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
{CHAMBERS} “As soon as you begin to live the life of faith in God,
fascinating and physically gratifying possibilities will open up before 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. Whenever our right becomes the guiding factor of
our lives, it dulls our spiritual insight. 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. We have to learn to walk according to
the standard which has its eyes focused on God. And God says to us, as He did
to Abram, “…walk before Me…” (Genesis 17:1).”
{ELGIN} This life of faith
that we live. It is so contrary to the
ways of this world. It is so contrary to
common sense or should I say “natural” sense. Psychologists of done a great
work in mapping out how the natural man thinks and why he does .. all in the
context of the natural world. Apart from
God. When faith enters in – it often is
in conflict with the natural. You see the
natural is about “you” – the spiritual is about “God”. And so every day we are faced with choices ..
do we look to ourselves or to God? If
you are a Christian – everything in your life has a spiritual context. There is no part of your life that is
spared. Very often we live with various
aspects of our lives compartmented, sectioned off, as if they were excluded from
the sovereignty of God. They are
not. We have been bought with a price. We have been adopted into God’s family. We are new in Christ. But, at the same time, we have been given a
free will. Free to do as we please. Not
without consequences, but free to choose, to compartmentalize. That is not the Father’s desire. No, His desire is that we be conformed into
the image of Jesus. (Romans 8:29) “For
those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” As you read this,
if you are thinking, “But that is what I want my life to be like.” Then I would
say – look to the Father – Hide His Word in your heart – Yield to the Spirit –
Every day … now would be a good time to start. And if you are already there –
encourage the Saints.
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