My latest quote deals with a Christian understanding that we struggle each day in our walk when we do not surrender. Jesus said:
"If thou hadst known . . . in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke 19:42
Oswald Chambers discusses in his devotion titled If Thou Hadst Known!, April 3rd, that there are times in our life in which we have as gods that which takes our sight from Christ and we do not even know it, yet are still held accountable for it. (Sorry that I am quoting most of this, but it is that good.)
"...I am blind to the things which belong to my peace. It is an appalling thing that we can be in the place where the Spirit of God should be getting at us unhinderedly, and yet increase our condemnation in God's sight."
"'If thou hadst known' - God goes direct to the heart, with the tears of Jesus behind. These words imply culpable responsibility; God holds us responsible for what we do not see. 'Now they are hid from thine eyes' - because the disposition has never been yielded. The unfathomable sadness of the 'might have been!' God never opens doors that have been closed. He opens other doors, but He reminds us that there are doors which we have shut, doors which need never have been shut, imaginations which need never have been sullied. Never be afraid when God brings back the past. Let memory have its way. It is a minister of God with its rebuke and chastisement and sorrow. God will turn the 'might have been' into a wonderful culture for the future."
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (NKJV)
Labels: devotional, reflection
On March 13th, the following really spoke to me:
"...but salvation means that the Spirit of God has brought me into touch with God's personality, and I am thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself, I am caught up into the abandonment of God.... Abandonment never produces the consciousness of its own effort, because the whole life is taken up with the One to Whom we abandon. Beware of talking about abandonment if you know nothing about it, and you will never know anything about it until you have realized that John 3:16 means that God gave Himself absolutely. In our abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as God gave Himself for us, without any calculation. The consequence of abandonment never enters into our outlook because our life is taken up with Him." The Abandonment of God, March 13th
One of the biggest things that I struggle with daily is complete abandonment to God. The times that I wake up in the morning and "abandon" myself to Him, I live my day in a peace and comfort because I know that the Lord is guiding me and in all that I do, I am pleasing Him. When I do not "abandon" myself body, spirit, strength, and mind to the Lord, I struggle to understand the complexities of all that occurs around me. I struggle, because I am trying to have some control and decision over a life that is no longer my own, but my Lord Jesus Christ's. The problem, I am not acting like I am His.
You may take your walk with Christ each and every day, yet still seem to struggle, asking yourself, "I thought I was a Christian and gave my life to the Lord. Why is this so hard?" The answer may surprise you. Have you really abandoned yourself to God as He abandoned Himself to you?
Labels: devotional, reflection
"There is always a sharp painful disillusionment to go through before we do relinquish. When a man really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ. When he sees himself in the light of the Lord, the shame and the horror and the desperate conviction come home.
If you are up against the question of relinquishing, go through the crisis, relinquish all, and God will make you fit for all that He requires of you. " The Relinquished Life, March 8th
Labels: devotional, reflection
"We are not told to walk in the light of conscience or of a sense of duty, but to walk in the light as God is in the light. When we do anything from a sense of duty, we can back it up by argument; when we do anything in obedience to the Lord, there is no argument possible; that is why a saint can be easily ridiculed."
Labels: devotional, reflection
I have always noticed, that in times of angst in my life. In times that my soul really hurt and longed for peace, I for some reason, turned to heavy metal music as a release. In college, when some girl broke my heart, a buddy of mine and I would get together at his house, bar-b-que, and listen to KMFDM as loud as we could. (this is a time when I really wasn't living my faith as fully as I could)
Tourniquet sooths my soul because they bring me back down to earth and help me examine what is really important in my life. What God called me to in scripture. The blessings I have if I would ALWAYS strive to follow. Believe it or not, it helps me get closer to God.
The following 2 clips speak to me right now. A great deal of people don't like the whole fire and brimstone reality of hell, but I find it speaks to me in a ways, at times, when the soothing, comforting knowledge that Christ dies to set us free does not. I am not sure why. I think, sometimes, that we all need this little kick in the pants.
The Threshing Floor
You Get What You Pray For
And none in between them
If you don't choose the Son
The choice you've made is against Him
Watch out! You're gonna lose
If you mess with your maker
Look out! You're gonna lose
If you mess with the snake
Beware you're gonna lose
If you think you can tip-toe in between
Your life is in danger!
Labels: devotional, music, reflection
