Reflections on "My Utmost" February 15

"Ye shall be My witnesses." How many of us are willing to spend every ounce of nervous energy, of mental, moral and spiritual energy we have for Jesus Christ? That is the meaning of a witness in God’s sense of the word.

Chambers makes "Serving the Lord" sound like an excessive effort, one that demands great effort from us.

Yet Paul warned his disciples not to rely on their own strength:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

"For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." (Galatians 5: 1-6)

"Faith worketh by love." This is God's love, not ours. Otherwise, we end up on a treadmill, with love as a goal which none of us can every achieve. Faith is a gift, the same faith of the Son of God (cf Galatians 2:20) who lives and dwells in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We do all things through Christ, who strengthens us (cf Philippians 4:13). If He does the work, then why do we have to strive?

Chambers gives the impression that the Holy Spirit is a separate entity in the believer, as though we must supply effort and achievement on our own.

As Pastor Prince has preached at length for a long time, it is not our love for God that matters, but rather His love for us:

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)