Friday, September 30, 2016

Make Certain That You Are Running In The Right Race

My Utmost For His Highest
 
I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church… —Colossians 1:24
 
“To be a holy person means that the elements of our natural life experience the very presence of God as they are providentially broken in His service. We have to be placed into God and brought into agreement with Him before we can be broken bread in His hands. Stay right with God and let Him do as He likes, and you will find that He is producing the kind of bread and wine that will benefit His other children.”  CHAMBERS
 
Some years ago, Pastor Rick Warren wrote a book entitled “The Purpose Driven Life”.  For a season it was the “rage” in the Christian community.  Rick Warren captured the essence of God’s call to every Christian.  The book began with the sentence “It’s not about you.”  The “it” is your life – God’s plan and purpose.  But for most Christians “it” is about them.  They spend their lives trying to live right, worship right, get right.  Their spiritual energy is focused on themselves.  Their goal is to be holy for themselves, when God’s purpose is that they be holy for Him.  As Martie and I are re-integrated into this culture, it is clear that the priority of most Christians is not showing the world Jesus.  The race that they are running is not the “holy marathon” (Hebrews 12:1-2) “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Instead, many Christians have lined up with the culture to run a race of futility.  The elusive trophy being financial prosperity and easy living.  Rick Warren summarized the Christian life when he wrote that we are planned for God’s pleasure, formed for God’s family, created to become like Christ, shaped for serving God, and made for a mission. That does not line up well with what we see happening in the Church in the United States today.
 
Believe it or not, I would prefer to not be the one who bears hard truth.  I would love it if all I shared was happy thoughts.  Instead the Lord has given me a ministry reminding the Church of what should be and warning the Church of what shouldn’t be, but, unfortunately, is.  It is our nature to be drawn to the physical and natural when, in truth, we have been saved into the super-natural.   We have got to stop trying to live this new life on our own. We must constantly check ourselves, lest we fall. ELGIN
 
Take My Hand, Precious Lord
 
Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on,  Let me stand  I'm tired, I am weak I am worn
Through the storm, through the night  Lead me on through the light  
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
 
When my way grows drear precious Lord linger near  When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry,  Hear my call  Hold my hand lest I fall  Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

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