Posted on 12/16/2005 9:33:35 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
The gospel of God creates the sense of need for the gospel. Is the gospel hidden to those who are servants already? No, Paul said, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ). The majority of people think of themselves as being completely moral, and have no sense of need for the gospel. It is God who creates this sense of need in a human being, but that person remains totally unaware of his need until God makes Himself evident. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you . . ." ( Matthew 7:7 ). But God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He wants to withhold something from us, but that is the plan He has established for the way of redemption. Through our asking, God puts His process in motion, creating something in us that was nonexistent until we asked. The inner reality of redemption is that it creates all the time. And as redemption creates the life of God in us, it also creates the things which belong to that life. The only thing that can possibly satisfy the need is what created the need. This is the meaning of redemption— it creates and it satisfies.
Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" ( John 12:32 ). When we preach our own experiences, people may be interested, but it awakens no real sense of need. But once Jesus Christ is "lifted up," the Spirit of God creates an awareness of the need for Him. The creative power of the redemption of God works in the souls of men only through the preaching of the gospel. It is never the sharing of personal experiences that saves people, but the truth of redemption. "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" ( John 6:63 ).
In 1910 Chambers married Gertrude Hobbs. They had one daughter, Kathleen, who still resides in London (as of 1992).
In 1911 he founded and became principal of the Bible Training College in Clapham, London, where he lectured until the school was closed in 1915 because of World War I. In October 1915 he sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt (near Cairo), where he ministered to Australian and New Zealand troops as a YMCA chaplain. He died there November 15, 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix.
My Utmost for His Highest, his best-known book, has been continuously in print in the United States since 1935 and in this, the last decade of the century, remains in the top ten titles of the religious book bestseller list with millions of copies in print. It has become a Christian classic. [from the flyleaf of the book]
Absolutely no flaming! These daily threads are intended to be devotional in nature. If a particular day's offering says nothing to you, please just go on and wait for the next day. Consider these threads a DMZ of sorts, a place where a perpetual truce is in effect and a place where all other arguments and disagreements from other times and places are left behind.
I can attest from personal experience that reading from Chambers daily will almost certainly change - not one's faith - but one's perspective of his/her own faith, and open up new vistas in your spiritual life. If - when - this happens to a reader of these threads, and they choose to share what has happened within them - we are treading on hallowed ground. Be respectful.
- Religion Moderator
Have you ever prayed from Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your Law!"? I have. Many times as I memorized and internalized many verses of this great praise of The Word. I tell you with fear and trembling, God will powerfully answer that heartfelt prayer! (In fact, He will answer every single prayer that is based in His Word, which is His Name! Jesus said, "Whatever you ask In My Name (The Word) will be done for you.")
I haven't yet brought all the verses He showed me in my devotional time with Him yesterday morning together into a cohesive sharing of truth, but it all began with Matt. 6:3
"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing..."
I moved to Matt. 5:29-30
"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
I turned to my Strong's Concordance with great eagerness then for the Spirit was urging into me a great excitement for a truth He wanted me to see "out of God's Law"! O! the verses I found and the truth I was made able to see! I'm not even "there" yet in the sense of having complete knowledge of these things, but the glimmers, the glimpse I've gotten is truly "wondrous"!
2 Chronicles 32:8Jesus is at the right hand of God!
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.Job 26:2 (Job speaking to one of his accusers)
“How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength?Psalm 44:3
For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them.Psalm 89:20-21
I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
With whom My hand shall be established; Also My arm shall strengthen him.Psalm 98:1
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.Isaiah 9:20
And he shall snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
And not be satisfied;
Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.Isaiah 51:5
My righteousness is near,
My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust.Isaiah 59:16
Then the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him
That there was no justice.
He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
"Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Ps. 16:8b)!"
In brief, I learned this, and am in process learning this:
My arm of flesh is powerless to save me. So long as I trusted in "my own arm" I was lost. The "offense" of my arm was the weakness of my sinful self. Because it "offended" me, that is, this arm in which I trusted (and the "eye" with which I saw or through which I viewed the world), I had to "cut it off". When I did so the Right Hand, the Powerful Arm of the Lord Almighty became my strength and my eye of flesh which had caused me to offend Him, having been gouged painfully out, was replaced with the eye of faith, the eye that could truly see.
In line, then, with the very first verse I was drawn to, about "not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing," could be summed up perhaps in this way:
God is my right hand. My flesh still exists and is represented by my left hand. All on my right hand is receiving, for Jesus is there, and thus my God, and He is the Giver Eternal. I do no longer "snatch" with my right hand, for that old hand is dead; now I wait on the Lord and "receive" every good and perfect gift from He Himself though Jesus! I no longer "devour on the left" for I have all I need, and so with my left hand, the hand that is flesh and in this world (though no longer of it), I give, just as I have received!
Acts 3:6-7Amen.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have [received] I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.Acts 5:31
Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.He holds the Seven Stars in His Right Hand.
O! there is so much more to see of Him and to receive, if only we are willing and ask! With our new! right hand we will receive, and with the left hand in this world we will share freely, for He has given freely! "Of the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another (John 1:16)!"
Please forgive the incohesiveness of all these thoughts! I get pretty excited. (:
I have also now concluded that the word God spoke to Jonah concerned the unsaved and not children (an argument that will likely go on until His Second Advent!)
Jonah 4:11I conclude God is referring to the unsaved in His Great Mercy because He says of them, "they have no discernment." The ones spoken of do not know that the right hand is for receiving from God, and the left for giving; as Isaiah pointed out, "they snatch and devour with both the right hand and the left."
"And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"
Whereas with children, in Jesus' words, "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these." Children know they must receive, for they can not take care of themselves, and they are good at giving hugs and kisses naturally!
So many more verses were brought to my attention, and there are so many delightful trails to take in this study! Already I'm late to work.
God bless you all in His Great Arm, the Lord Jesus Christ!
GOODMORNING AND GRACE TO ALL BRETHREN!
"I remember thee."
- Jeremiah 2:2
Let us note that Christ delights to think upon his Church, and to look
upon her beauty. As the bird returneth often to its nest, and as the
wayfarer hastens to his home, so doth the mind continually pursue the
object of its choice. We cannot look too often upon that face which we
love; we desire always to have our precious things in our sight. It is
even so with our Lord Jesus. From all eternity "His delights were with the
sons of men"; his thoughts rolled onward to the time when his elect should
be born into the world; he viewed them in the mirror of his foreknowledge.
"In thy book," he says, "all my members were written, which in continuance
were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Ps. 139:16). When the
world was set upon its pillars, he was there, and he set the bounds of the
people according to the number of the children of Israel. Many a time
before his incarnation, he descended to this lower earth in the similitude
of a man; on the plains of Mamre (Gen. 18), by the brook of Jabbok (Gen.
32:24-30), beneath the walls of Jericho (Jos. 5:13), and in the fiery
furnace of Babylon (Dan. 3:19, 25), the Son of Man visited his people.
Because his soul delighted in them, he could not rest away from them, for
his heart longed after them. Never were they absent from his heart, for he
had written their names upon his hands, and graven them upon his side. As
the breastplate containing the names of the tribes of Israel was the most
brilliant ornament worn by the high priest, so the names of Christ's elect
were his most precious jewels, and glittered on his heart. We may often
forget to meditate upon the perfections of our Lord, but he never ceases
to remember us.
Let us chide ourselves for past forgetfulness, and pray for grace ever to
bear him in fondest remembrance.
Lord, paint upon the eyeballs of my soul the image of thy Son.
C.H.SPURGEON
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Happens to me too.. and also, in "other" things than word study.. No reason to be dismayed by lack of "vision" is there.. Whats cohesive anyway?.. except in the well layed plans of mice and men.. Our/My natural man is pretty crafty but Gods word can sneak up on it expose it.. Amazing how ONE VERSE(concept) can mean one thing at 20, another at 30, be revised at 40, and come alive to you at 50.. Because the word DON'T change we do.. We change and grow into being spiritual beings.. Grow from a lump of flesh, reborn, into a full fledged spiritual being.. it don't happen overnight.. The rebirth is quick what that spiritual being will become is not quick..
Sharing your odyssey in the word is such a teaching tool.. We can see and learn the honesty, awe, and wide eyed energy that a spiritual being can feel and flex as in a spiritual muscle.. I can relate to it fully.. as can any thats walked in your shoes so to speak.. that experience is what I think is meant by these verses..
{snip} and on like that... Indeed the bible, word of god, is as surely the same thing.. the scroll of god.. Not Only as scroll but as spiritual a food as I can imagine.. Metaphor is indeed a spiritual way of communicating.. so much meaning is transfered in so few words.. Nietzsche(german moonbat) quite literally drove himself nutz with metaphor, NAH, metaphor was MEANT for spirits to consume..
Indeed, the refuseniks (to use a word from Boopie) refuse the very thing they need.. or should need.. The word of god, and the words of his saints, by the way, are the salt of the earth, or salt in and to the flesh.. thats how it should be.. not only to the natural man in the world but especially to the natural man masquerading AS the church.. Not words spoken maliciously but words of spirit and life spoken in spirit and with a new life..
I am especially touched by the admonition that noone is saved by our witness. Indeed! It is that of which we witness that saves.
My story may amuse but it does not save. It is the gospel of the Truth of Christ as Savior that saves.
May our witness be as a drop of cool water, refreshing the lost and encouraging them to ask the Father for new life in Him.
Running late today!
So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart....and she will respond there as in the days of her youth. - Hosea 2:16,17
O Lord,
again and again it seems
you come calling us -
we,
who are so enamoured
of our own brilliance,
the flash of things,
the pleasures of our own toys,
the promise of our own power,
who deserve nothing
from you,
how often we
forget you,
run after the bright toys
that lead to our sorrow,
our loss,
our emptiness,
our death.
Lost in the desert,
we so often taste the dust
of our own shattered dreams,
the death of our own schemes,
the ashes of our own weakness.
And yet,
there, if we look,
we can see you,
calling our name.
There, if we listen,
we can hear the sweetness of your voice
saying, "Come, beloved,
let me heal your hurts,
let me soothe your pains,
let me love you."
There, in the desert,
you offer us shelter,
shade against the burning,
protection from the stinging sands,
forgiveness,
love,
acceptance.
"Return to me,
let me love you,
let me show you
peace,
joy,
truth," you whisper.
Lord,
without your call,
we would be truly lost indeed.
May each of us,
hearing your voice,
take your hand
and find shelter in your arms,
this day,
and always.
Amen.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if [he ask] a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? - Luke 11:9-13
What a beautiful Spurgeon devotion, dear alpha! He loves us - how amazing that is.
People who want a "quick fix" or "easy treasure" will be disappointed.
BTW, when you spoke of Nietzsche - it reminded me of some graffiti I once read on a wall at College Station, Texas - in two separate handwritings:
Amen! So very true, Amos! Thank you for your testimony and your insight.
Amen! Thank you so much for the beautiful meditation and prayer!
Thank you for the ping! A wonderful uplifting thread, as always. I was wondering if I could sneak in a prayer request?
About 6 1/2 months ago my Mom had 2 heart attacks, so the Docs went in and put a stent in all that stuff they do. Her body has eaten away that anti clotting medication that coated the stent and now it seems her body is trying to actually get rid of the stent itself..rejecting it, I suppose. The docs are "fascinated". *rolls eyes* Since the medication coating the stent is gone, she has developed a clot on the stent and the Docs don't want to do anything at all about it. I think Mom feels that the Docs have written her off as "terminal" and are not willing to do anything further. It's frustrating. They basically sent her home after her angioplasties Monday and that's that. No further treatment is recommended.
My mind is scattered, I'm not really thinking clearly...just kind of keep thinking about her alot. I don't have plane fare to get to SC to see her, but she wouldn't have that anyway. lol
At this point, I'm not really sure what to pray for, or even how to pray for it. I guess I want Mom to have peace of mind and for me to have peace and maybe a Doctor that is willing to acutally do something.....anything. She's only 46 years old.
I'm not praying for money or anthing like that. It would actually aggrivate Mom to have someone around her all the time and doing for her.
I don't know... You guys just write the most wonderful prayers and have an awesome understanding of the Scriptures and I thought it wouldn't hurt to get some prayers from you all.
I hope it's ok to post this here.
Love to you all! God bless you always!
I am also pinging trussell and Brad's Gramma who faithfully call the "prayer warriors" of the forum to join together for those of us in special need.
Please post your replies to misty4jc
misty4jc, My prayers going up for your mom and your family. God's healing for your mom...God's comfort for you and your family.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Not to worry dear, you are not alone.. Plan spend part of the day until my spirit gives me peace. praying too.. for you and also for her... and your whole family (and other things too).. why not? God is rich and merciful.. and very big.. Prayer is the most enjoyable part of my life..
Thank you all so much! It's such a comfort to know you guys are praying and pinging others to pray. A few minutes ago I started feeling.... not so anxious, a little bit more peaceful, so I hopped on here to check my pings. Now I know why.
I mean this with all the love and sincerity I have, God Bless you. I don't know what else to say. Just...Thank You.
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