Create In Me A Clean Heart, Oh God

My Utmost For His Highest

 

“Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips . . .” —Isaiah 6:5

 

‘When I come into the very presence of God, I do not realize that I am a sinner in an indefinite sense, but I suddenly realize and the focus of my attention is directed toward the concentration of sin in a particular area of my life. A person will easily say, “Oh yes, I know I am a sinner,” but when he comes into the presence of God he cannot get away with such a broad and indefinite statement. Our conviction is focused on our specific sin, and we realize, as Isaiah did, what we really are. This is always the sign that a person is in the presence of God.’ CHAMBERS

 

When you say “I know I am a sinner” or “We all have feet of clay”, it is a form of an excuse.  It excuses the sin that rests in us. Sin that keeps us from having an intimate relationship with the Father.  It is God’s intent that we be one with Him.  In John 17:20-23, Jesus said … “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

 

Isaiah knew that His heart was not right before God.  He could not make any excuses for what he knew to be truth.  In the same way … the Spirit convicts us of our sin … the Word shines a light on it … We cannot have a close relationship with the Father if we are excusing our sin to the weakness of our flesh .. and denying the power of the Word and the Spirit to wash us .. to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us (Psalm 51).  What are you waiting for?

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

How Much Do You Love Jesus?

My Utmost For His Highest

 

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also . . . . And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me . . . . So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” —Luke 14:26-27, 33

 

‘Many of us who call ourselves Christians are not truly devoted to Jesus Christ. No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him. We may admire, respect, and revere Him, but we cannot love Him on our own. The only One who truly loves the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit, and it is He who has “poured out in our hearts” the very “love of God” (Romans 5:5). Whenever the Holy Spirit sees an opportunity to glorify Jesus through you, He will take your entire being and set you ablaze with glowing devotion to Jesus Christ.’ CHAMBERS

 

Jesus said that if we are going to follow Him, we must pick up our cross (Matthew 16:24) … be willing to crucify all that is natural to us (Galatians 2:20). To hate your family is a description of relativity.  Compared to your love for Jesus, you hate your family.  That does not mean you don’t love them.  Martie and I have lived apart from our family for many years.  We love them very much, but God has called us to a place that requires us to be separated from them. Willingness to be apart from those you love is not something that you can conjure up on your own.  “No one on earth has this passionate love for the Lord Jesus unless the Holy Spirit has given it to him…”

 

Jesus does not ask all of us to be apart from our families, but He does tell us to Love God first .. to seek the Kingdom first … to forsake our love for the world and follow Him, first.  When the disciples told Jesus that His mother and brothers were at the door waiting to see Him, Jesus said “He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:46-50) Our tendency us to “naturalize” the  Bible.  To think of it in terms our natural life. Jesus brought a spiritual reality to the earth.  We must see the world and people the way He does.  We can only do that by being one with Him .. we can only do that by the power of His Spirit in us.

 

Jesus asks us what He asked Peter “Do you love Me.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

But Jesus said ....

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. […] When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now…’ CHAMBERS

 

We have been called to a new life and given the power to live it by the Holy Spirit and the vision to see where we are to go and how we are to live with the Word of God … it is a lamp and light for us.  God said we are to be holy because He is holy.  I wish that were true of me all of the time … I would like to say it is .. but I cannot.  This life I live is a battle .. a battle between the flesh and the Spirit.  In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus painted a verbal picture of that battle.

 

[The flesh says] 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ [But Jesus said] 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

 

[The flesh says] 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ [But Jesus said] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

[The flesh says] 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ [But Jesus said] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

 

[The flesh says] 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ [But Jesus said] 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

 

[The flesh says] 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ [But Jesus said] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

 

[The flesh says] 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [But Jesus said] 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

 

[And Jesus said] 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

 

The New Testament reveals a “new”  way of thinking and living.  Jesus revealed the Spirit of the Law, not just the letter of the law.  You want to know how to let your light shine?  Read Matthew chapter 5 again.  You cannot do those things apart from the Spirit of God in you.  You need to fuel the Holy Fire with obedience.  Let the world see Jesus in you …. Fulfill your purpose and give glory to God.

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Showing People Jesus

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Wanting to make sure that my adversary gives me all my rights is a natural thing. But Jesus says that it is a matter of inescapable and eternal importance to me that I pay my adversary what I owe him. From our Lord’s standpoint it doesn’t matter whether I am cheated or not, but what does matter is that I don’t cheat someone else. Am I insisting on having my own rights, or am I paying what I owe from Jesus Christ’s standpoint?’ CHAMBERS

 

Everyone would like to be treated fairly.  When we are not, we are upset .. maybe even angry … we feel justified in the emotion … we might even call it ‘righteous’ anger.  Is it? Or is it pride? The Lord did not promise that we would be treated well … but He did say that we are to show grace and mercy in every circumstance.  Do you have something “tucked away” in your heart that is always simmering and can be brought to a boil very quickly when you focus on it?  Some unkind word … poor treatment … something that wounded you deeply?  We should not hold on to those things, even if we feel justified … God want us to trust Him … to cast all of our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) …. To forgive others, just like God forgave us … when we did not deserve it … That does not mean that the offender will care .. or change … but it really isn’t about how they respond .. but how you respond …. you need to show them Jesus through your life .... Let your little light shine .. let it shine .. let it shine ...

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Grab Your Glove And Hit The Field, It's Game Time

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Never choose to be a worker for God, but once God has placed His call on you, woe be to you if you “turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to do so, but because God has “laid hold of” us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, “Well, I’m really not suited for this.”’ CHAMBERS

 

God calls, prepares and sends.  That pattern can be clearly seen in the Bible. Serving God is not like you are deciding what you will be when you grow up.  It’s God’s choice whom He uses for what purpose.  Ours is to obey the calling.  For some it means physical, economic and emotional hardship.  For others it means not much change in how or where they live.  You know if God has called you .. the only issue you face is whether or not you will say “yes Lord”.  Can you accomplish what He has called you to do?  No, but He can accomplish it through you.  When I was a young boy, I played with others in the neighborhood.  Baseball, basketball, whatever.  The biggest part was not actually the playing of the game, but being picked to be on a side.  There always seemed to be someone that neither team wanted.  No one wanted to be that person and everyone, I think, secretly feared they might be.  What a relief when a team captain would say ‘I’ll take Billy’ (that was my nickname when I was growing up).

 

You don’t have to be worry about not being selected by God … if you are a Christian, you are on His team.  Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  God has always had something for you to do … He knows what position He wants you to play.  So grab your glove and hit the field .. it’s game time!

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Are You Ready To Follow God's Call?

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.’ CHAMBERS

 

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” 1 John 2:15

 

I can’t tell you how many times people have told us that “If only I did not owe money, then I would be free to follow God” Proverbs 22:7 says  “..the borrower is servant to the lender”  The problem is not actually in the owing of the money, the problem is why you owe money.  You find yourself living at a certain level, wanting certain things and our culture makes it easy to satisfy those wants.  I see billboards along the highway offering title loans.  Then is see billboards offering ways to get out of the burden of title loans.  Tax preparers offer same day tax return payments, but you must give them a significant amount of it first.  In a TV commercial, the actors are saying “It’s my money and I want it now!” suggesting that if you have some sort of regular source of money that you can have it all, right now.  Actually they get a big part of that money and you only get part of it.

 

1 John 2:16 says that “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

 

We have redefined our Wants and call them Needs.  We want to satisfy the flesh and the world presents the opportunity. Does it cost you something?  You bet. The cost is way beyond money … It may cause you to say “no” to God’s call … You see the problem really isn’t in your wallet or purse, it’s in your heart. Jesus asked Peter “Do you love Me?” and He asks us the same thing. And if you say “yes” Jesus will say “deny yourself … follow Me”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

Jesus Knows All About Our Stuggles

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.’ CHAMBERS

 

You don’t have to look far to find someone who has dealt with sorrow in their life.  Perhaps they are still struggling with it and “it”, the source of the sorrow, has shaped their view of life.  Perhaps they have lost hope .. they cannot see the promises of the Lord because of the burden they carry …. They may have forgotten that … Isaiah 53:3 “He [Jesus, the Messiah] was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.”

 

People don’t need your words, they need your love.  Remember, “we love because He first loved us”.  1 John 4:19 We give comfort to others because He first comforted us.

 

God uses us … jars of clay who have met sorrow ourselves … to minister to others … 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”  Our job is not to fix them, but to understand the burden of sorrow and to love them.  Usually when people greet you and ask how you are doing, they really don’t want to know the details … a simple “I’m fine” is what they are looking for.  You must willing to go beyond that … Ask them how you can pray for them … don’t try to identify with the particular source of their sorrow … The balm of Gilead referred to in Jeremiah 8:22 was used to heal wounds.  Jesus is the Balm for our sorrows, for our wounds.  “There is not a friend like the lowly Jesus, no not one. Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done.”

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)