Posted on 04/06/2005 10:17:08 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
As the disciples were commanded, you should also say nothing until the Son of Man has risen in you— until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you truly understand what He taught while here on earth. When you grow and develop the right condition inwardly, the words Jesus spoke become so clear that you are amazed you did not grasp them before. In fact, you were not able to understand them before because you had not yet developed the proper spiritual condition to deal with them.
Our Lord doesn’t hide these things from us, but we are not prepared to receive them until we are in the right condition in our spiritual life. Jesus said, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" ( John 16:12 ). We must have a oneness with His risen life before we are prepared to bear any particular truth from Him. Do we really know anything about the indwelling of the risen life of Jesus? The evidence that we do is that His Word is becoming understandable to us. God cannot reveal anything to us if we don’t have His Spirit. And our own unyielding and headstrong opinions will effectively prevent God from revealing anything to us. But our insensible thinking will end immediately once His resurrection life has its way with us.
". . . tell no one . . . ." But so many people do tell what they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration— their mountaintop experience. They have seen a vision and they testify to it, but there is no connection between what they say and how they live. Their lives don’t add up because the Son of Man has not yet risen in them. How long will it be before His resurrection life is formed and evident in you and in me?
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
Before, nada, zilch, zero, all the bible thumping and charismatic preaching notwithstanding.
After, well, I know this: it is easier to listen when supernatural events --- mundane events mostly, but from a quantitative perspective, impossible by chance ---- occur with unpredictable regularity.
So I don't 'know' or have knowledge of the how of indwelling. I just know, manifestly-like, that it happens. I don't know the how of why Chocolate tastes like 'Chocolate'. And if I met a poor soul who had not experienced that glorious cancy, someone who wanted me to describe just what chocolate tasted like ... well, that is just a big mental scramble of futility.
The indwelling of Christ, or better, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a consequence of acknowledging Christ's purpose publicly, is an event and an ongoing experience.
It is a lot like the Chocolate experience ... but way better. Way, way better....
But even so, the sensation of futility is really temptation in disguise. The temptation to just say, well, by grace I received this, and the others out there, until they get blessed enough to be selected to be worked over, they're not going to be equipped to 'get' this, so I'll be quiet.
So, being quiet with your mouth is one thing and it is an appropriate thing.
But sometimes, even so, during our quietness, we are the agent God uses to work that someone 'over'. Listening for those times is one of our tasks .... and being willing to break a sweat when the time is right is another.
Oswald Chambers bump...
Thank you so much for the bump!
"How long will it be before His resurrection life is formed and evident in you and in me?"
When we get our cross to the top of the hill?
/s
An after-reading Bumpity Bump.
I can't talk about today's meditation - still "working" on it.
What a bracing metaphor! Thank you so much, Snagglepuss!
Thank you so much for bumping by, dear TruthNtegrity!
Thanks for posting these everyday AG.
I used to just take to baby aspririns for my heart.
Now, I take my daily dose of OC for my heart and soul.
God Bless,
/s
Dittos to what Snagglepuss said: "Thanks for posting these everyday AG."
Thank you both oh so very much for all your encouragements!
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