Sunday, November 27, 2011

Reflections on "My Utmost" November 24

"This verse is a description of total reliance on God. Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and focused on God. This is how knowledge of His countenance is gained and how God reveals Himself to us (see Isaiah 53:1). Our spiritual strength begins to be drained when we stop lifting our eyes to Him. Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. We wrongfully think, “I suppose I’ve been stretching myself a little too much, standing too tall and trying to look like God instead of being an ordinary humble person.” We have to realize that no effort can be too high."

We must always proceed from the truth that He is with us, in us, will never leave us nor forsake us:

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." (Isaiah 43:1)

You and I are His as soon as we receive by faith His grace shed for us on the Cross through the death of His Son.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 12:5)

Quite a promise from our Heavenly Father. Here is the confirmation of this infinite promise:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

"As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39)

I had to quote the whole passage - it's just too wonderful -- NOT to believe!

Nothing, not one thing, not even our sin, our falling short, can ever separate us from the love of God. Nothing!

He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Then what does Chambers mean by "Just as the eyes of a servant are riveted on his master, our eyes should be directed to and focused on God."

If we think of "eyes" as referring to recognize what and who lives in us, as opposed to picturing God as far away, then this exhortation makes more sense:

Paul prayed that the eyes of our understanding would be opened:

"Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

"Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

"Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

"Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." (Ephesians 1:15-23)

It is easy for us to be distracted and forget the unsearchable riches of Christ that dwell in us. Paul exhorts believers to be aware and grow in awareness of the following things:

1. That our calling in Christ predicts nothing but certain goodness and blessing

2. Our inheritance in Christ is never-ending glory for us

3.We have His exceeding power within us! -- the very power which brought Christ back from the dead

4.This power -- Christ himself -- sits at the right hand (the place of utmost favor),

5. Christ has subdued all enemies, every power, spiritual and temporal.

In the next chapter, we find out the following (!!!!!!!!!!):

"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2:5-6)

As He is, with power, glory, dominion, and infinite everything-else, that resides in us! We are seated in honor with Him!

Chambers gives one the impression that these glorious, unsearchable treasures are precious beauties which we must still search for:

"Our stamina is sapped, not so much through external troubles surrounding us but through problems in our thinking. We wrongfully think, “I suppose I’ve been stretching myself a little too much, standing too tall and trying to look like God instead of being an ordinary humble person.” We have to realize that no effort can be too high."

In fact, we already have this infinite storehouse within us through the Holy Spirit -- It's only that our minds need to be renewed, refreshed with the Word of God, every reminding us who we are in Christ, and what Christ is effecting in us through the Holy Spirit!

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2)

And

"18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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