I know I
mentioned to you on several occasions that the Bible is about “you are
saved” “you are being saved” and “you
will be saved.” While there are three specific verses that refer to three tenses
of Salvation from God, the whole bible when understood in the light of the
Spirit, reads this way that we do not need to nit pick at those verses.
Sometimes, I do
it on purpose by not giving you a verse for the simple reason, in my ministry,
the people God calls me to serve, most of them do not have problem with Bible
knowledge; it is not because of lack of knowing oodles of Bible verses by
heart. The problem is that they do not know what they mean in a practical way. Knowing
the Word of God is not the same as living the Word of God. Satan and all his
demons know the Word of God, yet they are not changed by it.
The Word of God
is alive because the Word of God is none other than our Redeemer Jesus-Christ
who died for us. We do not get nourished by looking at food; we feed on it and
let it take its course inside of us to keep us healthy and alive. Amazingly,
the food once inside of us knows where to plug each nutrient because it knows
which part of our body needs to be fed with it. In the same way, so it is with
the Word of God.
I found in my
Christian walk with God, those three little words “Look unto me”
are of the utmost importance in my walk with Him. While at first, we will find
those three little words demand such great discipline to learn to practice His
presence and look to Him all day long and every day. But, once we make the
effort, we find that the Holy Spirit is right there empowering us to live this
life. Not only that, He does so much work inside of us, for us and in us that we learn to become this
person. Not mechanically though.
Today’s
devotional from Oswald Chambers, is one where we have to learn to settle it at
once inside of us and make our first mandate, the first act of worship, first
hunger, first love and first commitment to “look to Him” – It is the same as
seeking first the Kingdom of God
How do I know
that I know what I am talking about? Well, I used to be so busy in the Church
that I was running like a chicken with its head cut off. When God told me that
it was time to go with Him, He told me it was time that I looked onto Him, He
took my hands like a child and I still remember the regrets, and pain in my
heart because I knew I needed to leave it all behind. I still remember how my
heart mourned. But, it was needed so that I could get my priority straight. It
was needed so that I could stop doing Christianity and become a Christian
instead.
There is one
thing the Holy Spirit taught me which was weird at the time, He said to me, to stop
wanting anything from Him, not even His gifts. So, my prayer time became about
His glory and praises. As I am writing this morning, I have to confess that I
could not help sobbing. My sobbing turned into wailing, because I still
remember when I learned to incorporate this practice in my life, I was living a
life that seemed to be out of this world, as if heaven opened up. He withheld
nothing from me. This morning I was wailing because I realized how much I need
to incorporate this kind of worship back into my life. I was also convicted by
the Spirit. My wailing also came from the fact that I felt as if I put God in the
same position the Israelites put Him where He had to recall our love (Him and
I). It felt like I hurt my daddy in such a big way. And I felt like a
hypocrite. I have been busy with making sure I follow, making sure I remain
plugged into Him, I obey etc.
It is rather
strange to see that, in focusing on being right with Him to make this life
about Him, when He shows you how you miss out on such dedicated times of
praises to Him, this life of being right with Him, pale in comparison. My heart understands the lesson He is
teaching me this morning. Here it is: while I focus on being right with Him, it
is really about me, it is what He is doing for me. But when I spend hours
glorifying and praising Him through songs and intentionally sitting still at
His feet while wanting nothing for me, I make it about Him. I remember I used
to wake up at 4:30 Am , just so that I can make the time to sit at His feet before I
go to work at 9: Am. I realize I miss Him in this way.
Anyway, before
I got lost in my own thoughts, I started this post because of Oswald Chambers’s
devotion today. So, I will leave you with him!
May the
ascended Christ bless you!
Am I Looking To God?
Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me . . . .”
Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.
Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me . . . .” Salvation isyours the moment you look.
courtesy of: http://utmost.org/
