Swimming in Salt Water

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘The Spirit of God has set a great many people free from their sin, yet they are experiencing no fullness in their lives— no true sense of freedom. The kind of religious life we see around the world today is entirely different from the vigorous holiness of the life of Jesus Christ. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). We are to be in the world but not of it— to be separated internally, not externally (see John 17:16).

 

We must never allow anything to interfere with the consecration of our spiritual power. Consecration (being dedicated to God’s service) is our part; sanctification (being set apart from sin and being made holy) is God’s part. We must make a deliberate determination to be interested only in what God is interested.’ CHAMBERS

 

So you are saved …. But you still live in the world .. in the culture … in the mess … you are meant to be like the fish in the sea … you are living in salt water but are not affected by the salt. How are you doing with that?  Although Jesus was in the world .. walked, talked and ate with sinners … He was not affected by those around Him.  He did not crave the things of the world, but to do the will of His Father.  ‘For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.’ John 6:38

 

‘…So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest '? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.…’  John 4:33-35

 

The question we need to ask ourselves is not ‘What would Jesus do?’ Instead ‘What did Jesus do?’

 

‘Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”’ John 14:12-21

 

So you see .. what keeps the ‘salt’ (the influence of the world) out of you as you swim along in this world is Jesus .. not your desire to be good or right before God.  It is Jesus in you … the presence of the Holy Spirit ….. Jesus said the world will not see Him any longer but, instead, will see you – reflecting Him.  So let your light shine .. let it shine .. let it shine.

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)