The Danger Of Being Content With Your Level Of Goodness - It Is Not Good Enough

My Utmost For His Highest

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. —James 1:4

{CHAMBERS} “Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink. Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives.”

{ELGIN}  You must never be satisfied with your present spiritual condition.  The danger is that we will accommodate something in our lives that we declare as “good enough” when God has, in fact called us to a life of holiness.  (1 Peter 1:16)  Paul spends most of his time encouraging saints to cast off the old life and its ways and embrace the new life.  Yet, each of us has something or perhaps more than one thing that we accommodate in our lives.  We either want to cling to it or can’t get rid of it, no matter how hard we try.  Our sanctification is based upon the strength of our faith and the level of our submission to the Spirit, not to our personal effort at being holy.  We are saved and sanctified by grace through faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8,9)  So long as we walk this Earth, we will struggle with our flesh.  Whether we have victory over our flesh is totally dependent upon our submission to the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16).  The test as to whether or not what you do or think is right is this … does it glorify God?  You know the truth .. the question is … are you willing to accept the truth or do you prefer to continue in your sin.  My encouragement you to is to continue to press on in your faith.  Never be satisfied.

Philippians 3:13-16 “Brothers [and Sisters], I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained."

What To Do When Bad Things Happen To Us - Even When It's Our Fault - Trust God

My Utmost For His Highest

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side… —Mark 6:45

{CHAMBERS} “We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself. […] Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.[…] God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now.”

{ELGIN} (Ephesians 2:10) “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  What are those good works?  Certainly it is to bless the lives of others … visiting the widows and orphans in their affliction (James 1:27).  Most definitely it is to meet the needs of the people around us. (Matthew 25: 37-40)  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  But more than that, our purpose is to bring glory to the Father.  It is known as the “chief end of man” – to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  Our purpose is to let our light shine in the midst of personal hardship and distress.  The source of our light is our faith in Jesus and the power of the Spirit in us.  (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.” 

Our purpose is to know Jesus and make Him known.  (Romans 8:27-29) “ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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 sister.  God uses life – the good and bad parts – to conform us into the image of His Son.  So the world may know Him through our testimony.  That is why James wrote (James 1:2-3)  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” It is your perseverance that is remarkable to a lost and dying world.  A world that faces the same things you do, but without the Hope that is in you.  And finally (1 Peter 3:14-15) “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

Spiritual Understanding Depends Upon Obedience Which Depends Upon Faith Which Depends Upon You

My Utmost For His Highest 

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine… —John 7:17

{CHAMBERS}  “The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience. If spiritual things seem dark and hidden to me, then I can be sure that there is a point of disobedience somewhere in my life. […] The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.  When Jesus drives something home to you through His Word, don’t try to evade it. If you do, you will become a religious impostor. Examine the things you tend simply to shrug your shoulders about, and where you have refused to be obedient, and you will know why you are not growing spiritually.”

{ELGIN}  I was on a mission yesterday morning.  I had to get tags for my wife’s car.  We decided that we would get a Desert Storm veteran’s tag, her idea actually.  I had a Vietnam tag on my vehicle already.  A reminder of other chapters in my life, days gone by.  When I walked into the Veteran’s office to get the affidavit to verify to the tag clerk that I was indeed in the Gulf War, I saw a friend, Bob, whom I had not seen for over 10 years.  We chatted for a few minutes and then he was called to get his paperwork.  As he was leaving, I told him, “Bob, there are no coincidences, God had us meet for a reason.”  Time will tell what exactly that reason was.  So I was called to the office director’s office.  I noticed a plaque on his wall that spoke of prayer.  He asked me “So you know Bob?”  That was the opening to a 40 minute conversation about God’s calling, our obedience to the call, spiritual problems in our country, and the commonality of how God was working in each of our lives and the message He had given each of us, the director and me, that is.  Now, this entire episode occurred, on the surface, because I needed to get a Gulf War license plate.  But that was not really the purpose.  I could sense the prompting of the Spirit as I talked with my new found friend and co-laborer.

So what does this have to do with obtaining spiritual understanding.  If your heart is not right before God.  If you are not willing to obey when God prompts you to act, you will miss what God has for you.  Don’t live your life in spiritual isolation.  Living in a way where you are totally obsessed with you and what pleases you, letting fear and not faith control you as you live out your new life in Christ.  Your life is not your own.  God has so much more for you than living  life of sin management.  Don’t be like the one who buried his talent in the ground which yielded nothing, but be like the one who lived by faith and saw a “spiritual” increase as a result of his faithfulness and obedience. (Matthew 25:14-30) Life is full of wonderful, spiritual opportunities … but you will miss them if you choose not to look for them

Only God Sees Your Heart, But Your Mouth Reveals Your Heart To Man

My Utmost For His Highest

Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart….For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man… —Matthew 15:18-20

{CHAMBERS} “Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from our Lord, we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.” We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own “innocent ignorance”? If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me.  The only thing that truly provides protection is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.”

{ELGIN}  Most days I will “mine” nuggets from My Utmost for His Highest to share and serve as a springboard for my devotional thoughts.  But some days, like today, there is nothing that I can take away, I must quote the whole.  I quote this verse so often.  I have made it a practice to listen more than I speak. And, if you listen long enough, you will hear the heart of the person speaking.  It usually takes more than one conversation, but eventually you will hear the heart.  Only God can see the heart of man.  We cannot.  The Word says (Jeremiah 17:9)  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”  Indeed!  Isn’t that what most of us fear?  That someone people will find out who we “really” are!  Well …. Bondye knonnen … God knows … shouldn’t that cause us to tremble?  Yet somehow, we have taken that knowing and relegated to something small in the face of “man” discovering that we are fallible and are not quite so virtuous in our own right. But as the info-mercials say “Oh but wait there is more!”  Praise God, your righteousness is not based upon your works or personal effort to be holy.  It is found in Jesus Christ and Him alone. We live a charade hoping to deceive those around us, and sometimes we do, but for what end?  As born again children of God we are to live for His glory and not for the praise and acceptance of men (John 12:43).  We must lay our hearts on the altar.  And pray as David did …

(Psalm 51:1-12)  Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness, According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”

Do it today. Amen?

The Blessing Of Be-ing - Having The Right Attitude

My Utmost For His Highest

Blessed are… —Matthew 5:3-11

{CHAMBERS} “When we first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. […] The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is as easy as child’s play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of God as He applies our Lord’s statements to our circumstances is the strict and difficult work of a saint. The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations— it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.”

{ELGIN}  Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe was a pastor and prolific writer.  He wrote 50 books using the idea of what a Christian should “Be”.  Be Confident, Be Holy, Be Alert, Be Ready and so on.  The idea was that as  born again believers, the Bible charges us to let our light shine and how we walk out this life are the rays of that light.  There are 8 Beatitudes, Blessed are ….. the poor in spirit, they who mourn, the meek, they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Jesus was describing the Body of Christ living in a fallen world as He spoke, your life and the perspective that we should have as we live day to day.  A life that is submitted to the Spirit of God.  Consider the Beatitudes in the context of the fruit of the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:22-25) “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  Jesus brought a new covenant .. a new life filled with grace and mercy. But it can only be lived by the power of the Spirit and the submission of our will to the Spirit.  We cannot and will not be successful in our new life by trying to live by our terms.  Jesus told Nicodemus .. “You must be born again by the Spirit.”  Don’t try to live the “right” life through self-effort … it is a failing proposition.

Our New Life -- Not A Philosophy To Be Imagined, It Is A Reality To Be Lived.

My Utmost For His Highest

…. your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. —Matthew 5:20

{CHAMBERS} “The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being […] Jesus is saying, “If you are My disciple, you must be right not only in your actions, but also in your motives, your aspirations, and in the deep recesses of the thoughts of your mind.” Your motives must be so pure that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke. Who can stand in the eternal light of God and have nothing for Him to rebuke? Only the Son of God, and Jesus Christ claims that through His redemption He can place within anyone His own nature and make that person as pure and as simple as a child. The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption.  No one can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations— He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature which He places within us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.”

{ELGIN}  (2 Corinthians 5:17) “Old things have passed away .. all things have become new”  (John 3) We are born again by the Spirit.  This new life is not a philosophy to be imagined, it is a reality to be lived.  Jesus changes us from the inside out.  Some things are oh-so-hard to give up.  We have become dependent upon them.  They define us.  They may even bring some sort of perverted sense of comfort and security.  Even though they are harmful and they bring pain, we fear that letting go of them will be even worse.  But Jesus bids us “Come”.  (Matthew 11:28) “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  There is a song – “All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give.  I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.  I Surrender all.  All to Jesus, precious Savior, I surrender all.”  Are you willing to let Jesus change you?  It requires faith and an attitude of total, not partial, abandonment.  Paul wrote about the struggle in Romans chapter 7.  “I do the things I don’t want to do and the things I want to do, I don’t do.  Wretched man that I am who will save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  We find deliverance through Jesus.  He is the only way we can find deliverance.  You may think there is another way, but there is not.  You might try partial surrender, but it is not enough.  You must lay your life down.  It is an act of obedience and an act of faith, all wrapped up into one.

Taking A Break - Off To Haiti

I leave for Jacmel Haiti tonight, 13 July,  and will not be writing and posting daily devotions while I am gone.  I will try to post brief updates as I can.  Returning on the 21st.  Will resume the devotions on the 24th of July.

In the meantime, please be in prayer for the people going on this trip ... ministry to village children, training new Believers, and preaching at a church and during a crusade.  Charley