Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Thinking About Putting God On Mute And Going Your Own Way? - Big Mistake

My Utmost For His Highest
 
If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left. —Genesis 13:9
 
“… if you are living the life of faith you will exercise your right to waive your rights, and let God make your choice for you. God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the appropriate thing to consider, if you were not living the life of faith. But if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and allow God to make your choice for you. This is the discipline God uses to transform the natural into the spiritual through obedience to His voice.[…] The greatest enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but good choices which are not quite good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best. […] Many of us do not continue to grow spiritually because we prefer to choose on the basis of our rights, instead of relying on God to make the choice for us.” CHAMBERS
 
Nothing is more irritating to me than that voice on the GPS that says "Recalculating". I have chosen to do something other than follow the route that has been calculated.  I want to go my own way.  Fortunately there is a mute button that I can press so I don't have to listen to those reminders.  We often do the same thing with the Holy Spirit.
 
When God is leading our lives, the choices we make, with respect to living day-to-day, are not the same choices that the rest of the world would make or the same as we might make.  When choosing our own way, self-preservation is our focus.  I mean if we don’t look out for ourselves, then who is going to?  Sounds like a reasonable question, unless you are a Christian that is.  The Shorter catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?”.  The answer, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  If we have an eternal perspective, our rights, our comfort, our financial security become miniscule in light of our chief end or purpose … to bring glory to God.  And how do we bring glory to God?  (Romans 12:1,2) Offering ourselves as living sacrifices .. laying our rights, our comfort, our financial security, our relationships with others at the foot of the cross.  That requires an eternal perspective on our existence.  Having a view of our existence that is more than the time we spend on this earth.  One day we will understand why God chose to do things this way … but perhaps when that time comes .. when we are finally transformed .. we won’t really care to know.  We tend to think of God and spiritual truth in the context of this world and it’s nature rather than thinking of this world in the context of God and His nature.  What circumstance are you in the middle of that seems about to overwhelm you?  (Philippians 4:6,7) says “be anxious for nothing”.  That does not leave much room, does it?  “with prayer, supplication, thanksgiving”  Keep your focus on God not yourself. Yield your rights to yourself to God. “and the peace of God will keep you”  It’s true.  But it is only as real as your doing it.  Wanting to do it amounts to nothing.  So what are you waiting for?  Trust God.  CHARLEY

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