There is a door before you, one you have been knocking on.
Written on the door is "The greater things of God."
You have asked God to lead you through this door, and He has been doing so. He has won you over. He has shown you His riches, His glory, His presence. And He has gained your trust. You now find yourself yearning and hungering, pleading with God to take you deeper. More of Him, less of you. You've asked for a deeper walk. And He is beginning to answer that prayer.
But you need to know what you are asking for. He will only take you there with your heart's permission. So what lies ahead? What are the deeper things of God? That which is greater in God's eyes - is sometimes miserable failure in man's eyes. Can you go there? Will you trust Him?
Remember that "what is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight." (Luke 16:15) And what is miserable and pitiful to men is often rich and precious in the eyes of God.
Jesus entered the deeper things of God - and it looked like abject failure to everyone except heaven.
John ate the scroll, and it became bitter. But it pleased the Lord.
Do you truly want to please your Lord? At what price?
The test before you right now is this: which do you desire moreĀ - to enter the deeper things of the Lord? - Or to please the Lord, even if it means falling into obscurity and small things in the eyes of the world and the church?
Are you willing to "fail" for Me?
Are you willing to be nothing, if that will please Me? Do you truly want to delight Me?
"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 116:15)
Can you drink the cup that I drink?
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What is it to be a Christian? What is that change which, wrought in a natural man, make him a Christian man? What are a Christian's new relations to God and to his fellow men? What is Christian character? How should a Christian live? What is the patter on which his life should be fashioned? If we would make our Christian life what it ought to be, we must find plain, clear answers to these questions.
A Christian is one who believes on Christ. He has entrusted his whole life, with its sin, its guilt, its ruin, its need its security for eternity, its redemption, cleansing and transformation, to the hands of the might Saviour, the strong Son of God. A Christian is therefore a saved one, a redeemed one - saved, redeemed, by Christ. He is no longer guilty and condemned: he is acquitted, justified, restored to such relations before God that he is as if he had never sinned, so fully are his sins put away. He is God's lost and wandering child brought home, received, reconciled, restored to all a child's privileges.
But this is not all; it is not merely a change of relations. Those who believe on Christ are born again, the Scriptures say - born form above, born of God; that is, there is a new, a divine life in the regenerated soul. Christ speaks of it as a well of water in the believer springing up into everlasting life. The result is shown in new affections, new desires, new hopes, and new aims. Forgiveness of sins is not enough. A man's lies and dishonesties may be forgiven; but, if that is all, he is still a liar and dishonest. God's forgiveness regenerates. A Christian life is the setting up of the kingdom of God in a human heart.
A child was troubled at the thought that heaven was so far away, and was perplexed to know how he could ever get up to that bright home. His mother explained to him that heaven must first come down to him - must first enter his heart. A Christian is one into whose heart the spirit of heaven has entered. The new life is like that they live in heaven. We are taught to pray, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The one place in all the earth in which it most concerns each Christian to see that God's will is done as it is in heaven is in his own individual heart.
Used with permission by: The JR Miller Archive
Article Source: pamphlets.jr-miller.com/his-steps/3-christian-life-the-ideal.html
I was reading Colossians 2v20-23 the other day and it made me think.
I remember when I first went to the UK from New Zealand, there were some things that Christians commonly did there that seemed wrong to me. Also, when I visited Christian churches in other countries, for instance in Asia, it seemed 'ungodly' how non 'New Zealand' their worship was.
I remember thinking that this may have been how some early missionaries felt when coming across new people groups and why they tried to 'civilise' them.
How much of my own Christianity is based upon my own culture, my own tradition, my own beliefs about what is right and wrong? And how much of my Christianity is based upon God's truth? And for that matter, how much of what we are taught as Christians comes from God and how much comes from the influences of the culture we are living in?
I think that some of the things we honestly and truly believe are godly and biblical have actually come from our culture and the only reason that we don't see this is that we don't think to question what we unquestionably see as right.
So what do we do? Where do we start? It's interesting to note, in this passage, that it speaks of such things having the "appearance of wisdom", and we read elsewhere in the Bible about the "wisdom of this world". It also appears that since I have died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, I should not still be submitting to its rules.
I guess I need to spend more time with Jesus, and try to become more like him, for without his constant influence over my life, I have little choice but to follow those things that appear wise based upon the evidence presented by the culture I live in.
Then Heaven interfered for His deliverance. An angel came to Joseph, bidding him hasten away because the life of the Child was in peril. Instantly the command was obeyed, and when Herod's soldiers came the Child they were sent to destroy was safe beyond their reach.
The Child Jesus was unique in the world's history, but the same providence that watched over His infancy watches over the infancy of every child. To our eyes evil seems to strike where it pleases. Weakness appears to have no defense against strength. Pestilence knows no distinction when it comes into a community, but enters the home of the evil and the good with like impunity. But ever Heaven is watching. There are lives no pestilence can touch. There is a wall of protection about them which nothing can pass. The child who has a mission for God in the future cannot be stricken in his cradle.
Only one thing need concern us - the doing of our duty, hour by hour, as it comes to us. We have nothing whatever to do with the keeping of our own lives. We never need to ask whether a certain way is safe for us. Absolutely the only question we need to ask is what God would have us to do. His way is the safe way, though it be through a thousand perils. If we listen for the divine voice and the follow it without question, we shall ever be under the wings of God.
The legends tell of the way the Holy Family were led, protected and provided for, in the flight to Egypt. We call these apocryphal stories. But no matter. Heaven was really open over these peasant travelers all the way. So heaven is open over every one who seeks safety and care in obedience to the divine command.
Used with permission by: The JR Miller Archive
Article Source: bethlehem-olivet.jr-miller.com/4-watchfulness-of-god.html
God is in the business of hiding and revealing things. Much of what Jesus taught was "in code," a lesson or principle hidden inside of a parable or word picture.
It wasn't necessary for God to hide anything, back when man lived in perfect intimacy with God, in the Garden, before sin changed man's nature. God told man he was free to eat from any tree in the Garden, except the one that causes truths to be distorted. God wanted man to understand all things clearly, except for the demonic realm, because looking into it causes death.
Man chose not to trust God. He ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - and his nature changed. And ever since the fall, man has had a very skewed view of God and the truth. We see through the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil," and it taints our view of things. "To the crooked, God shows Himself as perverse."
We can't afford to see all truths in our present state, with our fallen nature. To see everything, before we are walking in obedience and right-standing with God, would make us worse. We see a hint of this in the Garden after the fall of man, when God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
God didn't want those two trees mixing. His reaction to the very thought makes it sound like nitro and glycerin mixing together. Perhaps we would have become eternally sinful if we had eaten from the Tree of Life, after eating from the Tree of Knowledge.
First we have to be delivered from the first tree, before we can eat of the eternal tree. God has to bring each one of us through a process. Only as we come under His Lordship can He afford to reveal His great truths. God has therefore hidden many of His truths, and chosen to reveal them to those whose hear ts are pure (or moving towards pure): "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." And likewise, "To the pure, God shows Himself as pure."
So the treasure hunt is on. God's precious truths are hidden, but He eagerly desires to reveal them to all who will return to Him for fellowship. But it's crucial that we are seeking Him more than His secrets. Recall how Jesus spoke to the religious men of His day: "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40) We must be careful that our study of the word is a means to an end (loving God), and not an end in itself.
When Jesus came onto the scene 2,000 years ago, He announced that the treasure hunt was on. There's great treasure out there! And He tells us what it will cost us. "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought that field." (Matthew 13:44) Jesus sold all that He had, and bought the kingdom of God for His subjects. He also hid that kingdom from those who were not ready to live in it:
"Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'" (Luke 10:21)
It gave Jesus joy to have God's precious truths hidden from the so-called wise and educated people, the experts who would use the knowledge only as a trophy for their own intellect. And it pleased Jesus to see God selectively reveal His best kept secrets to people who would eat it up like kids!
Jesus' favorite secret code was the parable: "Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables" Pastors today are taught to explain God's word very clearly, making sure that everyone can understand it. Jesus wasn't so careful or liberal with His revelation! He often preferred to speak in code and let the Holy Spirit reveal the meaning to those who "had ears to hear."
God cares greatly about timing, when it comes to revelation of His truths. "Who then is the wise and faithful servant, whom the Master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?" (MT 24:45) God calls us to understand His timing, when it comes to "feeding" others with His revelation.
After telling several parables, Jesus asked His disciples if they had understood all these things. Then He proclaimed, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." (Matthew 13:52)
As we dig into our bibles for truth, we are to find both "new" and "old." We are to teach commonly understood principles, and new revelations. Teachers, go into the storeroom and start digging, because it's filled with new, undiscovered truths. And don't be afraid to bring out the old ones either!
Parables aren't limited to the New Testament. Even the Old Testament is loaded with secret messages. As a matter of fact, the Old Testament IS a secret message! That's why Jesus declared that "all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John." (MT 11:13) The Prophets and the Law, what is Jesus referring to? The bible of that day! The entire Old Testament is a prophecy, a hidden foreshadowing of things to come.
One translation for the "seven feasts" of the Lord that the Jews celebrate is the "rehearsals" of the Lord. Each holiday is actually a rehearsal for the real thing yet to come! Let's look at the Passover as an example. It was more than a historical event, or an annual ritual to help remember the past. It was a picture of the future, of the last week of Jesus' life. One the day when the families in Israel were bringing lambs into their homes, Jesus was entering the house of God in Jerusalem. The Jews were instructed to keep the lamb in their house for five days to examine it for flaws; at the very same time, Jesus was being examined and challenged by the Pharisees. And when Jesus, the Lamb of God, was dying on the cross as a sacrifice for us, thousands of lambs were being killed as a sacrifice before the Passover feast.
Scripture is chocked full of hidden truths. The Law and the Prophets prophesied. There's far more than just history in our Old Testament; it contains His Story!
So how do we unearth this treasure? Through smarts? No, through Holy Spirit revelation. Jesus is the great decoder. Intelligence isn't what opens up the Scriptures. Jesus does. Remember how, on the road to Emmaus, two of the disciples walked along with Jesus? He "opened their eyes to the Scriptures!" They lived with Him for three years, and didn't have a clue about how the Scriptures were going to be fulfilled by Jesus. Then in one afternoon, He turned on the light bulbs for them!
Jesus was very particular about how He got revealed. Not by demons, although they consistently tried to reveal Him: "I know who you are! You're the Holy One of God!" And Jesus rebuked them and did not allow them to speak. Jesus didn't want His identity revealed by His enemy. Likewise, He doesn't want "flesh and blood," or mere human intellect, revealing who He is. He turned to one source for His introduction: "(Jesus) asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
Treasures lay waiting. One of them is locked within the book of Daniel. As Daniel heard from the Lord about the end times, he told God he didn't understand the meaning. God replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end". Those who are wise will understand." (Daniel 12:9-10) God is hiding the meaning of those words until the end, when some will understand. You could be that someone!
Used with permission by: FreshBread
Jesus declared to the church leaders of His day that He would send "prophets and wise men and teachers" to the church - and the leaders would abuse them and reject them:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town." (MT 23:29-33)
The Lord has kept His word and sent "prophets and wise men and teachers" to the church. And over the centuries, the church leaders have often done as He declared they would do, mistreating these individuals and missing out on the blessings God intended for us.
The Church, on the whole, does not know what to do with prophets and wise men. We're getting better at receiving teachers, but that wasn't always so. There were times when the bible was only taught in Latin, a language the common person didn't know. And for a time, it was a crime for a lay person to own their own bible. The rationale was that the common person could not be trusted to understand God's word on their own, without the help of theologians. Instead of trusting the Holy Spirit to help people understand and discern God's word, the church took what she thought was a safer route and took absolute control over the bible's distribution. But over the last few centuries, teachers have been making a comeback. More and more Chr istians with the gift of teaching are being allowed to exercise this gift to make God's word known and understood to all.
How about the "wise men" that Jesus said He would send to the church? These are people with the gift of wisdom and counsel. Isn't that gift found within the ranks of clergy? Certainly. But the gift will be incomplete unless we also receive the wise men from outside of our ranks. Only in the last couple decades has this gifting been finding a welcome reception - through the office of counseling. A counselor is someone who can sift through the chaos of someone else's life and find the one key that sets them free from bondage. We need to make room within ministry for the wise men that Jesus sends our way, whether it's a professional counselor or just someone with this gifting.
What about the third group, the prophets? I believe the modern day version of this gift is spread across many people - "we prophesy in part," according to Paul - rather than being possessed in fullness by a single person the way the Old Covenant displayed. What does the prophetic gift look like today? In its immature, untrained form, it can simply look like a critical person. The critic feels God's displeasure with the way things are, and knows painfully well that there is a huge gap between God's calling for a church or leader and the present reality. But the critic (the untrained prophetic person) fails to understand that they are called to stand in the gap, not in the judgment seat. Until the prophetic gifting is combined with intercession and longsuffering compassion, the immature prophetic person will bring down more of God's people than they raise up. Untrained prophets tend to leave bloody trails behind them, and the church tends to push out and reject these trouble makers. They bounce from one church body to another, seldom finding a church home, because few churches are wise enough to look beyond the criticism and embrace what the Lord is saying through this person.
But God will fulfill His purposes. The church desperately needs mature prophetic people. The cycle will be broken and wise church leaders will begin to accept and receive people who are beginning to exercise their prophetic gifting. This will require great patience and humility on the part of the church and those in the prophetic role. The church will need to look past some of the harsh and painful things said by young prophets, and prophets will need to learn to blend their eager desire to deliver God's words with an equally great desire to restore those whom they unsettle.
Jesus was able to say some of the most direct and challenging statements in the bible, but He earned the right to speak plainly by becoming a living intercessor for those He was challenging. You can get away with saying some pretty honest things to me if I know you will die for me. But if you don't have any skin in the game, I'm not very likely to tolerate much criticism from you. This is the lesson that today's prophets must learn before they can truly fulfill their calling. Likewise, prophets will need to learn how to receive rejection as Christ did, forgiving those who rejected Him, without turning bitter, and without letting pride seep in.
Who are the wise men and women in your church body? Who are the ones who seem to be able to listen to the brokenhearted and respond with compassion and wise counsel? How can you release these individuals to practice their gift?
Who are the prophets within your body? How can you help them to practice their gifting in a setting that is safe for them and also safe for your body? God has a plan for using these people in a way that will bless the body. We cannot get to where God is calling us without making room for these people in ministry
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"What do you want to be when you grow up?" we ask children. As if we can choose whatever we want, and through strong ambition, we can make it happen.
We can choose, because God has given us free choice. But He has also given us a specific, custom-fitted plan for our lives. His plan for your life is different than His plan for mine. If I go on to do "great" things that I wasn't called to do, I will impress many people, but I will sadden my Father. Jesus could have done far greater miracles on this earth, but He was not interested in greatness; He was only interested in obedience to the One He loves. Jesus is the Son of God, perfect and without sin, and when He lived as a man, He only did what He saw the Father doing. We are called to do the same.
The book of Jude says that there will be "godless" people in the last days. It's tempting to think he is talking about non Christians. But a "godless" person is simply one who is not living under the Lordship of God. They may be following all the rules and living a moral life, they may be doing wonderful things for God's sake, but they are not under God's daily direction. Instead they do what they want. They call the shots. They may seem godly, except God has no direct input in their lives. They are godless.
Jude compares these people to trees that are "without fruit and uprooted." I believe that describes many Christians, and too often, that describes me. "Uprooted," meaning I have left the fertile soil of constant fellowship with God, and I've started running my own Christianity. I stay a Christian, but I sever the partnership and become an independent contractor. "Without fruit," meaning my efforts are not bringing about eternal value, because I am out of sync with God.
Jude also says that in the last days, men will "follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." That goes for many of us believers! We let our fleshly nature take charge of our faith walk, instead of letting the Holy Spirit have his way with us. On the average day, who is deciding how you live your life: a moral you, or the Holy Spirit?
God has a purpose for your life. He will not shout that purpose to you. He will wait until you ask Him, and He will wait until you get quiet before Him, then He will begin to whisper to you what He has called you to. In some ways, that calling may seem right up your alley. It may be the very thing you want to do. Remember, He gave you the desires of your heart!
So the first step is asking and waiting on God. Do this, and He will show you your calling. Next comes obedience. You will never be happy unless you are living in obedience to your calling. The "greatest" job or marriage in the world will not satisfy you, if it is not the one God has called you to. Ambition is a trap; it will tempt you to go beyond your calling. Likewise, self defeat is a trap; it will tempt you to stop short of your calling. The most fulfilled person on earth is not the one who has done the most, but he who has been true to his calling.
The next step takes the most wisdom of all: finding God's timing. Say you've heard what God has called you to. And He has given you an incredible desire to do this thing. That means go run and do it immediately, right? Too many people mistake the call of God for the timing of God. Moses was called to set the Jews free long before he was given the go-ahead. His first attempt, on his own, failed miserably as he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Jew. But in God's timing, through many years and much refining, Moses was prepared.
If you are wise, you will use this time to prepare for what God has called you to. Learn as much as you can about the area of your calling. Seek others who are gifted in that area, especially those who have had successes and failures. Search for wisdom. The gifting and the anointing will come, that's God's responsibility. What you bring to the table are wisdom, humility and obedience.
One of the biggest tests that you will need to pass in this stage is the test of being able to sit on the bench. This accomplishes one very important thing: death to your self. As long as your sense of importance and value is tied to your calling, you are operating in the flesh and are not ready to give the Holy Spirit His proper lead role. Can you die to your own ambition?
It's so easy for pride to seep in to the person called by God. We start thinking that we are deserving of this high calling. We start thinking that He needs us. We think He picked us because He wanted the best. But check His prior selections. God has a track record of "choosing the weak and foolish things of this world" to confound the wise. God picked you because there's no way you could pull this off without some serious help from heaven. He wants to show all of creation how much He can do with so little.
Wouldn't Paul have been the perfect theologian to preach Christ to the Jews? And Peter the fisherman would have fared far better with the Gentiles. But God played Freaky Friday and flip-flopped their work assignments, just so no one could chalk up their successes to human gifting.
If God has picked you to do something great, you can be sure that you are perfectly incapable of doing it short of God's grace. That's the point.
Okay, say you have heard God's calling, and you've made it through that wilderness stage. You finally realize that it's not about you, it's about Him. Now He's drawing you into the action. You're walking in your calling. All clear? Be careful. Too often we get careless and assume that God is now on our side, and we get presumptuous. God wouldn't let me fail, He wouldn't let me get into trouble. When we are called by God, we assume we have a guided escort who keeps us out of all danger.
But the truth is that God requires more from those who have been given more. If you have been given a high calling, then God holds you more accountable than most. God called Moses to go and speak to Pharoah, and while Moses was on the way, God was going to kill Moses. Why? Somehow Moses' wife was given discernment, and she saw that he needed to be circumcised before he went any further. Because Moses was given an incredibly high calling, there was an incredibly high standard of obedience that he was called to. We don't get away with more, we get away with less. Presumption becomes your greatest enemy.
One last thing on purpose. It's so easy to forget that our greatest calling of all is to be in love and stay in love with God. If we put anything else first, even ministry, we fall short and we set ourselves up for all kinds of traps. Keep Him first, and those traps are easy to spot and step over.
Used with permission by:
FreshBread
Jesus calls people to deny their own self and follow Him: "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:23)
And yet Jesus promises abundant life, more than any human can contain: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
So which Jesus do you follow? Which life path are you taking? Which is the "right" one? Both! But how can we trek down two paths that are polar opposites? Only with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Your adversary, the devil, will settle for letting you march carefully down either path, as long as you stay away from the other, for a Christian with no balance is no threat to him. Believers who only deny themselves will never walk in the level of faith that moves mountains. And believers who never deny! themselves will lack the spiritual authority that God has called them to have. Jesus is calling you to put the two together.
Jesus issues a call to life and a call to death - because we need both.
Our flesh - the old nature we inherited from Adam when he obeyed the devil - that flesh is never going to heaven. You can try dressing it up and polishing it, but you will not sneak your flesh past the cherubim into the gates of heaven. It must die if there is any hope of you living.
Our spirit - the home which God is meant to occupy in us - is dormant and darkened until Jesus comes to dwell in us. This spirit must be called to life by faith.
As Paul states, our flesh and our spirit are at odds with one another. Only one can win. You cannot feed both. That is why Jesus calls us to put our flesh to death, so that we have room for the incredible life He offers our spirit.
The devil tries to thwart believers by mixing these two calls up. If he can get y! our spirit to respond to the call to death, instead of life, h! e can ma ke you a pretty miserable Christian. And if he can get your flesh to respond to the call to life, keeping your carnal nature on life support instead of crucifying it, your spirit will remain dormant and fail to hear God's true call.
The Spirit of God is seeking to clear up these mixed signals in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will direct the call to life to our spirits, and the call to death to our flesh, if we let Him.
Used with permission by: FreshBread
