Reflections on "My Utmost" February 15 Part II

Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible for other souls spiritually before God? For instance, if I allow any private deflection from God in my life, everyone about me suffers. We "sit together in heavenly places." "Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it." When once you allow physical selfishness, mental slovenliness, moral obtuseness, spiritual density, everyone belonging to your crowd will suffer. "But," you say, "who is sufficient for these things if you erect a standard like that?" "Our sufficiency is of God," and of Him alone.

Chambers indicates that we "sit together in heavenly places".

He needed to quote the entire passage:

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

The point is not just where we sit, but with whom we sit, and in whom: that is Jesus Christ! He completes us:

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:" (Colossians 2: 10-11)

There is no issue, therefore, of the believer suffering because other believers are in a foul mood or have lost their place for the day. No matter what we feel, we are ever still the righteousness of God in Christ, and our failing or faltering cannot diminish the impartation of the Good News of Jesus Christ:

"But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

"What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." (Philippians 1: 17-18)

No matter what it takes, the Good News is getting preached, and no one, whether they have a bad day or not, can diminish the goodness of God being preached to the world.

In fact, for the believer, the very notion of defeat in moods and feelings is a non-issue, since love, joy, peace all are fruit of the Holy Spirit, borne in the believer according to his faith, not his works, (cf Galatians 5: 16, 22-23)