Abiding and Watching
With this being almost the beginning of a new year, I tend to reflect on what is behind me but at the same time, I look forward to what is ahead. This past year has prepared me for the coming year and only God knows what it holds. I know He will reveal each day as I abide in His Word. I was reading about the birth of Jesus and one part stood out to me. Luke 2:8-20...and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
What stood out was the fact that they were abiding and keeping watch over the flock in the night. They were right where they were supposed to be, doing what they were called to do...not out somewhere searching for their purpose but just fulfilling their purpose for that day. If they had been out somewhere instead of abiding they would have missed the angel of the Lord. God chose the ones who were abiding and watching in the night to reveal the Good News.
This year must be a year of abiding and watching...
Jeremiah 1:12 says..."I will hasten my word to perform it"
I was reading my little devotional this morning that my grandson gave me..My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. In my opinion the best devotional book out there.
The title was Deserter or Disciple?
The scripture it gave was John 6:66..."From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more"
This is what Oswald wrote:
"When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must "walk in the light" of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don't "walk in the light" of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the "heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don't look at someone else and say, "Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can't I?" You have to "walk in the light" of the vision that has been given to you. Don't compare yourself with others or judge them--that is between God and them. When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the "heavenly vision," do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you--things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself--"...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). If we don't see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord's teaching.
Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His willl to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don't try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter."
(John 15:4) "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."
Happy New Year!!!!
Connie
What stood out was the fact that they were abiding and keeping watch over the flock in the night. They were right where they were supposed to be, doing what they were called to do...not out somewhere searching for their purpose but just fulfilling their purpose for that day. If they had been out somewhere instead of abiding they would have missed the angel of the Lord. God chose the ones who were abiding and watching in the night to reveal the Good News.
This year must be a year of abiding and watching...
Jeremiah 1:12 says..."I will hasten my word to perform it"
I was reading my little devotional this morning that my grandson gave me..My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. In my opinion the best devotional book out there.
The title was Deserter or Disciple?
The scripture it gave was John 6:66..."From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more"
This is what Oswald wrote:
"When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must "walk in the light" of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don't "walk in the light" of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the "heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don't look at someone else and say, "Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can't I?" You have to "walk in the light" of the vision that has been given to you. Don't compare yourself with others or judge them--that is between God and them. When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the "heavenly vision," do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you--things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself--"...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). If we don't see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord's teaching.
Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His willl to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don't try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter."
(John 15:4) "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."
Happy New Year!!!!
Connie
Connie-
ReplyDeleteAs we read the remarks by Oswald Chambers we can relate to what he is saying. The words, "sense of property", and "personal right", are huge phrases. When we look back over the years of all the people we have come in contact with and also with our self, you can hear those words loud and clear. It's my right, I have a right to do that, it's my life, etc... There is absolutely nothing that is ours. It is all our Father's. Jesus does not put any value on those things, they are just things. As the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to these truths, we can find ourselves in a major battle zone. The battle is between the flesh and the spirit. The truth does put us in a different place from where we were at. The power in the truth causes movement in us that cannot be accomplished in ourselves. It is a driving force that is beyond who we are. We truly can never be the same aftger the truth touches our life. Just look at our salvation which was accomplished by the truth- WE CAN NEVER BE THE SAME. Thank you Jesus, HALLELUJAH !!!