Thoughts from Oswald Chambers..

THE INSPIRATION OF SPIRITUAL INITIATIVE

“Arise from the dead.” Ephesians 5:14

All initiative is not inspired. A man may say to you – “Buck up, take your disinclination by the throat, throw it overboard, and walk out into the thing!” That is ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, “Buck up,” we find that the initiative is inspired.

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say – “Arise from the dead.” When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the “bucking up.” God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says – “Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.

Oswald Chamber’s reading for the day from My Utmost for His Highest.

THE DEVOTION OF HEARING
“Speak; for Thy servant heareth.” 1 Samuel 3:10

Because I have listened definitely to one thing from God, it does not follow that I will listen to everything He says. The way in which I show God that I neither love nor respect Him is by the obtuseness of my heart and mind towards what He says. If I love my friend, I intuitively detect what he wants, and Jesus says, “Ye are My friends.” Have I disobeyed some command of my Lord’s this week? If I had realized that it was a command of Jesus, I would not consciously have disobeyed it; but most of us show such disrespect to God that we do not even hear what He says, He might never have spoken.

The destiny of my spiritual life is such identification with Jesus Christ that I always hear God, and I know that God always hears me (John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God, by the devotion of hearing all the time. A lily, or a tree, or a servant of God, may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is that I am taken up with other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am not devoted in the right place. I am devoted to things, to service, to convictions, and God may say what He likes but I do not hear Him. The child attitude is always, “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth.” If I have not cultivated this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times; at other times I am taken up with things – things which I say I must do, and I become deaf to Him, I am not living the life of a child. Have I heard God’s voice today?

I’m reading through the Bible in a year. Ok, let me rephrase that. I’m making a valiant effort to read the Bible in a year this year. I’m already behind (go figure, right?), but I’ve found myself increasingly more drawn and interested the more I consistently read. I read about Joseph today in Genesis (ch. 40-42). Everything from him being sold into slavery by his brothers, to being thrown into prison, to interpreting Pharoah’s dreams and finally being second-in-command over all of Egypt. Not only is it a fascinating story, but it’s pretty cool to think about how God’s plan unfolded throughout the story and ultimately how God took care of Joseph.

Things have been pretty crazy with school and starting to think about plans for when I graduate. I’m starting to entertain the thought of buying a house sometime this year, once I start my job and am living in Nashville. My original (and current) plan is to live with my brother and rent from him. But the housing market is so low and some of the houses that I’d be interested in buying are going for $90,000-$110,000. I definitely still have some researching and planning to do, but who knows – maybe i’ll be a first-time home owner in a year. With everything going on though, it’s hard to not sometimes get overwhelmed and to wonder how everything is going to work out. Reading from Genesis was good. It reminded me that God is sovereign and gracious to His people, and He has a much longer-term plan in mind than I could ever hope to plan or imagine.

Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest reading for today:

DO YOU SEE YOUR CALLING?
“Separated unto the Gospel.” Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell; but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but – “when it pleased God who separated me. . .” Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God. “Don’t ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose – to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Rom. 9:3.)

Best piece of advice i’ve received in a long time.

“Fear the One who can throw your soul into hell. No one else.”

I started reading in the book of Mark this morning. I read Mark 1 and was struck by the numerous times that people from all over flock to Jesus because of his healing power and authority. After reading it, i’m curious as to why we are often so hesitant to come to Him. The evidence is undeniable. His authority and power is unbelievable – so much so that the towns became too crowded with people when Jesus was in them. Why don’t we likewise come to Jesus?

After being baptized by John and spending forty days in the wilderness, Jesus begins his ministry. His message? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (v. 15)
To begin with, the first disciples (Simon, Andrew the brother of Simon, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother) throw down their nets and follow Jesus. The verse says, “And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.” The verse doesn’t say that they went home, packed up their things, and said goodbye to their family. No, the disciples immediately left their dad sitting in the boat along with the hired servants! (v. 16-20)
Jesus then goes on into Capernaum, into the synagogue and started teaching. The people “were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.” (v. 22) Following, Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit, as well as heals many others and casts out demons in the land.

What struck me most about this passage is the number of people that flock to Jesus. They recognize him as someone with authority. Even the demon in the man (v. 23) cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” (v. 24) After silencing and casting out the demon, the people are amazed and say, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” (v.27)
In the next passage, the whole city is gathered at Jesus’s doorstep, bringing the sick and oppressed for healing. (v.33) In verse 37, Simon came to Jesus and said, “Everyone is looking for you.” Jesus goes with his disciples and moves on to the next towns to continue his preaching. His fame spreads.
In the final passage of Mark 1, Jesus cleanses a leper. Despite being commanded to be quiet about it, the leper goes out and talks freely about it. The news spread so quickly, “so that Jesus could not longer enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.” (v.45)

I have a hard enough time coming to Jesus in the quiet and solitude of my own room, on my own time. In this chapter, people ran to Christ from all over – sometimes probably miles upon miles away. They sat at his feet and listened intently.. because He IS (not was) someone who has “new and real authority.” Something to think about.

Obedience or Independence?

If you love Me, keep My commandments —John 14:15

Our Lord never insists obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “If,” meaning, “You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .” (Luke 9:23). In other words, “To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me.” Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them.

The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny. My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed. When God’s redemption brings a human soul to the point of obedience, it always produces. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.

It might seem a little strange, at first blush, to see a the church’s “Call to Confession” as the theme of a blog post. I would never be able to count the times I have probably recited this confession in church, word-for-word.. and how many times I have glazed over and given little, if any, thought to what i’m praying. I guarantee you that I have often read this while not actually believing that my worship of Him was pitiful, or that my witness for Christ was done with a hesitant heart, or that I am not a good steward of the skills and gifts He has blessed me with. I don’t often acknowledge my slowness to read the Bible and study His Word, and consequently, my failure to follow His will for my life – His will being one which takes me outside myself and makes me dead to sin and alive in Christ. The issue is not that I’m reluctant to bear His cross.. I simply don’t bear His cross. I am not even remotely a good example or witness for God.

But thank God that His love is steadfast! And that He forgives us for all of our wrong-doings and lack of right-doings, and that His Son died and took the punishment we deserve. It was eye-opening for me. I pray that God would give us a new and right state of mind, heart, and soul – one that is increasingly more Christ-like and God-fearing.

Call to Confession

God, our Father,
you have set forth the way of life for us in your beloved Son.
We confess with shame our slowness to learn of him,
our failure to follow him, our reluctance to bear his cross.

Forgive, according to your steadfast love,
the poverty of worship,
our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace,
our hesitating witness for Christ,
our imperfect stewardship of your gifts.

Have mercy on us, O God;
cleanse us from our sins,
and put a new and right spirit within us;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Some thoughts for the day from Oswald Chambers and his devotional – My Utmost for His Highest.

THE KEY TO THE MASTER’S ORDERS
“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38

The key to the missionary problem is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer not work, that is, not work as the word is popularly understood to-day because that may mean the evasion of concentration on God. The key to the missionary problem is not the key of common sense, nor the medical key, nor the key of civilization or education or even evangelization. The key is prayer. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest.” Naturally, prayer is not practical, it is absurd; we have to realize that prayer is stupid from the ordinary common-sense point of view.

There are no nations in Jesus Christ’s outlook, but the world. How many of us pray with out respect of persons, and with respect to only one Person, Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced by distress and conviction of sin, and this is the harvest we have to pray that labourers may be thrust out to reap. We are taken up with active work while people all round are ripe to harvest, and we do not reap one of them, but waste our Lord’s time in over-energized activities. Suppose the crisis comes in your father’s life, in your brother’s life, are you there as a labourer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? “Oh, but I have a special work to do!” No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ’s own, one who is not above his Master, one who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls to no special work: He calls to Himself. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,” and He will engineer circumstances and thrust you out.