Look at the birds of the
air….Consider the lilies of the field… —Matthew 6:26, 28
{CHAMBERS} “So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He
desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be
consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow
spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence,
Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on
Me.” […] Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not
from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven.
Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on
Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as “the
lilies of the field.” The people who influence us the most are not those who detain
us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in
the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the
lives that mold and shape us. If you want to be of use to God, maintain the
proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will
make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the
conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.”
{ELGIN} (1 Corinthians 1:27)
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what
is weak in the world to shame the strong”
What does that have to do with my spiritual life? The key to being successful in my Christian
life is not trying harder. It’s by “faithing”
harder. If someone wants to be
successful in life .. let’s say as a pianist .. they must study and practice
for hours on end. Hard work will yield
its reward. But no so with our new life
in Christ. We have been saved by “grace
through faith and not of works” (Ephesians
2:8-9) Dr. Henry Blackaby, the
author of Experiencing God, said “You have heard people say ‘Don’t just stand
there, do something’. But God is saying,
‘Don’t just do something, stand there.’”
Think about that. Are you doing
your best to not sin .. to be a better person .. mother .. father .. husband ..
wife … son .. daughter .. friend … Christian?
God chose the simple things … the natural man .. you old nature reasons that acting like a Christian
will make you a Christian .. but what to do with all of the sin that accompanies
that effort. God says … love Me … grow
you relationship with Me .. through prayer, the Word, fellowship with other Christians
– I really should say “like-minded Christians.
My point is that you need to seek out Christians in whom the light of
Christ is shining bright. Christians who
will encourage you in the faith and not just commiserate with you.
Listen, I know that it is
very difficult to not seek out those that will sympathize with you, even
empathize with you. You are seeking
comfort and assurance. But you need to go to the source of true comfort. (2 Corinthians
1:3-4) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so
that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the
comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” What we need are people
who will walk with us as we move closer to God.
That is a decision that we must all make … but that many Christians, to
their detriment, choose not to make. Instead
they prefer to do things the way they think best … and yield the fruit of that choice .. and
the fruit is bitter. Friend isn’t it
time you looked to another tree? Think about it.
I was just reminded of a song from years back ... it's about a lemon tree ... a refrain goes "Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat." A great analogy for our choosing any way to success in our new life other than the way that God has ordained. Blessings ...
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