Posted on 01/04/2006 9:50:57 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
"And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ " ( John 21:19 ). Three years earlier Jesus had said, "Follow Me" ( Matthew 4:19 ), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, "Follow Me" ( John 21:19 ). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first "Follow Me" was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18 ).
Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75 ). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. ". . . He breathed on them, and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit’ " ( John 20:22 ). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.
All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to "receive the Holy Spirit." "Receive the Holy Spirit"— the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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
Prayers offered up for the families of the deceased miners.
I join in your prayers!
Good morning bump
GOODMORNING AND GRACE TO ALL BRETHREN!
"And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from
the darkness."
- Genesis 1:4
Light might well be good since it sprang from that fiat of goodness, "Let
there be light." We who enjoy it should be more grateful for it than we
are, and see more of God in it and by it. Light physical is said by
Solomon to be sweet, but gospel light is infinitely more precious, for it
reveals eternal things, and ministers to our immortal natures. When the
Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light, and opens our eyes to behold the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we behold sin in its true
colours, and ourselves in our real position; we see the Most Holy God as
he reveals himself, the plan of mercy as he propounds it, and the world to
come as the Word describes it. Spiritual light has many beams and
prismatic colours, but whether they be knowledge, joy, holiness, or life,
all are divinely good.
If the light received be thus good, what must the essential light be, and
how glorious must be the place where he reveals himself.
O Lord, since light is so good, give us more of it, and more of thyself,
the true light.
No sooner is there a good thing in the world, than a division is
necessary. Light and darkness have no communion; God has divided them, let
us not confound them. Sons of light must not have fellowship with deeds,
doctrines, or deceits of darkness. The children of the day must be sober,
honest, and bold in their Lord's work, leaving the works of darkness to
those who shall dwell in it for ever. Our Churches should by discipline
divide the light from the darkness, and we should by our distinct
separation from the world do the same.
In judgment, in action, in hearing, in teaching, in association, we must
discern between the precious and the vile, and maintain the great
distinction which the Lord made upon the world's first day.
O Lord Jesus, be thou our light throughout the whole of this day, for thy
light is the light of men.
C.H.SPURGEON
SOLI DEO GLORIA!
Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
John 6:67-69
You,
O Holy One of God,
O Emanuel,
God With us,
Son of God,
Son of Man,
Teacher,
Healer,
Savior,
call out to those who will listen
with the soothing, transforming balm of your words,
"Come to me, and I will give you rest."
Like a drop of purest light
falling to earth,
raining down upon our hearts,
yours are the words
that can drive out the darkness
even when the darkness is so deep
it palpitates
in its seeming triumph.
Yours is the word
that lifts an undeserving soul
to the highest heavens,
brings rest to the weary,
transforms the petty,
heals the sinsick
and guides those who will listen
on the paths of righteousness
all for love.
O Lord,
let me always be a vessel
for your words,
your light,
your truth,
until transformed into that person you ask me to be,
I will stand in your presence and shout,
"Thank you, Lord."
Amen.
Oh! yes.. you are.. Most; upon intially considering Jesus, are content with who he was as a human.. a human person... only later hopefully are they able to see Jesus as a Spirit.. far greater than any human body could concievably contain.. His human body was the antie in the poker game of life.. but his Spirit is the hand that wins the game.. A Royal Flush..
Everything Jesus said or did spoke of his Spirit, the Fathers Spirit, and the Holy Spirit.. all/most his parables(metaphors) speak of OUR spirits.. That he, was always, and is now, a Spirit, and we are too.. are what this human experience is all about.. Jesus physical body and our bodies on this planet are openers, the antie, in this Universal game.. This "training" for Universal life.. meaning life in this universe.. Our experiences here will be utilized and needed later.. both the positive and negative ones..
How do I know all this for sure?.. I don't, I accept it by faith.. Call it a relevation..
Just my tag line. bttt
Thank you so very much for sharing your testimony, meditations and praise! May God always bless you!
Hi, abigail2! Thanks for bumping by!
Thank you so much for the beautiful Spurgeon devotion!
What a beautiful meditation and prayer! Amen!
The Lord is good, in allowing at least one miner to survive. News reports say he's responsive (squeezing his wife's hand), so maybe he'll provide testimony on what the miners did to try to survive. Maybe we can learn from that, to help improve mine conditions. (That's at least one benefit that could come out of this tragedy.)
Code Pink? Jeepers. Thank you for bumping by!
Praise God that he survived and may be able to help others avoid such catastrophes! Thank you for keeping us informed!
Good for another bump.
So true... the start of a quest.. and along the way we find out that we are indeed spirits too.. Spirits calling out to spirit.. among each other and with God as well.. Our spirits and Gods spirit are just family.. a family of spirits.. With love and devotion and loyalty first to the family and also to others..
Quite deep Ozzies verse this morning.. makes my spirit soar.. with wings of faith.. Looks cool from up here.. I like it.. could get use to an eon or two doing this..
Many may eventually find out, this human body could not possibly contain OUR spirits either.. THEN, a watershed epiphany will occur to that spirit.. Limited, for now, to this body, but not forever.. When the physical anchor is pulled God knows what we might become individually and corporately together.. A foretaste now will have to do..
The metaphor of the Body of Christ thought about and realized.. is about the deepest vision I can think of.. at least for now.. A wonderful foretaste of the reality of it all.. FREEDOM... its all about freedom.. The freedom for spirits to mingle and co-mingle in oneness... With the one in the oneness measured on a scale not possible now.. Mingling as in a body.. The Body of Christ.. not a physical body but a spiritual one.. Yeah!.. Ozzie can indeed touch my buttons.. Spiritual organs in the Body of Christ.. Deep, very deep.. calling out to my spirit.. Can you feel it?..
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