Living An Unbalanced Life - Following Jesus

My Utmost For His Highest

…fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ… —1 Thessalonians 3:2

“[...] As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, […] Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.  I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. […] and God will not be allowed to move me […] because of my fear…” CHAMBERS

Chambers said that God “simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness.”  It may be simple, but it is not easy, is it?  Giving my life wholly to God.  Not clinging to any of it.  (Luke 14:26-27) “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  That is what loving God with all means (Matthew 22:37).  Than can be no equal.  There can be nothing greater.  God must be first.  The cross that Jesus carried represented complete submission to the will of God. The potential of God’s grace was unlocked through the obedience of Jesus on the cross. 

I was talking to someone, just yesterday.  We were talking about finding balance between family and work.  He said there are three things that he had to balance … work, family, and spiritual matters.  We often see them as being equal when in fact they are not.  You need to live an imbalanced life, where living for God carries the most weight.. So often the Bible, praying, worship are the things we give up first. Most easily.   Why?  Because we don’t really understand their importance to the quality of our life here and now and in the sweet bye and bye.  So Jesus said you must hate everything that you think is important if you are going to follow Him.  Do you consider yourself a Christ follower?  Do be one you simply have to have absolute faith in Him.  That’s all!  Growing your faith is like your kids bedroom needing to be cleaned up, it doesn’t happen by itself.  It requires effort, effort that most kids don’t want to exert … and neither do most Christians.   Think about it.  ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Charley Elgin