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With grateful hearts, we share our thoughts on redemption through Jesus Christ and His saving blood and what it looks like in our daily walk.

We gladly welcome your comments and input.
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AND since we hold our conservative values dear, we might have a thing or two to say about politics... and we can almost guarantee it won't be politically correct.



Saturday, July 19, 2008

Is He Easily Lord?

Today's reading from Oswald Chambers' daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest particularly struck my heart. It has been a few months since I even opened this wonderful little book. But you know how that works when words seem to leap off the page and into our core and bring life. It was like that for me this morning. God is like that though... He always knows just what we need and knows how to provide it. We just have to be listening and following.

Below is today's writing copied from the Internet site where My Utmost for His Highest is recorded in its entirety.

Mastery Over the Believer
John 13:13 You call Me Master and the Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is what I am.

Our Lord never insists on having authority; He never says - Thou shalt. He leaves us perfectly free - so free that we can spit in His face, as men did; so free that we can put Him to death, as men did; and He will never say a word. But when His life has been created in me by His Redemption I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. It is a moral domination - "Thou art worthy . . ." It is only the unworthy in me that refuses to bow down to the worthy. If when I meet a man who is more holy than myself, I do not recognize his worthiness and obey what comes through him, it is a revelation of the unworthy in me. God educates us by means of people who are a little better than we are, not intellectually but "holily," until we get under the domination of the Lord Himself, and then the whole attitude of the life is one of obedience to Him.

If Our Lord insisted upon obedience He would become a taskmaster, and He would cease to have any authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we do see Him we obey Him instantly, He is easily Lord, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. The revelation of my growth in grace is the way in which I look upon obedience. We have to rescue the word "obedience" from the mire. Obedience is only possible between equals; it is the relationship between father and son, not between master and servant. "I and My Father are one." "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." The Son's obedience was as Redeemer, because He was Son, not in order to be Son.

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Can I just say here ... all the words in this writing are strumming my heartstrings this very moment. The way Chambers puts into words the sweetness of our Lord's character makes my heart go pitter patter in love with my Savior.

Everything in life is by choice. Our Lord will never make anyone yield to Him. He presents Himself oh so humbly as an offering, a substitute for the sin that once separated us from God, an open door to partake of His love, His character, His power. II Peter says it this way... His power has bestowed on us all things that are suited to life and godliness... His precious and exceedingly great promises... and made us sharers of the divine nature.

There are so many great points/statements Oswald makes in today's writing. What I typically do is re-write in my journal the phrases that leap off the page as if they were speaking to me personally. I also do that with Bible passages. That way I can go back and re-read them as they are dated and included with the rest of my spiritual/prayer journaling. Just writing them down helps me to "get it". I guess it is sort of the reinforcement method... I don't know. It is an extra step of mulling over words that we don't hear in every day speak. Our world isn't exactly leading us towards a life of obedience or "living in adoration of our Lord from morning till night." So as a Christian it is my responsibility to do whatever it takes to keep my mind and heart pointed toward my Savior and His teachings.

As Oswald says today, "... when His life has been created in me by His Redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me... He never insists on obedience, but when we do see Him we obey Him instantly, He is easily Lord, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night.

I want to "see Him" like never before.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

5 comments:

MLM said...

This was such a thought-provoking post. Thanks, Mr. Chambers and Meems. I've been thinking along these lines lately...

Obedience springs from love. Slavery springs from fear. Love for the one you willingly obey; fear of punishment from the one to whom you're enslaved.

Too often, we get these confused. It seems we can resent the call to obedience, but only because we've confused it with our past slavery. True obedience can't be forced. It has no compulsion involved, no threat. It's what we do when as you reminded us, we see the Lord for who He is.

Thanks for the great post.

Nathan Talbot said...

Wow great stuff by chambers, meems and MLM.

What succinct and well articulated thoughts on obedience. Not only is this so very appropriate concerning our realtionship with God, but also has major implications in the roles of leadership we are called to in this world.

marmee said...

i'm glad i read this. these are some of things that the Father has been putting in my heart this last year.(starting with the move to the country) to hear it put so articulatly helps it sink in even further. His gracious leading is what keeps me so captivated in His love and wanting to serve Him.
mlm loved your comments,too.

Jane said...

Over the last several months these truths have become more real to me. I guess I had never thought about it before.

God wants all that I have, but He doesn't demand it. There is a difference. I definitely miss out when I hold things back from Him...from His lordship, from His service, from Him. Ultimately it is a choice that I have to make...we each have to make.

Recently I heard God referred to as a "gentleman". I don't think I have ever heard Him described as such, but it is true. And when we truly see Him, ahhhh...and I have a feeling what I see now is just a mere glimpse of all He really is.

It reminds me of a quote by A.W. Tozer. He said, "We have as much of God as we actually want." Which makes me ask myself, how much do I want?

Meems said...

mlm: great thoughts... I love the way your brain works. So inspiring. BTW, Didn't you like Chambers word "holily"? Reminded me of us when we make up our own words.

Nathan: so true. Lordship of Jesus changes our attitude about every aspect of life or at least it should.

Marmee: the words from Chambers spoke to me on so many levels. One of my favorite lines in this devotional is "We have to rescue the word "obedience" from the mire." One way that speaks to me is how the word obedience gets thrown around as a catch phrase in our circles. As if obedience is the ticket -so to speak- for all the blessings of God. Then there is this line, "The Son's obedience was as Redeemer, because He was Son, not in order to be Son."

mjm: There IS a difference. And what freedom comes whence we embrace it. (that was my elizbethan talk- knew you'd appreciate it) Loved the Tozer quote. God is willing to give us all we want... I ask myself the same question.