Unreserved Obedience

There are plenty to follow our Lord half-way, but not the other half.  They will give up possessions, friends, and honors, but it touches them too closely to disown themselves.  It is just this astonishing life which is willing to follow Him the other half, sincerely to disown himself, this life which intends complete obedience, without any reservations, that I would propose to you in all humility, in all boldness, in all seriousness.  I mean this literally, utterly, completely, and I mean it for you and for me - commit your lives in unreserved obedience to Him.

A Testament Of Devotion, Thomas Kelly

Holiness

Holiness is not optional. Sanctification is God's will for all Christians.  It is a matter of obeying instructions which come with God's call to salvation; it starts with the heart and is then expressed in conduct...

Holiness involves loving action toward both Christians and non-Christians.  Holiness is more than abstaining from all evil; Christian love is the way separation to the Christian God must show itself.

In God's Presence by JI Packer

We are not suns to burn others with our 'self-goodness,' just moons to reflect His clear light.       Corrie Ten Boom

A holy Life will produce the deepest impression.  Lighthouses blow no horns; they only shine.     DL Moody

A Season Of Life

Lately, I have been going through a season of feeling misjudged, and I have struggled for some time to come to terms with not only the ways I have been misjudged but also my emotions about it.

In the beginning, it was very painful. My feelings were very hurt and I was angry. Then after some time went by, my hurt feelings started to diminished but my anger remained.

Now, I was not angry out of a sense of unfairness. I know life is not fair and fairness really only applies to the weather. No, I was angry because the misjudgments about me were not only wrong but actually off by a mile. And not just a regular mile, a country mile.

On some days my anger was just slightly simmering inside me, and I could set it aside and ignore it. Other days, my anger impatiently tapped its foot waiting to bust out into my soul. And when it did it gnawed at me and took up full time residence in my thoughts and feelings and all the chambers of my heart until I felt black and small like a speck of pepper.

So, I would go before the Lord, and search my heart and repent over my anger and wrongdoings and surrender it all to Him and pray that He would show me how to forgive and the next step I should take that would be most pleasing to Him.

Nonetheless, I found myself still angry. Not necessarily right after I finished praying, but a day later I was right back where I started. Mad.

So my brooding would begin again, in a most self-indulgent manner causing a rather unpleasant moodiness in my interior life.

Until one day I could not take anymore how all the anger and emotion and frustration filled me with so much turmoil. I hated it and knew I had to surrender it all or I was never going to be able to let go and move on.

So I begged God to make sense of things for me. I asked Him to show me how I ended up in this exhausting emotional predicament as well as what it was that I was missing and not seeing. I pleaded with Him to give me His thoughts and mind on the whole matter. I prayed He would make sense of the whole mess for me, because I could not make sense of anything. And although God did not give me all the answers I wanted, He did immediately show me what I was missing.

The reality is that even though we may sincerely mean well and even do well, to the best of our ability and with the best of intentions, we are still going to frequently be misjudged by others just as Christ was misjudged. The only perfect man to ever walk on earth, the Son of God, was misjudged and even scorned by both friends and foes. As His followers, we will be scorned and misjudged as well. It is part of our walk with Him.

That is not to say that we can just ignore how we may have caused others to misjudge us. Often, we have severe blind spots about how our demeanor, personality, and lifestyle impacts others and as a result leads to misjudgments about who we are. Only God can reveal our blind spots to us, and help us to change, and He will do so when we ask Him.

It will always be discouraging when we learn that others may be against us, but we can truly only worry about the state of our own heart and if God is for us. Thankfully, neither praise nor blame from others adds or subtracts from who we are in God's sight. God looks at our hearts and motives, and not at our often imperfect deeds. While others may give us little credit and think and even speak poorly of us, we have the advantage of being able to surrender it all to God. He will not only answer for us and at times vindicate us, but He will always do what is best for us and give us a place of secure rest in His arms as we trust and follow Him with our whole hearts.

By Taylor Martin Wise, Copyright 2009

Blind In Heart

We must not rely too much upon ourselves, for grace and understanding are often lacking in us. We have but little inborn light, and this we quickly lose through negligence. Often we are not aware that we are so blind in heart. Meanwhile, we do wrong, and then do worse excusing it. At times we are moved by passion, and we think it zeal. We take others to task for small mistakes, and overlook greater ones in ourselves. We are quick enough to feel and brood over the things we suffer from others, but we think nothing of how much others suffer from us. If a man would weigh his own deeds fully and rightly, he would find little cause to pass severe judgement on others.

The Imitation Of Christ, Thomas A Kempis

God's Promises

Every one of God's promises is backed by the golden reserve of the bank of heaven, with God watching over His word to perform it.  If we stand before the 'plenty' of God's great riches our amazement is more at the grace of God which enables us to be channels of all His love and goodness.

Plenty For Everyone, Corrie Ten Boom

The King's Appointments

If we are really and always, and equally ready to do whatsoever the King appoints, all the trials and vexations arising from any change in His appointments, great or small, simply do not exist.  If He appoints me to work there, shall I lament that I am not to work here? If He appoints me to wait indoors today, am I to be annoyed because I am not to work out-of-doors? If I meant to write His messages this morning, shall I grumble because He sends interrupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I am to speak, or "show kindness" for His sake, or at least obey His command, "Be courteous"? If all my members are really at His disposal, why should I be put out if today's appointment is some simple work for my hands or errands for my feet, instead of some seemingly more important doing of head or tongue?

A Gentle Spirit, March 6

Pleasing God

It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us.  It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only "to be well pleasing to Him." It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal.  At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you.  Paul was like a musician who gives no though to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from His conductor.

My Utmost For His Highest, March 17

The Root Of Peace

In essence, there is only on thing God asks of us - that we be men and women of prayer, people who live close to God, people for who God is everything and for who God is enough.  That is the root of peace.  We have peace when the gracious God is all we seek.  When we start seeking something besides Him, we lose it.  As Merton said in his last public address before his death, "This is his call to us - simply to be people who are content to live close to him and to renew the kind of life in which the closeness is felt and experienced."

The Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning

Voluntary Surrender

A fitting metaphor for the Christian walk is that of enlisting in the army. Upon enlistment, the soldier immediately surrenders control of his or her life. Where the enlistee lives, when he or she moves, what clothing will be worn, how the enlistee will behave, and what he or she will do - all of these things are given over to the commanding officer to decide. Becoming a Christian requires a similar surrender - except that no one is ever drafter; it is always voluntary, and it takes longer to realize than a four year enlistment. The truth is that surrender is not an easy thing to do. But without that surrender a soldier is not useful to the army, and a Christian is not useful to God.

The Hole In Our Gospel, Richard Stearns

Our Expectations

Our expectations are our greatest obstacle to union with God in the present moment. It is Jesus who writes all the lines, all the words, and all the letters of our lives. Do I really know what is best for me? My vision is so shortsighted, my horizon so limited. Surrender is a practical application of confession - what we pray each day in the Lord's prayer, "Thy will be done." Abandonment is the triumph of trust in our lives.

The Relentless Tenderness Of Jesus, Brennan Manning

Parenting

There is something I think about on a fairly regular basis as my child and I progress through each and every day together: there is a significant difference between wanting to have a baby and wanting to be a mother.

For years, I was in no hurry to have a baby. All I could envision was that motherhood would consist of carpool and laundry and drudgery. And then one day I did want to have a baby, and God graciously gave us one perfect baby girl. She is now about to turn three years old and while I have discovered that being a parent is so much better than I ever dreamed it could be, the skill set I need now as opposed to the skill set I needed for a baby are very different.

For a baby, all the skills a person really needs is to be able to keep them alive and clean and cuddled. I think it is God's way to ease us into "parenting." Having a newborn is such a shock to our system with all the crying, sleepless nights, spit-up, and pee and poop that God gives us a period of time in which we are only required to manage their bodily needs before we have to dive in and begin parenting them.

But as hard as the baby phase can be, the truth is that parenting is so much harder. There is a battle every day between my self, such as my desires, feelings, preferences, moods, and my role as a parent. It is hard to choose to stop what I am doing and deal with my child when it would be easier to ignore bad behavior or pacify her and keep going.

I have to bite my tongue so I do not make excuses for my child when she is acting up, by saying she is hungry or tired or emotional or in a phase. It requires so much more energy to step in and discipline her when I have told her not to do something but she does it anyway. And I hate interrupting people in the middle of a conversation to correct or discipline or talk to her when she is ignoring me or being defiant, whiny, or demanding. I would much rather sit and talk, enjoy my meal, savor my drink, or continue my phone conversation than have to deal with my child's questionable behavior.

But then I remember that this is not about "dealing" with her or "disciplining" her. Instead, it is about me having a long range plan, and that plan is to raise a child who loves God and grows in obedience to Him. It is about me training her heart over a long period of time, 18 years exactly, to do the right thing, honor God with her actions, and live in a way that would please Him.

The one sure thing about this long range plan I have is that I am in way over my head and completely incapable of reaching my goals. I often feel as though there is no way I can train her heart when my heart still needs training and discipline from the Lord. How can I model for her the right ways to act and live when I still need so much work in so many areas? It is overwhelming at times to think how this task of training her is ever going to be accomplished.

But I know that God is on my side. I know He wants to help me in this, and is doing so as I seek Him and pray for His guidance. I pray for His wisdom, discernment, and most of all skill in my role as a mother. And despite all that I lack, I know He is working along side me and in spite of me and all my screw ups, to raise up another soldier for Christ. I know that I am not alone, that it is not all up to me, and that God is at work in my life and my child's life and our home, and and for that I am so very grateful and thankful.

By Taylor Martin Wise, Copyright 2009

The Lesson Of Faith

There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to lean to trust God than to enjoy life.

The lesson of faith once learned is an everlasting acquisition and an eternal fortune made; and without trust even riches will leave us poor.

Streams In The Desert, March 7

The Will Of God

The Lord knows infinitely better than I what is best for me, and all things, even our sins, St. Augustine said, work together for the good of those who love God.  

Concretely, abandonment consists in seeing the will of God in all people, events, and circumstances present to you.  If God tears up your beautiful game plan and leads you into a valley instead of a mountaintop, it is because H wants you to discover His plan, which is more beautiful than anything you or I could have dreamed up.  The response of trust is "Thank you, Jesus," even if it is said through clenched teeth.

The Relentless Tenderness Of Jesus by Brennan Manning

Contentment

Every single thing that happens to the Christian expresses God's love and furthers God's purpose for him.  Thus, so far as he is concerned, God is love to him - holy, omnipotent love - at every moment and in every event of everyday life.  Even when he cannot see the why and wherefore of God's dealings, he knows that there is love in and behind them and so he can rejoice always; even when, humanly speaking, things are going wrong, he knows that the true story of his life, when known, will prove to be "mercy from first to last" - and he is content.

In God's Presence, January 6

Perseverance

The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others.  And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God.  Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you.  Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ in John 13:1-17.

My Utmost For His Highest, March 6

The Scrap Heap

"There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.  When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first heat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into the bucket of cold water.  I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process.  When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I through it in the scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junkman comes around."

"So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am willing to stand the test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering process, I am afraid He may throw me on the crap heap." 

When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a blessed "afterward;" and with Job we may be able to say, "when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold."

Streams In The Desert, March 4

The Kingdom Of God

The Lord's command to go out and make disciples is a direct invitation to join God in what He is doing - a call to action.  Speaking to each of us, God is saying, You, Me, let's go! We have work to do, and it's urgent! Join Me!  How amazing to see our participation in kingdom work in this way, as God's partners.  And if we really are partners with Him, then it follows that we are not to stand by, "looking into the sky" (see Acts 1:11) and casually waiting for Christ's return.  No, we're to go about the Master's business, carrying the good news through our words and deed, thereby ushering in the kingdom of God.

The Hole In Our Gospel, Richard Stearns

Our Disposition

Our dispositions are merely an outward sign of what is really within us.  An outward sign of what is predominate within our inner self.

If we are predominate there, our disposition shows it.  If Christ is predominate there, our disposition shows that too.

Then what are we to do?  If we know Christ lives within us, and we are still displaying ourselves via our dispositions, what are we to do?  First, we are to remember that He works with our minds according to the way He created them.  And He created them to form habits.  If we remember this, we will realize that we must from the habit of choosing to let Christ act through us.

A Gentle Spirit, May 31

Personal Ministry

Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again, not from successfully doing something of my own choosing.  The joy our Lord experienced came from doing what the Father sent Him to do.  And he says to us, "As the Father has sent me, I also send you" (John 20:21).  Have you received a ministry from the Lord?  If so, you must be faithful to it - to consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that ministry.  Knowing that you have done what Jesus sent you to do, think how satisfying it will be to hear Him say to you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).  We each have to find a niche in life, and spiritually we find it when we receive a ministry from the Lord.  To do this we must have a close fellowship with Jesus and must know Him as more than our personal Savior.

Mt Utmost For His Highest, March 5

Jesus' Mirrors

But when we look to Jesus we become His mirrors.  It is true that, of itself, a mirror does not do much; but when it is hung or placed in the right position it does its job perfectly.  It is very important, therefore, that we should be in the right position, for a Christian is 'Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,' (Hebrews 12:2) for we have no light of ourselves.

Plenty For Everyone by Corrie Ten Boom

Brokenness

Many of us cannot be used to become food for the world's hunger until we are broken in Christ's hands... Christ's blessing often times means sorrow, but even sorrow is not too great a price to pay for the privilege of touching other lives with benediction.  The sweetest things in this world today have come to us through tears and pain.

Streams In The Desert, June 19 

Transformed

Christianity is not an ethical code. It is a love affair, a Spirit-filled way of living aimed at making us professional lovers of God and people.

Christian action follows Christian being. We must live out in our lives what we are. Christian existence means that we have been transformed. Through the Spirit we live in Christ Jesus. Life is doing what comes supernaturally. Noblesse oblige. Nobility obliges. The child of a king must not live like a peasant.

The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Brennan Manning