Stretch Out Your Hand

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13). As soon as the man did so, his hand was healed. But he had to take the initiative. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.’ CHAMBERS

 

When we read about Jesus healing people we read the words .. “Your faith has made your whole”.  We must exercise faith to see God act.  Faith is the initiative that Chambers is referring to.  Israel had to step into the water for the Jordan river to back up.  God provides the opportunity, but we must respond in faith.  What is it that you are facing that seems insurmountable?  Put your faith in God.  Be obedient to what He is telling you to do.  Stretch out your hand …

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Justice, Mercy, and Humilty

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.’ CHAMBERS

 

When you think of humiliation, was do you think of? Embarrassment, shame … the word has a negative connotation in our culture.  To be humiliated is to be put down in the eyes of those around you.  No one likes that.  But what we are talking about here is humility … having a humble spirit … not proud … Micah 6:8 declares that what God expects of us it to love mercy, to act justly, and to walk humbly with God.  We don’t have to prove our worth to men, Jesus proved our worth to God on the cross.  We should walk in the knowledge of that.  It doesn’t really matter what the world thinks of us as Christians … weak minded, inflexible, deluded … remember, the world rejected Jesus .. and spiritual matters are foolishness to those who do not follow Christ.  We should live in the knowledge of that.

 

We are humble because we know whom we have believed and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him.  (2 Timothy 1:12).  We can take credit for nothing ... God has given us capacity and opportunity ... everything is from Him ...

 

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

 

Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone)

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

What Is Your Level Of Love?

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Just because I have listened carefully and intently to one thing from God does not mean that I will listen to everything He says. I show God my lack of love and respect for Him by the insensitivity of my heart and mind toward what He says[..] The goal of my spiritual life is [should be] such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. […] What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. […] The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” […] Have you heard God’s voice today?’ CHAMBERS

 

Henry Blackaby said that if we have an obedience problem what we really have is a love problem.  Our willingness to obey God is a reflection of our level of love for Him.  Matthew 22:37 says to love God with every fiber of our being.  In John 14:15 Jesus said if I love Him I should obey him. You cannot love the world and God at the same time.  If you think you can, you are deceiving yourself.  God speaks to you by His Spirit though prayer, the Word, circumstances, and other believers.  The world speaks to you through your flesh and its desire to be satisfied.  Who are you listening to?

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

What's On Your Mind?

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Is your mind stayed on God or is it starved? Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).’ CHAMBERS

 

What do you think about as you live your day out?  Does your thinking begin with God or with what you must do that particular day? Do you think about the troubles you might be facing? The loss you might have experienced? Is your mind filled with thoughts about the affairs of this world?

 

Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

 

You choose what you dwell on.  Colossians 3:1-3  “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

 

So set your mind on Him today. And  .....  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

The Pause That Refreshes

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Have you delivered yourself over to exhaustion because of the way you have been serving God? If so, then renew and rekindle your desires and affections. Examine your reasons for service. Is your source based on your own understanding or is it grounded on the redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually look back to the foundation of your love and affection and remember where your Source of power lies. You have no right to complain, “O Lord, I am so exhausted.” He saved and sanctified you to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that He is your supply. “All my springs are in you” (Psalm 87:7).’ CHAMBERS

 

Serving others is exhausting.  We must serve by the power of the Spirit, not in our own strength. There are times when we must withdraw to be refreshed. Like Elijah laying by the stream in 1 Kings 17.  If we are trying to accomplish God’s work in the power of our flesh, that is an entirely different matter.  That is impossible for us to do and we will most certainly exhaust ourselves.  You will know the difference.  In the former, you will be at peace but feel spent in your energy.  In the latter, you will be frustrated and anxious .. stressed … because all of your effort has come to no good end.  Rest in the Lord … Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Teach me Lord to wait .. and trust .. and walk ..

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Is Your Heart Set Apart?

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘When we pray, asking God to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? Are we prepared to pay the cost of sanctification? Are we really prepared for God to perform in us everything for which He separated us? And after He has done His work, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to God just as Jesus did? “For their sakes I sanctify Myself . . .” (John 17:19). Sanctification means being made one with Jesus so that the nature that controlled Him will control us. Are we really prepared for what that will cost? It will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.

 

Are we prepared to be caught up into the full meaning of Paul’s prayer in this verse? Are we prepared to say, “Lord, make me, a sinner saved by grace, as holy as You can”? Are we prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirit’s work in us?’ CHAMBERS

 

Chambers devotion was filled with questions. The questions began with “are we prepared”  in other words, are we willing .. is our mind set … How do you prepare for a test in school?  You set your mind to it.  You focus on it.  You study the subject.  In the same way, we must set our minds to sanctification … becoming like Jesus.  Be careful.  If you decide that you can’t .. then you won’t.  Being transformed (Romans 12:1-2) is a process.  It certainly has a beginning … salvation … and it has an end … standing in the presence of our Lord … but it is what is “in between” that we are talking about today.   How you choose to live your life. God does not intend that you find a cave and live in it .. set apart from everything and everyone.  But He does intend that you live your life in a way that your heart and its devotions are set apart from the things and ways of this world. His purpose is that we would be one with Jesus … in disposition, deed and devotion.  The book we need to study is the Bible .. the teacher is the Holy Spirit.  The test is how we live our lives.

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Getting Back On The Path Called Joy

My Utmost For His Highest

 

“Every fact that the disciples stated was right, but the conclusions they drew from those facts were wrong. Anything that has even a hint of dejection spiritually is always wrong. If I am depressed or burdened, I am to blame, not God or anyone else. Dejection stems from one of two sources— I have either satisfied a lust or I have not had it satisfied. In either case, dejection is the result. Lust means “I must have it at once.” Spiritual lust causes me to demand an answer from God, instead of seeking God Himself who gives the answer. What have I been hoping or trusting God would do? Is today “the third day” [referring to the day of resurrection when the disciples had lost hope] and He has still not done what I expected? Am I therefore justified in being dejected and in blaming God? Whenever we insist that God should give us an answer to prayer we are off track. The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not of the answer.” CHAMBERS

 

Dejection is a sadness that is caused by failure or loss.  Are you in the midst of a struggle?  Perhaps you have lost hope in a certain circumstance.  Perhaps you have failed to accomplish something or avoid something.  And you are sad .. dejected … because of it.  When we are sad for those reasons, the problem is that we have become disconnected from God … our faith in Him is waning … failing .. faltering … To find our way back to the path called joy, we need to first reconnect with Him … His love never fails … He is always sufficient .. even when we are impatient and lack faith.  As Paul wrote in Romans 8 ….

 

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

 

Keep your eyes on the Lord and not on your circumstances.  God is glorified in our lives when we trust Him and not ourselves.  When we persevere in the storms of life and stay close to Him.  He is our strength … He is our hope and peace.

 

Psalm 42:5-6 “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)