"They said to Him, Rabbi....where are You staying?' He said to them, 'Come & see' "
Where our self-interest sleeps & the real interest is awakened. "They..... Remained With him that day......" That is about all some of us ever do. We stay with him for a short time, only to wake up to our own realities of life. Our self-interest rises up and our abiding with him is past. Yet there is no circumstance of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus.
"You are Simon....You shall be called Cephas" (John 1:42) God writes our new name only on those places in our lives where he has erased our pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. Some of us have our new name written only in certain spots, like spiritual measles. And in those areas of our lives we look all right. When we are in our best spiritual mood, you would think we were the highest quality Saints. But don't dare look at us when we are not in that mood. A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him: self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.
"Pride is the sin of making "self" our god. And some of us today do this, not like the Pharisee, but like the tax collector(Luke 18:9-14). For you to say, "Oh, I'm no saint," is acceptable by human standards of pride, but it is unconscious blasphemy against God. You defy God to make you a saint, as if to say, "I am too weak & hopeless & outside the reach of the atonement by the Cross of Christ." Why aren't you a saint? It is either that you do not want to be a saint, or that you do not believe that God can make you into one. You say it would be all right if God saved you & took you straight to heaven. That is exactly what He will do! And not only do we make our home with Him, but Jesus said of His Father & Himself, "....We will come to him & make Our home with him" (John 14:23). Put no conditions on your life- let Jesus be everything to you, & He will take you home with Him not only for a day, but for eternity.
~Oswald hits the nail on the head in this excerpt, I can't help but to share it because it speaks to me (maybe to you?). Reading this truth brings me to my knees & who would I be if I didn't feel this deep within my bones? God is with me 24/7 & lives in me! I don't want the world to see me as a spotted giraffe or a stripped zebra, picking & choosing what is right or wrong for me from His holy word. The Bible is complete truth & I must believe & put it into action -ALL of it. This is my struggle, to have my new name written all over me! I must confess, so that I can be made whole. My prayer: "God, take me as I am & make me a saint. I am yours, may you be glorified in & through me. I desire my home to be with You forever. Father, please erase my pride, self-sufficiency, and self-interest. I love you Lord & thank you for your grace & mercy, for the sacrifice you made for us all."
No comments:
Post a Comment