The Supreme Climb

April 26th, 2012 by Dave No comments »

Take now your son . . . and offer him . . . as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you —Genesis 22:2

A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (see Psalm 18:25-26). Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave this traditional belief behind through the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditional beliefs that misrepresent Him. There are many such beliefs which must be removed-for example, that God removes a child because his mother loves him too much. That is the devil’s lie and a travesty on the true nature of God! If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of our wrong traditional beliefs about God, he will do so. But if we will stay true to God, God will take us through an ordeal that will serve to bring us into a better knowledge of Himself.

The great lesson to be learned from Abraham’s faith in God is that he was prepared to do anything for God. He was there to obey God, no matter what contrary belief of his might be violated by his obedience. Abraham was not devoted to his own convictions or else he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was actually the voice of the devil. That is the attitude of a fanatic. If you will remain true to God, God will lead you directly through every barrier and right into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself. But you must always be willing to come to the point of giving up your own convictions and traditional beliefs. Don’t ask God to test you. Never declare as Peter did that you are willing to do anything, even “to go . . . both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Abraham did not make any such statement— he simply remained true to God, and God purified his faith.

Journal, DJR
Good Morning, Lord.
Oswald brings the point that we humans can get off track by ascribing causality to the wrong person. Maybe something came from God, maybe Satan was involved or maybe it was just our own sowing and reaping. Believing one of those stories strongly (but differently than the other person) can start wars, cause divorces and all sorts of human mischief. You have your work cut out for you … straightening out our human wrong thinking. But of course you are up to the task. And have all the tools you need to get it accomplished.

Do as Abraham did, Just stay determined to follow me and I will show you my ways and my love. It is helpful to know my character. Then you wont be so likely to blame me for the works of Satan or your own fallen humanity. Make that the goal of your study … to know my character and love. Not to clarify argument positions or simply to “gain knowledge”

1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NLT)

Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

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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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