…work out your own salvation…for it is God who works in you…
—Philippians 2:12-13
{CHAMBERS} “Your
will agrees with God, but in your flesh there is a nature that renders you
powerless to do what you know you ought to do. When the Lord initially comes in
contact with our conscience, the first thing our conscience does is awaken our
will, and our will always agrees with God. Yet you say, “But I don’t know if my
will is in agreement with God.” Look to Jesus and you will find that your will
and your conscience are in agreement with Him every time. What causes you to
say “I will not obey” is something less deep and penetrating than your will. It
is perversity or stubbornness, and they are never in agreement with God. The
most profound thing in a person is his will, not sin. The will is the essential
element in God’s creation of human beings— sin is a perverse nature which
entered into people. […] With focused attention and great care, you have to
“work out” what God “works in” you— not work to accomplish or earn “your own
salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based
with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the
Lord. As you do this, you do not bring an opposing will up against God’s will—
God’s will is your will. Your natural choices will be in accordance with God’s
will, and living this life will be as natural as breathing. Stubbornness is an
unintelligent barrier, refusing enlightenment and blocking its flow. […] God
not only expects me to do His will, but He is in me to do it.”
{ELGIN} Most
days, I edit the Chambers quotes down to its essence and then comment on
it. But, today, there was so much that he
said that was right on point, I left most of the devotion in the quote. As it happens, I had lunch with a Brother
yesterday. Our conversation focused
primarily on the issue of will. Knowing
what God wants you to do and you not wanting to do it. Not the spiritual you but the natural
you. The you that is in constant battle
with the spiritual. The you that Paul
describes in Romans 7 that knows what the right thing is, but chooses the wrong
instead. Was there ever a ride at the
amusement park that you feared, but one day you got on the ride anyway? In spite of everything inside you stoking
your fear that tragedy was looming ahead?
That is the essence of acting in faith.
Your flesh is saying “no”, but your spirit is leading you to a place
where you will not be able to trust in yourself, but must fully lean on
Jesus. Will and pride, they are like two
peas in a pod. It is hard to distinguish
apart them sometimes, but their influence nearly always has the same result ..
I choose me .. not God. I choose to
stand on the ground and watch others be flung about, wide eyed, mouths open,
hands raised .. I see fear and delight at the same time. How is that possible? It’s not natural it’s supernatural. It’s faith in action. What is it that you have said “no” to that
you know is the unction from God? As my
friend said, he was feeling a bit like Jonah.
He knew the reason he said “no” did not have a good reason behind it. It never does when it comes to faithing
God.
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