July 31: Till You Are Entirely His

Imagine a skeptic as he scans today's reading. He would start to shake his head, his eyes growing big with disbelief, until he reads the end, "Watch the slipshod bit....Whatever it is, God will point it out with persistence until we are entirely His." At this point, he would probably start to back away, muttering something about, "You people are crazy! Why in the world do you want to let God make you His slave?"

Then imagine his utter amazement if you have grown to the point where you can stun him with the paradox, "Ahhh, because when you know the truth, it sets you totally free!" John 8:32.

The theme of the James 1:2-12 scripture passage is 'the purpose of testing in the life of a believer.' The verse before the one that Chambers quotes is "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds..." The verses after say, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God....But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt..." We certainly have to ask for supernatural wisdom before we can embrace the idea that we must strive for total obedience before we can grow spiritually and become "mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:3 NIV.

Jesus, please help us resist our natural inclination to compare ourselves with other people and accept less than You want us to be. Whenever You are directing our paths, help us not lean on our own intellect and understanding, but trust in You with all our hearts so that we can become the best that we can be. Proverbs 3:5-6.

July 30: The Discipline of Disillusionment

Entertainment today often revolves around love stories about finding "The Right One." We are indoctrinated with the idea that there is a person out there who will make us happy. If we are fortunate enough to discover that this idea is a lie, our first response is cynical disillusionment. Then why do I say it is fortunate to uncover this fantasy? Because, until we realize that happiness will never be found in another person, all of our relationships are doomed to failure, and, more importantly, we will never find ourselves in a proper relationship with God.

Reading today's passage is a great start to learning this truth, but it is only a start. Neither I nor any other person will ever be able to tell you how much happier you will be if your demolish your childhood image of the man or woman of your dreams; you will have to take the leap off the cliff trusting that God is at the bottom of the abyss to catch you.

As much as I love you all and want to be there for you, it is a certainty that I will someday disappoint you or let you down, no matter how hard I try not to. The only one who will ever understand your every emotion, need, and motive is Jesus - thus, He is your only hope for happiness. The divorce rate is so high in our country today largely because people are so disillusioned that their mate didn't meet their needs. They divorce, seeking a perfect soul-mate, only to find their expectations repeatedly dashed.

Here are some scriptures that might help you make this paradigm shift:
Matthew 5:43-48; Matthew 10:37-39; Matthew 22:37-39; John 14:15-21; John 15:12-17; Romans 12: 9-21; I Corinthians 13 (The Love Chapter); Galatians 5:6-14; Ephesians 5:1-2; II Peter 1:3-11; I John 4:8.
For ease of looking them up, I put these verses in order of appearance, not order of importance.

Jesus, please help us to look only to You for our happiness. I do so love these people and pray for them from Ephesians 3:16-21: I pray that out of Your glorious riches that You may strengthen them with Your power through Your Spirit in their most inner being, so that You may live in their hearts through faith. And I pray that they will be rooted and established in love and receive power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. May they know this Love that surpasses knowledge, that they may be filled with the fullness of God. Now to You, Who are able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within us, to You we give all glory, for ever and ever, Amen!!

July 29: What Do You See in Your Clouds?

Did anyone else but me find this lesson to be hard? One thing I have learned from reading Oswald Chambers for the past 15 years is that if something is hard to understand or if I rebel at the teaching for the day, I'm just "not there yet" in spiritual maturity. (The man was only 42-years-old when he died, but was light-years ahead of me in spiritual insight.) Apparently, this is yet another place where I need to grow.

To begin with, I was skeptical about that first sentence. Amazingly, he was right. Out of 156 verses regarding clouds, all but around 40 are directly related to the presence of God. Most of the others are similes or other literary devises to describe God's character or control. Only in Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 does the reference appear to be literal, but the overall theme of chapters 11-12 is "God knows best."

Chambers quoted Nahum 1:3 when he wrote "the clouds are but the dust of our Father's feet," and it is a great comfort to think that God accompanies trouble. Still, I totally resisted his assertion that "God cannot come near without clouds [sorrows]; He does not come in clear shining." Yet it comes to my mind that when I previously did a Word search for scriptures related to happiness and joy, I was completely blown away that over half of those passages were related to sorrow and suffering. And looking back over my life, it is true that my spiritual growth is directly proportional to the amount of sorrow I faced at that time. Hmmmm.

A sense of peaceful familiarity descended as I read "we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God." Whereas I used to become despondent in the midst of trouble, I usually now just feel an excited anticipation of what God is going to do. Some time ago, Andrew Brown was having a hard time selling his house, and I was trying to encourage him in an admittedly non-traditional way. He looked at me quizically and asked, "Mrs. Jane, do you even have troubles anymore?" His question startled me, and I had to think a moment before I answered, "Yes, of course I do. It's just that I don't seem to notice them as much anymore." Praise the Lord, perhaps I have made some progress in finding God!

The last paragraph refers to Luke 9:28-36, what we refer to as "The Transfiguration." Just eight days before, Peter had boldly proclaimed that Jesus was "the Christ of God" and had soaked in Jesus' instructions of how to radically follow Him. Yet when presented the unbelieveable opportunity to witness the transformation of Jesus from His humanity to His divinity, Peter, along with James and John, were afraid to enter the dark cloud with Him.

Dear Jesus, help us not be afraid to look the darkest, blackest fact full in the face without fear that we will want to impune Your character. Please help us to know You so well that we completely trust You even in the areas we don't understand, like the suffering of innocents, etc. Remind us repeatedly that the troubles we face are actually a sign that You are in our midst and that you are in control!

July 28: After Obedience - What?

Before reading from "My Utmost," I always go to the Scripture text in the Bible and read above and below it to get an idea of the context from which Chambers is speaking. More importantly, this also gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to teach me the specific lesson that I need in my life on this day.

When I was reading from Mark 6 today, a vivid scene played in my mind. Picturing myself as one of the disciples who had just witnessed Jesus miraculously feed five thousand people from five small loaves of bread and two fish, I could feel myself swell with self-importance. "Oh yeah, look at me! I am one of the inner circle. [Smug look.] Bet you wish you could be important like me."

Then I felt the pin burst the balloon...Jesus sent the disciples away!!! I imagine I would have been standing there with my jaw dropped to my chest as I watched Jesus turn His back and leave. Indignantly, I would have turned to the others and exclaimed, "EXCUUUUUSE ME? We should be going with him! This is big! He needs us to gets the word out." [Translation: I would have needed to be with Him so I could be famous.]

Why is it that our human nature can't believe we are in God's will unless we have achieved the spotlight? Why do I somehow feel I have let Him down unless I can show Him a long list of things I have accomplished in His name? Even after serving Him for all these years, I still felt a sense of disbelief when I read "His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God."

Jesus, help us stay focused on Your "purpose for this minute." Help us not to crave "the afterwards of obedience." Please remove the propaganda of our society which demands beauty, strength, fame and riches and implant deep into our souls the knowledge that "if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."

July 27: The Way to Know

Today's entry starts with a part of a statement from Jesus. Here is more of what He said after being asked how He got such learning without having attended a rabbinical school: My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him Who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he wil find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. John 7:16-17 NIV.

Bro. Chambers doesn't pull any punches today, does he? The topic is obedience, and the bottom line is "if things are dark to me, then I may BE SURE there is something I will not do." How many times have I demanded a cafeteria-style obedience, wanting to pick and choose in which things I will submit. I grow stagnant spiritually, convicted that it is because of some point of defiance to the instructions of the Holy Spirit, and then whine, "But, Lord, I obey You more than most people I know! What You ask is too hard for me, so let's just move on to the next thing!" For our own good, Jesus will not deal with us when we are being this kind of "religious humbug."

The best example I know of the amazing results of obedience is in the story of how Tim Wilkins, a former homosexual, became a happy, married-with-three-children, heterosexual by simply obeying the commands of the Bible. Although he couldn't imagine ever having an attraction to a woman, he knew the Bible said that sex outside of marriage was wrong, so he chose to abstain, thinking that he would have to remain celebate for life. Gradually, he desired a relationship with a person, as he says, "where the parts fit," and is thrilled with his life. His story can be found at www.crossministry.org (click on "Tim's Story") if you would like to read it.

Jesus, please help all of us to absord the teachings from Your Word and not shirk from it. Let us set You as our standard of behavior, not those around us. May we be willing to run "the risk of being thought fanatical if we obey what God tells us." Actually, being that kind of a radical sounds kind of fun!

July 26: The Account with Purity

In today's devotion, Chambers says "If I will hand myself over to Him, I need never experience the terrible possibilities that are in my heart." Did you take the time to look up Matthew 15:19? We are all obviously capable of evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony [lies], and slander. (NIV)

Just yesterday, Jerald and I were commenting on a song on the radio, "One of These Days." It is about what will happen when we get to heaven, and one line has always grabbed my attention: "One of these days I will see what I would have been if He hadn't saved me." When I try to realistically imagine what kind of person I would be today if I had refused to surrender to Jesus in July 1972....every scenario makes me shudder. We married so young, and argued so much; divorce would have been the natural solution. Depression plagued me in my twenties. Would I be addicted to anti-depressants, constantly in therapy, or would I have given in to the suicidal thoughts and not even been here today? The list of bad times is long and the outcomes would have certainly been devastating. Without Jesus there is no way I could have ended up with the life I have today.

Just as Jesus knew the rewards of following Him, He also knew the cost of discipleship. My prayer is that you will embrace His challenge in Luke 9:23-25: If anyone would come after me, he must take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

July 25: Am I Blessed Like This?

Chambers says, "the Beatitudes contain the dynamite of the Holy Ghost." Let's look at them in their simplicity from the Contempory English Version:

BLESSINGS

God blesses those people who depend only on Him.

....They belong to the kingdom of heaven!

God blesses those people who grieve.

....They will find comfort!

God blesses those people who are humble.

....The earth will belong to them!

God blesses those people who want to obey him more than to eat or drink.

....They will be given what they want!

God blesses those people who are merciful.

....They will be treated with mercy!

God blesses those people whose hearts are pure!

....They will see Him!

God blesses those people who make peace.

....They will be called His children!

God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right.

....They belong to the kingdom of heaven!

I pray that as we read this passage, each verse will become a sleeper waiting for the Holy Spirit's detonation to explode its shrapnel of truth into every part of our being. May we all be brave enough to face the "astonishing discomfort" of looking at life through the eyes of Jesus and be willing to take on "the stern work of a saint."

Then we will be ecstatic to discover yet another paradox: "The Sermon on the Mount is not an [impossible] set of rules and regulations: it is a statement of the life we will live [joyously and of our own free will] when the Holy Spirit is getting His way with us."

July 24: Disposition and Deeds

How I pity the legalists! Imagine how tiring it must be to try to remember thousands of rules that one must obey in order to be righteous. It's a wonder that they have the strength to face a new day with the weight of such stoic "right-doing" weighing heavily on their shoulders. That doesn't even consider how much effort must be spent constantly judging how other people's actions measure up to their particular doctrine.

Now observe the freedom of the one who strives for "right-being." Their one goal at the start of each day is to know Jesus more, because they have learned, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free!" Matthew 8:32. They have hidden The Word in their hearts, because the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edge sword...it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, Hebrews 4:12. Each day they walk burden-free, knowing that the Lord is kind, and as soon as He hears your cries for help, He will come.... now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, "This is the road! Now follow it." Isaiah 30:19-21 CEV.

I totally agree with Chambers that "the great marvel of Jesus Christ's salvation is that He alters heredity." Human nature, the genetics of mankind, punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generations. Exodus 34:7 Fortunately, "He alters its mainspring." My biological father is a pathological liar. Although my girls have never even met this man, they, like their mother, were born liars. How amazing that He has lifted this generational curse from us as we devote ourselves to him. (Never underestimate the power of prayer!)

July 23: Sanctification - The Life Side

Oh yeah!! Whereas yesterday's reading reminded me of all the bad traits that pour out of my selfishness, today's lesson makes me feel like a verse from Chris Rice's song, "Untitled Hymn" -
"And when the joy spills over, and music fills the night, and when you can't contain the joy inside, then dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus...and live!"

Isn't it wonderful that our Creator knew our limitations and designed a way so that "the perfections of Jesus Christ are imparted to me, not gradually, but instantly when by faith I enter into the realization that Jesus Christ is made unto me sanctification."

It works out like this:
-Anger. The death side of me says "Lord, you can't expect me to let them get away with THAT!" Although I try to imitate Christ, my efforts fail. The life side remembers I John 4:7-8, "...he who loveth not, knoweth not God," and by faith humbly asks, "Lord, help me love them like you love them." Supernaturally empowering me to love, His efforts succeed!

-Unforgiveness. The death side snarls, "It is not humanly possible to forgive or forget such a horrible act of wickedness." No matter how I pretend to be nice, the memory of the malice causes searing pain in my soul. The life side recalls Matthew 6:12, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Remembering just how much God has forgiven me, by faith I ask Him to help me forgive, and the pain goes away.

Jesus, You are awesome! No wonder I am the happiest person I know!!

July 22: Sanctification - The Death Side

Oh me! The first time I read this, I should have known this lesson was not going to be an easy one from the title - it sounds like a scary movie! Chambers nailed it when he wrote, "Immediately the Spirit of God begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle begins."

Sanctification is defined as "to be holy; to be set apart for God; to be free from sin." Over the years I've discovered that it is the opposite of the natural me. When I followed the advice of the last paragraph and asked the Lord to show me what Sanctification means for me, God promptly enrolled me in His "Submission 101" class. Unfortunately, I failed the class at least three times before I was allowed to take "Submission 102." (Actually, I think I even failed the special ed remedial class!)

Chambers wisely began his lesson with a verse from I Thessalonians. Looking back, it is clear I would have been wise to read chapters 4-5 before I trying to "become holy." Verse 4:12 gives a good incentive to undertake this process: Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.* At the end of Chapter 5, Paul gives some practical instruction for those who want to be sanctified. I especially love the short, imperative directives of verses 16-22:
Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Don't stifle the Spirit.
Don't despise prophecies, but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every form of evil.**

My prayer for you is like Paul's at the end of Chapter 5: "I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. The One who chose you can be trusted, and He will do this."*


[Bible versions used: *CEV (Contemporary English Version) and ** HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Version) ]

July 21: The Gateway to the Kingdom

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/07/0721.html

Several years ago I led a Bible study on Matthew 5-7, distributing a 2-page handout that listed all the characteristics of a Christian that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. After the ladies had studied the sheet for a few minutes, there was an uncomfortable silence in the room before one of them blurted out, "So, we're pretty much sunk, then." Unfortunately, I did not do nearly as good a job as Chambers of leading those people from the despair of confronting their poverty of spirit to the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

To read the Sermon on the Mount is to be amazed at the oratory skill of Jesus! Somehow He managed to simultaneously strip people of their SELF worth while showing them the potential of their GOD worth if they joined the Kingdom of Heaven. As a child, did you ever have one of those paint-with-water books? The pages looked like a coloring book until you "painted" the sections with a cotton swab dipped in water. Previously invisible colors instantly appeared like magic. Our lives are colorless, too, until we allow ourselves to be swabbed by the transforming power of Jesus. Like the water on the book's pages, the blood that He shed for our sins is the catalyst that makes us bloom into what we were created to be.

July 20 Dependent on God's Presence

The reality of God's presence... Perhaps that is so difficult to fathom because it is so hard to believe that the Creator of the Universe loves us so much that He would condescend to come to us on our level. But ask anyone who has chosen to become a follower of Jesus and they will tell you that His presence is very real. Remember those "No Fear" shirts of the 80's? I have observed that the only people I have ever known to truly exhibit no fear in their lives are those that have totally sold out to God.

Chambers refers to a Psalmist saying "Therefore will we not fear, though..." This comes from Psalm 46, a song written by the sons of Korah. (I bet that was a very popular song in its day!)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
And the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though its waters roar and foam
And the mountains quake with their surging. ....
.... "Be still and know that I am God ... I will be exalted in the earth."
The Lord Almighty is with us...

Imagine being at a big screen theater and watching the scene described above. Most of the people are running, screaming in wild-eyed terror. But our hero, the radical follower of Christ, stands serenely, confidently submitting to his Leader, knowing that "we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." II Corinthians 4: 7-9.

What a life!!

Mama Jane