Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask…of very costly oil…and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else saw any special occasion; in fact, “…there were some who…said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her extravagant act of devotion, and said, “…wherever this gospel is preached…what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

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September 2 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God . Thank You for this devotional about being surrendered and connected; about self-expenditure. David and I talked and prayed today that we might be more aware of our state of surrender and connectedness today, and that we enjoy just “being with You”. We talked about using our minds eye to visualize You more frequently in our day, and to give less thought to our needs, or tasks at hand, and like Mary of Bethany, simply be available to be poured out in our relationship. Is it right and proper to ask Your help in being poured out with and to You, and simply be in relationship, not thinking about doing anything?

And God says…”When you are surrendered and connected to Me it is right and proper, and natural to simply “be with Me”; with no purpose or request. But to simply be with Me. You can know that I have met all your needs, regardless of what your senses may tell you….seek first the kingdom of God and I will provide everything else you require. And once you know, in your spirit, that all your needs are being met, your heart and mind are free to concentrate on our relationship. Trust that when you acknowledge Me in all your ways, I will make your paths straight. When you let go of requests, petitions, and tasks, and are simply with Me first, as the song says, your ability to trust and believe grows and you know, just know, that I work all things together for your good. Practice just being in relationship, pour yourself out to Me, walking, talking and being with Me this day, then look back and see how I have met all your needs. Do not be consumed by the cares of the world, be surrendered and connected and allow Me to be God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not relay on your own devices, and I will make your paths straight.“

 

What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “…the cares of this world,…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life…hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

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August 31 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. What does Chambers mean when he says our joy can be displaced by considering our circumstances too much? ….before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. Lord, we understand that we are to surrender every day, and in every way our lives and our cares, and we are to be connected to You. But what are we to do when the circumstances are hard: health failing, bank accounts dwindling, and or our family is up against it? How can we let go of our circumstances and find the joy of Jesus in light of pain or very difficult circumstances?

And God says…”You can change your mind and your thoughts by focusing on Jesus. You can choose to be connected to Jesus or to your thoughts of life’s difficulties. It is a choice. When you acknowledge the Lord in all your ways trust that your mind will find the joy of Jesus, and not the troubles of the day. Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7The Message (MSG).

There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “…My peace I give to you…”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27).

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August 26 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. This line from the devotional really captured my attention: Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. Lord, thank You for leading me to this place day after day after day; to a place where I learn that real peace comes for being surrendered and connected, knowing You are God and You have good plans for me. But Lord, how do I keep my mind’s eye from looking at the pending storms and or the lack of resources for long periods of time? I wonder if receiving peace instead of solutions and direct answers to prayers and requests is simply a short term response from you.

And God says…”Everything about your life on earth is short term. And just because you believe that more resources or protection from a storm is what you need, does not make it so. I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not evil. I make all things work together for your good. You believe that I have answered all your long term questions by providing eternal life and a peace about your heavenly home provided by the sacrifice of Jesus. You have faith and believe in your heavenly home; even though you cannot see heaven. Know too that I have provided for all your short term requirements even though you often cannot see those answers either. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, of things unseen. Supernaturally, you can come to trust, believe and rely on the substance of things unseen when you are surrendered and connected to Jesus. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding or perception, and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you require, including a peace that surrounds you even when, from a human point of view, it looks like storms and need overwhelm you.”

The illustration of prayer that our Lord used here is one of a good child who is asking for something good. We talk about prayer as if God hears us regardless of what our relationship is to Him (see Matthew 5:45). Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Don’t faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. Is your relationship right with your spouse, your children, and your fellow students? Are you a “good child” in those relationships? Do you have to say to the Lord, “I have been irritable and cross, but I still want spiritual blessings”? You cannot receive and will have to do without them until you have the attitude of a “good child.”We mistake defiance for devotion, arguing with God instead of surrendering. We refuse to look at the evidence that clearly indicates where we are wrong. Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want, while refusing to pay someone what I owe him? Have I been asking God for liberty while I am withholding it from someone who belongs to me? Have I refused to forgive someone, and have I been unkind to that person? Have I been living as God’s child among my relatives and friends? (see Matthew 7:12).

I am a child of God only by being born again, and as His child I am good only as I “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). For most of us, prayer simply becomes some trivial religious expression, a matter of mystical and emotional fellowship with God. We are all good at producing spiritual fog that blinds our sight. But if we will search out and examine the evidence, we will see very clearly what is wrong— a friendship, an unpaid debt, or an improper attitude. There is no use praying unless we are living as children of God. Then Jesus says, regarding His children, “Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8).

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August 24, 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, is this really the way it works? You only hear our prayers when we “are good”? Are we to go through self-examination as a step to finding out why our prayers have not been answered? Are we to examine ourselves whenever You do not respond to our prayers? Or is self-examination a good thing that comes out of surrender and connection? What about the scriptures that tell us that there is nothing good in us; that the very best we can do is not good enough? This sounds a little too much like the “Santa Claus” myth: if we are good, You will respond to our prayers, and if we are not “good” You will not?

And God says…”When you seek your own ways and means, I cannot help you. When you take charge of your life, I am compelled to let you. However, when you surrender your life to Me, the Holy Spirit can operate in your life and you can live a life of abundance, even when I choose not to provide you with everything you ask. Your “goodness” has nothing to do with how I see you and your requests. Your “goodness “is provided by Jesus. Grace allows Me to see Jesus when I look at you.”

Matthew 6:33The Message (MSG) 30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.

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August 21, 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord, and thank You for this day and this opportunity to be led by Your Spirit through this devotional. This line from today’s devotional jumped out at me; He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. This sounds a great deal like the lessons we have been learning about surrender being the first step in our intimate relationship with You. Is surrender such an important element? What about commitment, understanding and devotion to You? Are those elements not important as well?

And God says…”Of course commitment, understanding and devotion to Me are important. However, humans make commitments and cannot keep them. Humans want to understand instead of trust, and I can only accept 100% devotion…or complete devotion, 100% of the time. And you are unable to meet these standards, without the Holy Spirit living in and through you. Surrender (or yield as Chambers says here) is essential for our relationship. When you surrender (yield) yourself: your own ways and means, then the connection can be established between us through the Spirit of God living inside of you. Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own commitments, understanding or devotion to Me, and I will make your paths straight. When you fail to surrender or yield, I will cover you with My grace until you do. And recall that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once, asking Him to re-establish your rest. Never allow anything to remain in your life that is causing the unrest. Think of every detail of your life that is causing the disintegration as something to fight against, not as something you should allow to remain. Ask the Lord to put awareness of Himself in you, and your self-awareness will disappear. Then He will be your all in all. Beware of allowing your self-awareness to continue, because slowly but surely it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is satanic. Don’t allow yourself to say, “Well, they have just misunderstood me, and this is something over which they should be apologizing to me; I’m sure I must have this cleared up with them already.” Learn to leave others alone regarding this. Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute.A complete life is the life of a child. When I am fully conscious of my awareness of Christ, there is something wrong. It is the sick person who really knows what health is. A child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is the will of God. When we have deviated even slightly from the will of God, we begin to ask, “Lord, what is your will?” A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer.If we try to overcome our self-awareness through any of our own commonsense methods, we will only serve to strengthen our self-awareness tremendously. Jesus says, “Come to Me…and I will give you rest,” that is, Christ-awareness will take the place of self-awareness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest— the rest of the completion of activity in our lives that is never aware of itself.

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August 20 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. In this devotional Chambers tells me that if I even think about Your will I am not in your will; that the way to determine if we are living in your oneness is that we do not question or doubt our connection with You at all. We simply live as a child, complete You…..”Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute. A complete life is the life of a child.” So Lord, if this is the case, then it seems that whenever I worry or am anxious, fearful or unsettled, then I am not connected? Could it be that being unsettled, or not living a carefree childlike connectedness, are indicators that I am not surrendered and connected to You?

And God says…”A fish does not notice that it lives in the stream, but it does take notice whenever it is taken out of the water. And living in Me is a state that you most often do not notice except when you choose to step out of My will, or simply take your life and issues into your own hands. Live in oneness with Me through surrender, connection, curiosity, and an obedience that is possible as you allow Me to live through you. Make this your normal and then pain, worry, fear, anxiety …all your cares belong to Me as a child’s cares belong to the parents. Allow the cares of this world to only be indicators for your instant and ongoing surrender, connection, curiosity and obedience…..…..”Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute. A complete life is the life of a child.”