MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - February 5^th & 6th.

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED? Part One

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and serviceof your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to be offered for the workof the faithful - to pour out your lifeblood as a libation on the sacrifice of the faith of others? Or do you say - "I am not going to be offered up just yet, I do not want Godto choose my work. I want to choose the sceneryof my own sacrifice; I want to have the right kind of people watching and saying, 'Well done.'

It is one thing to go on the lonely way with dignified heroism, but quite another thing if the linemapped out for you by Godmeans being a door-mat under other people's feet. Suppose Godwants to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased" - are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a dropin a bucket - to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the lifeyou served? Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministeredunto, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial workand remain saints because it is beneath their dignity.

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED? Part Two

"I am already being poured out as a drink offering." 2 Timothy 4:6

"I am ready to be offered." It is a transaction of will, not of sentiment. TellGodyou are ready to be offered; then let the consequences be what they may, there is no strandof complaint now, no matter what Godchooses. Godputs you through the crisis in private, no one person can help an other. Externally the lifemay be the same; the difference is in will. Go through the crisis in will, then when it comes externally there will he no thought of the cost. If you do not transact in will with Godalong this line, you will end in awakening sympathy for yourself.

"Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the hornsof the altar." The altar means fire- burning and purification and insulationfor one purpose only, the destruction of every affinity that Godhas not started and of every attachment that is not an attachment in God.You do not destroy it, Goddoes; you bind the sacrifice to the hornsof the altar; and see that you do not give way to self- pity when the firebegins. After this way of fire, there is nothing that oppresses or depresses. When the crisis arises, you realize that things cannot touchyou as they used to do. What is your way of fire?

Tell Godyou are ready to be offered, and Godwill prove Himself to be all you ever dreamedHe would be.

Oswald Chambers

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - February 5^th & 6th.

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED? Part One

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

Are you willing to be offered for the work of the faithful - to pour out your life blood as a libation on the sacrifice of the faith of others? Or do you say - "I am not going to be offered up just yet, I do not want God to choose my work. I want to choose the scenery of my own sacrifice; I want to have the right kind of people watching and saying, 'Well done.'

It is one thing to go on the lonely way with dignified heroism, but quite another thing if the line mapped out for you by God means being a door-mat under other people's feet. Suppose God wants to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased" - are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket - to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served? Are you willing to spend and be spent; not seeking to be ministered unto, but to minister? Some saints cannot do menial work and remain saints because it is beneath their dignity.

ARE YOU READY TO BE OFFERED? Part Two

"I am already being poured out as a drink offering." 2 Timothy 4:6

"I am ready to be offered." It is a transaction of will, not of sentiment. Tell God you are ready to be offered; then let the consequences be what they may, there is no strand of complaint now, no matter what God chooses. God puts you through the crisis in private, no one person can help an other. Externally the life may be the same; the difference is in will. Go through the crisis in will, then when it comes externally there will he no thought of the cost. If you do not transact in will with God along this line, you will end in awakening sympathy for yourself.

"Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." The altar means fire- burning and purification and insulation for one purpose only, the destruction of every affinity that God has not started and of every attachment that is not an attachment in God.You do not destroy it, God does; you bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar; and see that you do not give way to self- pity when the fire begins. After this way of fire, there is nothing that oppresses or depresses. When the crisis arises, you realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What is your way of fire?

Tell God you are ready to be offered, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.

Oswald Chambers

Have you ever been forgiven?

(Eph 4:32) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Of all the things God might ask of us, forgiving one another is probably the most difficult. For many, granting forgiveness is not in our top ten things we like to do. Why is that? Why do we hold onto grudges, sometimes for years, even decades?

(Col 3:13) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Maybe its a sense of entitlement, they hurt me, now I'm going to hurt them, or wish them to be likewise hurt. Revenge. I heard a fellow say once, “I'll get even with you if its the last thing I ever do!”. Well, he did. A few weeks after he got his “sweet” revenge, he died in a car accident. Prophetic huh?

A commentator heard recently on radio claimed Christians had as much if not more difficulty forgiving others. That surprised me. We are taught that forgiveness is a must if we want to enjoy fellowship with the Lord.

(Rom 12:19) Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

By not forgiving someone you become the owner of the hate, the anger, and its effects on your body, mind and spirit over time. When you forgive, all that nasty stuff gets released. It no longer eats you alive. It no longer is a tool of Satan. Forgiveness carves out a space for peace. Peace instead of anger, peace instead of hate.

(Mat 6:15) "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Sometimes we hurt others. Maybe it was on purpose, perhaps by accident. There are times when we don't even realize that we have hurt another. When we learn that we have, are we not sorrowful, regretting the incident? Don't we long to feel whole again? Isn't it great when someone forgives us? When we are released from our guilt, our shame our whole attitude takes on a whole new latitude. Forgiveness heals.

How many times would you say that the Lord, Our God has forgiven you over the past six months? How about the past six years? Ten years? Your lifetime? Imagine the sorry shape you would be in if Jesus was not in the business of forgiveness?

Through His death on the cross, we all have been forgiven. Maybe its your time to forgive? Have you ever been forgiven?

(Luk 17:4) "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Its all written in the book. Have you read your Bible today?

 

Have you ever been forgiven?

(Eph 4:32) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Of all the things God might ask of us, forgiving one another is probably the most difficult. For many, granting forgiveness is not in our top ten things we like to do. Why is that? Why do we hold onto grudges, sometimes for years, even decades?

(Col 3:13) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Maybe its a sense of entitlement, they hurt me, now I'm going to hurt them, or wish them to be likewise hurt. Revenge. I heard a fellow say once, “I'll get even with you if its the last thing I ever do!”. Well, he did. A few weeks after he got his “sweet” revenge, he died in a car accident. Prophetic huh?

A commentator heard recently on radio claimed Christians had as much if not more difficulty forgiving others. That surprised me. We are taught that forgiveness is a must if we want to enjoy fellowship with the Lord.

(Rom 12:19) Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.

By not forgiving someone you become the owner of the hate, the anger, and its effects on your body, mind and spirit over time. When you forgive, all that nasty stuff gets released. It no longer eats you alive. It no longer is a tool of Satan. Forgiveness carves out a space for peace. Peace instead of anger, peace instead of hate.

(Mat 6:15) "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Sometimes we hurt others. Maybe it was on purpose, perhaps by accident. There are times when we don't even realize that we have hurt another. When we learn that we have, are we not sorrowful, regretting the incident? Don't we long to feel whole again? Isn't it great when someone forgives us? When we are released from our guilt, our shame our whole attitude takes on a whole new latitude. Forgiveness heals.

How many times would you say that the Lord, Our God has forgiven you over the past six months? How about the past six years? Ten years? Your lifetime? Imagine the sorry shape you would be in if Jesus was not in the business of forgiveness?

Through His death on the cross, we all have been forgiven. Maybe its your time to forgive? Have you ever been forgiven?

(Luk 17:4) "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Its all written in the book. Have you read your Bible today?

 

SIN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT

Facebook, Twitter, My Space, InstaGram. Communications vehicles of the internet. Messages and ideas transmitted from a portable computer in Rome, Georgia and received in seconds in a basement apartment in Perth, Australia with copies acknowledged in Munich, Paris, and Budapest. Once the SEND button is clicked, your words literally travel around the world. Once the written (or pictured) word is released, it remains on someone's system somewhere FOREVER.

Gods bookkeeping is kinda like the internet in that every word, deed, good or bad, every lie and every sin is recorded FOREVER. Eventually, each of us will stand before one of two thrones and the books will be balanced. [Revelation 20:12]

When I was young, our music came on 78 rpm records. Portable radios weighed 14 pounds. My first telephone number was 21. We still used out-houses and thunder mugs, and Airmail had only recently been invented. No cell phones, no Ipods, no CD's. Sending a message to a distant city meant writing, by hand, your words, sealing them in an envelope affixing postage of three cents, and delivering it to the postman. Within a week, message received. Airmail, two days quicker, but the price would be 13 cents. THIRTEEN CENTS........CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Back then a person had time to think about what was being written. Time to consider what the impact might be on others. Words have power you know. On more than one occasion “time” saved my bacon. Time allowed me to reconsider my words, and since letter writing and mailing is not instant, hurtful and even shameful words or news was changed or tempered to soften or place into perspective the intended message. The letter would be received only by the intended party and unless carelessness ensued, would remain private. Confessed sins would not become public fodder. Oh how things have changed!

Today, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, et al, have become Satan's most celebrated tool. “Sin, at the speed of light” is Hell's new motto. The Devil no longer has to roam the earth to and fro, all he needs is reliable 4G service! Not only can you SIN, news of that SIN can be posted on Facebook and SHARED, and others will CONGRATULATE you on this publicly  confessed SIN then CELEBRATE the very SIN itself!! How cool is that?  The path to Hell has never been so easy, so quick, so accessible.  Repent, turn back to Him. Do it now. 

Oh my Lord, how far we have fallen. How grave is our illness?

ANATHEMA MARANATHA ! ! ! 
(Moral worthlessness, Come quickly Lord)[1 Cor 16:22--KJV]    

Have you read your Bible today?

SIN AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT

Facebook, Twitter, My Space, InstaGram. Communications vehicles of the internet. Messages and ideas transmitted from a portable computer in Rome, Georgia and received in seconds in a basement apartment in Perth, Australia with copies acknowledged in Munich, Paris, and Budapest. Once the SEND button is clicked, your words literally travel around the world. Once the written (or pictured) word is released, it remains on someone's system somewhere FOREVER.

Gods bookkeeping is kinda like the internet in that every word, deed, good or bad, every lie and every sin is recorded FOREVER. Eventually, each of us will stand before one of two thrones and the books will be balanced. [Revelation 20:12]

When I was young, our music came on 78 rpm records. Portable radios weighed 14 pounds. My first telephone number was 21. We still used out-houses and thunder mugs, and Airmail had only recently been invented. No cell phones, no Ipods, no CD's. Sending a message to a distant city meant writing, by hand, your words, sealing them in an envelope affixing postage of three cents, and delivering it to the postman. Within a week, message received. Airmail, two days quicker, but the price would be 13 cents. THIRTEEN CENTS........CAN YOU IMAGINE?

Back then a person had time to think about what was being written. Time to consider what the impact might be on others. Words have power you know. On more than one occasion “time” saved my bacon. Time allowed me to reconsider my words, and since letter writing and mailing is not instant, hurtful and even shameful words or news was changed or tempered to soften or place into perspective the intended message. The letter would be received only by the intended party and unless carelessness ensued, would remain private. Confessed sins would not become public fodder. Oh how things have changed!

Today, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, et al, have become Satan's most celebrated tool. “Sin, at the speed of light” is Hell's new motto. The Devil no longer has to roam the earth to and fro, all he needs is reliable 4G service! Not only can you SIN, news of that SIN can be posted on Facebook and SHARED, and others will CONGRATULATE you on this publicly  confessed SIN then CELEBRATE the very SIN itself!! How cool is that?  The path to Hell has never been so easy, so quick, so accessible.  Repent, turn back to Him. Do it now. 

Oh my Lord, how far we have fallen. How grave is our illness?

ANATHEMA MARANATHA ! ! ! 
(Moral worthlessness, Come quickly Lord) [1 Cor 16:22--KJV]    

Have you read your Bible today?

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RENEW THEM

For the longest time I have wanted to research Hebrews 6:4-6 to confirm for myself if this applies to you and to me, those who have received grace and the gift of salvation. If we fall away? Can we even fall away? These questions have come up many times in our Bible study sessions, most say we cannot fall away, a few others seem support the prospect that a saved person can fall away and be lost forever. Here is the scripture as the NASB reflects:

(Heb 6:4) For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

(Heb 6:5) and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

(Heb 6:6) and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

Jesus is recorded in John 10: 27-29 saying:

(Joh 10:27) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

(Joh 10:28) and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

(Joh 10:29) "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

A very important question is then posed, and answered here:

(Rom 8:35) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

(Rom 8:38) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

(Rom 8:39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Unless I have missed something, scripture tells me that our wondrous gift of salvation is permanent and forever. The evidence of this is repentance, true repentance (the change made in us by Christ).

Since this is so, once drawn by God, once delivered, once accepted, we are His forever! Who then are those that have tasted of the heavenly gift? Partook of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God?

Biblical history and even today the landscape is littered with those of great intellectual abilities who have studied deeply the Gospel. Despite these studies, understanding, and even embracing the very tenants of the Word of God, they keep this knowledge sequestered as an intellectual only product, never once opening themselves to the spiritual. Promising but never committing. Accepting through the head and not through the heart, the soul. Salvation (conversion) never being had;

(Heb 10:26) For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

(Heb 10:27) but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.

I think I now understand Hebrews 6: 4-6 and its relation to those who failed to repent, to change, to accept with the spirit and not just with the head.

It would seem that when God offers His gift, there may not be an unlimited period of time for redemption. That topic will be a study for another time.

Have you read your Bible today? All of this and more is in The Book!