February 25, 2011 at 6:12 am | Posted in Devotional | Leave a comment
Tags: encouragement, Hide in His Pavilion, Oswald Chambers, Psalm 27:1-5, Psalm 5:11-12, Romans 15:13, Still Higher for His Highest
Hide in His Pavilion
Still Higher For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, February 25
(1)The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?……(5)For He will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27 ESV)
God give us the energy of an impregnable position, viz: the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and we have to make the effort to be strong from that position. We have not to work up to that position, but to work from it with the full energy of will. It is impossible to live according to Our Lord’s teaching without this secret of position. We do not get to the heavenly places by struggling, or aspiring, or consecration; God lifts us there, and if we will work from that position, He keeps us in His pavilion. No wonder the life of a saint appears such an unmitigated puzzle to rational human beings without the Spirit of God. It seems so ridiculous and so conceited to say that God Almighty is my Father and that He is looking after my affairs; but looked at from the position in which Jesus places us we find it is a marvelous revelation of truth.
This part of my devotional reading this morning was a big encouragement to me. My wife and I are facing some challenges and God is consistently reminding us that HE is in control and knows everything. We only need to trust HIM, praise HIM and rest in HIM. Tears may come to our eyes at times, but there is joy in our hearts and minds because we see the great sovereignty of God displayed all around us. Trust HIM because HE knows what HE is doing and allowing to show HIMSELF mighty in behalf of those who put their faith in HIM.
I hope you are encouraged this day,
Bill (a fellow-laborer)
(Romans 15:13; Psalm 5:11-12)
February 20, 2011 at 9:41 am | Posted in Devotional, hymns | Leave a comment
Tags: difficult changes, Eugene M. Bartlett, hymn, Jeremiah 9:23-24, John 16:33, life transitions, offering of praise, Oswald Chamber, Our Victory through His, Romans 15:13, Still Higher for His Highest, Victory in Jesus
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)
My wife and I are going through a lot of changes right now. Some of these changes are good and challenging and exciting. Some of the changes are difficult, discouraging and life changing in a bad way. But God is in control and is leading and guiding us. He owns us because He purchased us, or redeemed us through the blood the Jesus shed on Calvary. He does know the plan He has for us. We know we can pray and trust Him. He not only expects us to rejoice in Him, we know He will help us rejoice in Him. In light of all of this, part of my devotional reading this morning spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you. It reminded me of a song that I really like too. It is a good old hand clapper, raise your voice in praise and move like you have some rhythm song!
The devotional is found in Still Higher For His Highest by Oswald Chambers for February 20. I hope it encourages you like it did me.
Much GRACE and peace to you,
Bill (a fellow-laborer)
(Romans 15:13; Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Our Victory through His
I am only healthy according to the fighting corpuscles in my blood, when the fighting millions inside get low, I become diseased and after a while I shall be snuffed out. Morally it is the same, we are not born moral, we are born innocent and ignorant; morality is the outcome of fight. Immediately I am lazy in moral matters, I become immoral. Spiritually it is the same. “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” i.e. everything that is not spiritual makes for our undoing; but, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Why did our Lord say that He would help us to overcome? Because we have to imitate Him through the power He has put in us. Think of sitting in a corner before the Almighty and saying, “But my difficulties are so enormous.” Thank God they are! The bigger the difficulty, the more amazing is your profit to Jesus Christ as you draw on His supernatural grace.
Victory in Jesus
(Eugene M. Bartlett, 1855-1941)
1. I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me.
I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning.
Then I repented of my sin and won the victory.
(Refrain) Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever! He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood. He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him. He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.
2. I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing,
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see.
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit”;
And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.
(Refrain)
3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea,
About the angels singing, and the old redemption story;
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.
(Refrain)
February 16, 2011 at 3:44 pm | Posted in Devotional | Leave a comment
Tags: 1 John5:19, cross of Christ, David Livingstone quotes, Ephesians 5:27, Kingdom of Christ, Oswald Chambers, Still Higher for His Highest
Still Higher For His Highest
by Oswald Chambers, February 15
so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thin, that she might be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:27 ESV)
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19 ESV)
The Church confronts the world with a message the world craves for but resents because it comes through the Cross of Christ. The central keystone for all Time and Eternity on which the whole purpose of God depends is the Cross (Galatians 6:14). When the world gets in a bad way, she refers to the Church; when prosperous, she hates it. If men could blot out the standard of the Christian Church they would do it; but in a crisis they find a need in their own heart. As preachers we are privileged by God to stand stedfast against any element that lowers His standard. We are called upon to confront the world with the Gospel of Christ, not to start off on side tracks of our own. The Church owns a mastery the world can neither ignore nor do without, the mastery of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am reading through this book as part of my early morning devotional time. It has been a blessing to me and helped me think upon the things of God. Chambers was a godly man who was a very good teacher of the Word. He knew God and was growing in his knowledge of God. He didn’t just know about God. Both his intellectual and practical knowledge of God were in balance. I would encourage you to read anything by him. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Be growing in GRACE,
Bill (a fellow-laborer)
Romans 15:13; Jeremiah 9:23-24)
“I place no value on anything I have or possess except in relation to the Kingdom of Christ. If anything I have will advance that Kingdom, it shall be given or kept, whichever will best promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes, both for time and eternity.”
– David W. Livingstone
Take Courage 