Week Twenty-five Question:

Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption while there are any number of things I might be doing?

“It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time” - Chambers Feb. 21

My Response:

Have I ever realized that I can bring to God something of value to Him? Has my misunderstanding of Godly humility caused me to shrink my gifts, my desires, my voice? I think this hiding of gifts, this misguided devaluing of self creates a restlessness, a “lostness” –

An example of someone who gave to God, who brought God’s gifts back to the throne was Eric Liddlle. His life, portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire, exemplifies Godly humility in action. He said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

To feel God’s pleasure and purpose – how many Christians, myself included, spend too much of their lives in this “lostness,” this misappropriation of purpose? Too often we are like Harold Abrams, a man who ran against Liddell, who said: “You're brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I've never known it. I'm forever in pursuit and I don't even know what I am chasing.”

Do you ever feel like you’re “forever in pursuit”? Could it be that too much time has been spent “mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption while there are any number of things [you] might be doing”?

Father-God, guide my gifts back to Your throne. Sanctify my service to become a love offering to You.

Week Twenty-four Question

The point to decide is this-‘Do I agree with my Lord and Master that my body shall be His temple?’

“The grace of God is absolute, the salvation of Jesus is perfect, it is done for ever. I am not being saved, I am saved; salvation is as eternal as God’s throne; the thing for me to do is to work out what God works in me. Most of us are much better sterner with others than we are in regard to ourselves; we make excuses for things in ourselves while we condemn in others things which we are not naturally inclined.” - Chambers December 5

My Response:

Do you ever find it easier to discern what someone else should do better than what you should do? How much faster are we to know the path or to give the answer when it is not us who need to follow or obey. The way seems so clear – until it is us who are searching for it.

Our vision of the state of our temple is directly related to our relationship with Jesus and our willingness to stand before the mirror of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine you have been instructed to enter an unknown room and report back the details of what you saw in a mirror. As you enter the room, you are immediately surrounded by a dark grayness. The light is so very weak, you almost feel like you are suffocating. You do, however, notice that on the far wall there is a mirror.

You approach slowly because it is difficult to maneuver your way around the room because it is so dark. You make your way to the mirror and stand before it. Your reflection seems distorted and blurry. You can see a semblance of features, but the dimness has almost altered your true appearance. No matter how long you stare at your reflection, it is no use. In fact, the longer you stare at your reflection, the more distorted it becomes. There is simply not enough light in the room to get a true picture. You get frustrated and make you way back out of the room.

When asked what details you saw in the mirror, you hesitate because you weren’t able to see anything specific. You react in one of three ways:

1. You lie. You fear that others must have been able to see clearly, and because you must not have given it enough effort, you failed. You lie because you are afraid and because you are insecure. You leave the experience feeling ashamed. You never want to return.

2. You get angry. How could anyone expect you to see anything in that dim room. You did your best. “They” should have provided more light for you so that you could have been successful. It wasn’t your fault. Someone else was to blame. You leave feeling self-righteous and hurt. You never want to return.

Or 3. You are honest. You explain exactly what happened and how you felt. You ask how it could have gone better and honestly desire an answer. You spend time communing with the One who has asked this of you and end up understanding and feeling loved. You can’t wait to enter the room again knowing that, this time, there will be more than enough light to see.

To seek out the truth about ourselves, we need to seek out the Truth.

Father of Light, open my eyes to Your Truth. Let the standard of Your Word be the mirror through which I see myself reflected.

Check out: James 1:22-25

The Waiting Room

The other day I was sitting in my doctor’s office. It was one of those days, and I had already been waiting for thirty-five minutes. As I sat there, I started thinking. I had a health problem that I needed a doctor to attend to. But I was getting impatient, and it was inconvenient waiting all that time to see the doctor.

So I began to look around the room. There was a receptionist sitting behind the desk. I suppose I could take a chance and ask her for advice. She does have some medical training after all. But my problem was very serious and did I want to take a chance with my health just because I was tired of waiting?

Then I looked at those sitting around me. The chairs were filled with people who were also waiting to see the doctor. I could go to them. They would understand how I felt. They’d even agree with me that it was inconsiderate for the doctor to keep us waiting. Perhaps they had even had a similar experience and could share how they dealt with it. But I would still have this serious health problem. These people couldn’t help me either. They were in the same shape I was. They needed answers, too. A few minutes later, the nurse called me in. I was glad I waited.

As I drove home, I thought about how I felt in the waiting room. As I took this before the Lord, I began to see the how similar it was to how I feel when waiting on God for answers or for healing. It is the same with those who have more knowledge and training. They can certainly help with some things, but in the end, they are limited by their humanity.

When I go to His people for help, they understand but they are in the same boat I am. They can share their experiences with me, maybe even become my partners in complaining, but they can't "heal" me.

Dear Soul, God is the Great Physician. Understanding friends and experienced counselors are important and necessary in our lives. But when all is said and done, we need to lay all before the One who knows every inch of us, inside and out, for our very survival. The reality is we are more than just natural beings – we are spiritual beings as well. The One who created us, knows us.

Lord of my body, soul and mind, I bring all before You – my physical pain, my emotional distress, and my mental anguish. I thank You for empathetic friends and trained counselors who enrich my life and help me in the journey. But You, Lord, are the Doctor of all my diseases.

Check out: Isaiah 53:5

Week Twenty-three question

Do we discern His hand or only mere occurrence?

“I want to choose the scenery of my own sacrifice” - Chambers Jan. 30

My Response:

How do I view my life? Do I simply say God is in control and behave like it’s one big cosmic free-for-all? If I pray for God to grow me and then I resent the rain, what have I prayed for – really?

Do I try to manipulate those around me by my actions, my words, and my attitudes to get the end I desire?

What is the depth of my sacrifice? Am I standing beside the altar or have I laid all down as a living sacrifice? You cannot be crucified a little.

Father-God, here in the midst of this storm, I lay down and listen.

Week Twenty-two Question

Am I stubborn or substituted? Petted or perfect in my relationship to God? Sulky or spiritual? Determined to have my own way or determined to be identified with Him?

“Beware of imaging that intercession means bringing personal sympathies into the presence of God and demanding that He does what we ask . . . we are always ready with our own ideas, and intercession becomes the glorification of our own natural sympathies. We have to realize that the identification of Jesus with sin means the radical alteration of all our sympathies: - Chambers May 4

My Response:

Do I allow my sympathetic feelings about something to drive my prayers? Do I honestly want to see God intercede and release His will into a situation or a life, which at times can get emotionally and relationally messy? Maybe it all comes down to the state of my heart as I pray. So what are the desires of my heart – really?

Desire is a strong emotion. It propels and drives us and very often, it controls us. Over the years, there have been those who have tried to take the idea of desire and passion out of the Christian experience because of the sexual connection. But God is a passionate God who desires to have deep fellowship with His creation.

There are many references to desire in God’s Word:

In Luke 22:15, Jesus speaks to his disciples about his desires: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Paul speaks of one of the things the Christian should desire in 1 Corinthians 14:1: “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts ….” Peter relates how we should desire or crave “pure spiritual milk” the way a new baby craves to be nourished by its mother (1 Peter 2:2).

What do you desire? What areas of your life are affected by that craving?

I started thinking about what I desire – what God’s Spirit within me craves. Here are just a few of my heart’s deepest desires.

Lord, I desire for You to:

- teach me to be self-aware, not self-absorbed

- show me how to allow the truth of Your Spirit to be the mirror through which I see myself

- expand Your Word in my life so it can be the standard by which I live

- help me stop making excuses for the acts of my flesh

- give me an undivided heart as I give you control over my life. If I confess Christ with my mouth, then I need to trust You with my life. Help me remember that I am not my own; I was bought with a price.

- breathe life into the sleeping areas of my life. I desire to be a living sacrifice, not a dead ritual.

- enlarge the fullness of Your creativity to fill me to overflowing.

- use me. The level I seek to serve You at is directly proportional to the level I seek to know You at.

- I want my faith to be expressed through my culture, not be defined by it.

- I want my light to shine. Lord, keeping myself “clean” before You is related to how brightly my light shines. I know that even in the natural sense when a light bulb is covered in dust it expends more energy than a clean one. Cleanse me.

- I desire for everything I have learned to spill over and teach someone else. I am a living testament to those who are needy, those who are young, and those who are lost. If I was the only Christian on earth, what would the world know of God by observing my life?

Father-God, I desire You. I crave Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Purify my heart and give me singleness of heart, soul, mind, and spirit.