The Dependability Of Your Spiritual Wherewithal Depends Upon Where Your All Is

My Utmost For His Highest

 

You must be born again. —John 3:7

 

“The answer to Nicodemus’ question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” is: Only when he is willing to die to everything in his life, including his rights, his virtues, and his religion, and becomes willing to receive into himself a new life that he has never before experienced (John 3:4). This new life exhibits itself in our conscious repentance and through our unconscious holiness.[…] “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ” (John 3:3). Am I seeking only for the evidence of God’s kingdom, or am I actually recognizing His absolute sovereign control? The new birth gives me a new power of vision by which I begin to discern God’s control. […] “Whoever has been born of God does not sin…” (1 John 3:9). […]  1 John 3:9 does not mean that we cannot sin— it simply means that if we will obey the life of God in us, that we do not have to sin.” CHAMBERS

 

The trouble with living our new life in Christ, as God intended, is that we continue to cling to aspects of our old nature that we consider too hard for God or that we desire more than God.  Jesus told Nicodemus that Nicodemus must change.  That there must be a fundamental change in him … he must be reborn … die to his old nature .. everything that he trusts in and holds dear … His old life must be crucified (Galatians 2:20) and be born spiritually. Before we received our new life in Christ, just like Nicodemus, we knew there was something that we needed and we knew Jesus had the answer to what it was. (John 14:6) The answer was and is Jesus.  We spend much too much time struggling with our old nature … with sin in our lives .. because we are relying on ourselves to provide the spiritual wherewithal [cool word] necessary to overcome our old nature.. to not sin.  It will never happen.  Our success in this new life is founded on Jesus.  If we are not cultivating our relationship with Him, then we are doomed to live a life devoid of the fruit of the Spirit.  Our lives will be salted with one spiritual failure after another.  We might come to believe that our new life is not much more than a philosophy and cannot be a living reality.  Trying to live the Christian life on your own is like the difference between reading stories about Grand Canyon and actually standing on the rim, experiencing the reality of its majesty.  Take time today to site at Jesus feet and learn from Him.  You’ll be glad you did.  CHARLEY

 

Knowing You, Jesus

 

“All I once held dear, built my life upon, All the world reveres and wars to own

All I once thought gain, I have counted loss, spent an worthless now, compared to this

Knowing You Jesus, Knowing You, There is no better thing

You’re my all, You’re the best, You’re my joy and righteousness, and I love You, Lord”