are not meant to be. Those moments are moments of insight which we have to live up to even when we do not feel like it. Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop. Yet we must bring our everyday life up to the standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there.Never allow a feeling that was awakened in you on the mountaintop to evaporate. Don’t place yourself on the shelf by thinking, “How great to be in such a wonderful state of mind!” Act immediately— do something, even if your only reason to act is that you would rather not. If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, “I’ll do it”— just doit! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we saw on the mountain.Don’t give up because you have been blocked and confused once— go after it again. Burn your bridges behind you, and stand committed to God by an act of your own will. Never change your decisions, but be sure to make your decisions in the light of what you saw and learned on the mountain.
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April 16, 2012

Lord, sometimes You seem so close and I just know that we are connected. But for some reason Lord, I don’t feel all that connected right now. Maybe this is the perfect time for this devotional. Even though I do not feel connected or covered by your mercy and grace, I am to … (as Chambers said) … learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we saw on the mountain.

And God says…”That is the way of it. Do not trust your feelings. Your feelings are fickle, as is your heart. When you feel as if you have been slighted, hurt or abandoned by your friends or family you can (and will) often “transfer” those feelings of abandonment over to Me. But I promised never to leave or forsake you. Recall that I also told you that nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, nothing. So, regardless of where you are, what you have or have not done…or how you feel… or do not feel; recall these promises and live like you just heard these promises directly from Me.”

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What To Do When Your Burden Is Overwhelming

April 13th, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

Cast your burden on the Lord . . . —Psalm 55:22


We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off. God wants us to roll them back on Him— to literally “cast your burden,” which He has given you, “on the Lord . . . .” If we set out to serve God and do His work but get out of touch with Him, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating. But if we will only roll back on God the burdens He has placed on us, He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence.Many servants set out to serve God with great courage and with the right motives. But with no intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon defeated. They do not know what to do with their burden, and it produces weariness in their lives. Others will see this and say, “What a sad end to something that had such a great beginning!”“Cast your burden on the Lord . . . .” You have been bearing it all, but you need to deliberately place one end on God’s shoulder. “. . . the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6). Commit to God whatever burden He has placed on you. Don’t just cast it aside, but put it over onto Him and place yourself there with it. You will see that your burden is then lightened by the sense of companionship. But you should never try to separate yourself from your burden.

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Complete and Effective Dominion

April 12th, 2012 by Dave No comments »


Death no longer has dominion over Him. . . . the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God . . . —Romans 6:9-11

Co-Eternal Life. Eternal life is the life which Jesus Christ exhibited on the human level. And it is this same life, not simply a copy of it, which is made evident in our mortal flesh when we are born again. Eternal life is not a gift from God; eternal life is the gift of God. The energy and the power which was so very evident in Jesus will be exhibited in us by an act of the absolute sovereign grace of God, once we have made that complete and effective decision about sin.
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8)— not power as a gift from the Holy Spirit; the power is the Holy Spirit, not something that He gives us. The life that was in Jesus becomes ours because of His Cross, once we make the decision to be identified with Him. If it is difficult to get right with God, it is because we refuse to make this moral decision about sin. But once we do decide, the full life of God comes in immediately. Jesus came to give us an endless supply of life— “. . . that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). Eternal life has nothing to do with time. It is the life which Jesus lived when He was down here, and the only Source of life is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even the weakest saint can experience the power of the deity of the Son of God, when he is willing to “let go.” But any effort to “hang on” to the least bit of our own power will only diminish the life of Jesus in us. We have to keep letting go, and slowly, but surely, the great full life of God will invade us, penetrating every part. Then Jesus will have complete and effective dominion in us, and people will take notice that we have been with Him.

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Journal DJR
Good Morning, Lord.
I like the music today, it was the best I could find on the topic. But it only captures half of the deal you offered us with your sacrificial death. It captures the ransom, the rescue, the undeserved love so amazing, and the source of all our hope. But it doesn’t mention what Oswald focuses on today. That we must totally identify with your death in order to totally grasp the life you offer. Meaning a total death to sin and our old carnal “natural” selves. ie Pick up the cross daily. I searched, but couldn’t find any songs about that part. … Then I re-searched and found this one, which captures more of what Oswald is saying today. It boils down to what JD has been saying … It’s all about Surrender! Thankyou.

Only now that I inserted the second song and took a final look did I notice the similarity of the images used in the 2 videos. It’s appropriate … perhaps because the songs are two sides of the same coin? Your supreme sacrifice and totally free love gift … and what it takes on our part to walk in the blessings that you’ve freely provided. Oswald summarizes this little discussed side of the equation … “any effort to “hang on” to the least bit of our own power will only diminish the life of Jesus in us”

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Complete and Effective Divinity

April 11th, 2012 by JDVaughn No comments »

If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection . . . —Romans 6:5


Co-Resurrection.The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him. The Spirit of Jesus entering me rearranges my personal life before God. The resurrection of Jesus has given Him the authority to give the life of God to me, and the experiences of my life must now be built on the foundation of His life. I can have the resurrection life of Jesus here and now, and it will exhibit itself through holiness.The idea all through the apostle Paul’s writings is that after the decision to be identified with Jesus in His death has been made, the resurrection life of Jesus penetrates every bit of my human nature. It takes the omnipotence of God— His complete and effective divinity— to live the life of the Son of God in human flesh. The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house— He invades all of it. And once I decide that my “old man” (that is, my heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything. My part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals to me. Once I have made that important decision about sin, it is easy to “reckon” that I am actually “dead indeed to sin,” because I find the life of Jesus in me all the time (Romans 6:11). Just as there is only one kind of humanity, there is only one kind of holiness— the holiness of Jesus. And it is His holiness that has been given to me. God puts the holiness of His Son into me, and I belong to a new spiritual order.
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April 11, 2012

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, when I can remove myself from the hurry and hassle of day to day, hour by hour living, I reflect on just exactly what I can do to have a more intimate relationship with You. And it turns out that what I need is not more Bible study or prayer or obedience. I simply need more Jesus. And that is my prayer for today, that I can have more Jesus. I know that inside our intimate connection, which You provide upon my surrender,  is everything else I need.

And God says…”For centuries men and women have worked and struggled…and failed to get close to me using their own devices: From a tower of Babel, to a list of rules and on to building a house that could not contain me. Good works, diligent study nor sacrifice or discipline can achieve what can be accomplished through your simple surrender. Acknowledge Me in all your ways, do not rely on your own good works or understanding and I will make your paths straight. And when none of it makes sense to you and you struggle and search for My peace, joy and hope; surrender yourself to Me and I will give you peace that passes all understanding and a more abundant life.

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