Word for Today, Tue, 14 Jun 2005: Obedience, a Choice
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
A sure mark of a genuine Christian is the deep desire to trust
and obey God, living a obedient life, being ready to change any
plans you have to conform them to the plans that God has for your
life.
I know few people like that, but there are some who have honestly
surrendered their entire lives to Jesus Christ.
Notice, however, that God does not ever force this. He compels
the true follower to go places that they had not planned to go,
but He never ever forces His will upon anyone. It is only those
who willingly surrender their lives that are asked to move way
outside of what was once comfortable.
Is God asking anything of you or me? If not, perhaps we are not
really anywhere near the center of His will for our lives. That
is something only God knows for sure, but we ought to be
examining ourselves. Scripture tells us to examine ourselves.
The message below tells us to "Abide in Him". Think about this
challenge, read the scripture in the Gospel of John for yourself,
then think about what God is doing in your life.
I've been doing this; it is an important activity for a believer
who claims to have the desire to do God's will. The next
question for you and for me is whether or not we will surrender
to what God wants us to do.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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/ MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- http://www.heartlight.org/
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June 14, 2005
GET A MOVE ON
Abide in Me.
John 15:4
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+15:4&sr=1
The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to
construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in
accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I
have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to
the obedience of Christ. "Abide in Me" - in intellectual matters, in
money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what
it is. It is not a bandbox life.
Am I preventing God from doing things in my circumstances because I
say it will hinder my communion with Him? That is an impertinence. It
does not matter what my circumstances are, I can be as sure of
abiding in Jesus in them as in a prayer meeting. I have not to change
and arrange my circumstances myself. With Our Lord the inner abiding
was unsullied; He was at home with God wherever His body was placed.
He never chose His own circumstances, but was meek towards His
Father's dispensations for Him. Think of the amazing leisure of Our
Lord's life! We keep God at excitement point, there is none of the
serenity of the life hid with Christ in God about us.
Think of the things that take you out of abiding in Christ - Yes,
Lord, just a minute, I have got this to do; Yes, I will abide when
once this is finished; when this week is over, it will be all right,
I will abide then. Get a move on; begin to abide now. In the initial
stages it is a continual effort until it becomes so much the law of
life that you abide in Him unconsciously. Determine to abide in Jesus
wherever you are placed.
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers //
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http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost /
http://www.heartlight.org/support
This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< http://www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.
____________________________________________________________
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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