You are not your own

My Utmost For His Highest

 

November 1, 2012

 

Do you not know that . . . you are not your own? —1 Corinthians 6:19

 

[…] We are not sanctified for ourselves. We are called into intimacy with the gospel, and things happen that appear to have nothing to do with us. But God is getting us into fellowship with Himself. […] The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of His redemption. […]  God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine.”

 

What is your understanding of your life in Christ?  Do you suppose that you have been saved into a life where you have no cares … that God is primarily interested in you being comfortable and happy.  That you won’t be sick .. won’t be disappointed … won’t have unmet needs … Or .. do you think that you belong to God .. and He is going to use you as He sees fit to point others to Jesus.  That you will face many difficulties … but in spite of them .. your life will shine … and God will be glorified …

 

Rick Warren said that God is more interested in our character than our comfort.  Problem is .. we are very often more interested in our comfort than our character. I was talking with the Children’s Home manager the other day about the local doctor who was kidnapped along with his wife and two children.  They were eventually released, but, the manager’s point was Haiti is a dangerous place.  I asked him if he thought God knew that before He called us to come here to help the people.  Would God call us to go to a place that was unsafe?  I guess you have to define unsafe.  I would define it as not being in the grip of God’s hands.  Others might define it as problems with disease .. theft, kidnapping, civil unrest.

 

We need to see our security in the light of the power of a sovereign God .. not in the presence of danger.  In Philippians 1:21, Paul said  “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  Does that sound a little extreme to you?  If you are not your own .. if it is indeed God’s choice about where you are and how He uses you for His kingdom purposes, can you rest in that?  Only if you are submitted to the lordship of Jesus.  Is it an impossible life .. is it beyond your ability?  Then put your hope in God .. and walk in the light that He has given you.

 

2 Corinthians 4:7-9  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)