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4.24.24

 

1. “The trap that most endangers us as Christian workers is not worldliness or sin, it’s desiring spiritual success.”

 

What’s “spiritual success?” Oswald says it’s “the form set by this religious age in which we now live.”

 

What does this amount to in our day? For starters, perhaps it's the goal of going to heaven when we die. If that’s our mark of our faith, we fall short of God's greater intentions for us. Our names are certainly written in the Lamb’s Book of Life when we trust Christ, but that’s only the beginning of our God-walk:  God intends to “conform us to the image of Jesus” (Romans 8:29).

 

Or, our “religious age” might suggest spiritual success looks like a plentiful, carefree life, with perfect health and material blessings. Or perhaps an ideal marriage, family and kids. Or complete freedom from hurts, hang ups and habits. But walking with Jesus may not yield the perfect life on earth: “Jesus said, ‘In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’” (John 16:33).

 

Instead, may we “never seek anything other than the approval of God.” This is spiritual success in the eyes of God. We're not striving for the standards of this age, but God’s Kingdom standards. And we can only rise to these standards by the grace of God through the Holy Spirit.

 

Father, thank You for Your work in delivering us from worldliness and sin. Please also deliver us from using “the form set by this religious age” to measure our spiritual success. Instead, may our hope and aim be no less than Your daily approval. Only by Your grace, O Lord.

 

 

2. “We have a commercialized view of spiritual success—how many souls have been saved and sanctified.”

 

Oswald isn’t downplaying our work in helping people know Jesus. Instead, Oswald is challenging us to take people beyond salvation and new life, into a lifetime of discipleship.

 

“Our work is not to save souls, but to disciple them.” This is directly in line with New Horizon’s present posture. Our aim is not simply church attendance, conversions and baptisms, but to make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.

 

“Salvation and sanctification are the work of God's grace, and our work as His disciples is to disciple others.” This is a great breakdown of the progression in Christian faith, and visualizing God's role and our role. Indeed, we play a part in sharing and inviting people to the Kingdom of God, yet it's God Who draws people to Himself, and imbues them with salvation and new life. Then it’s our role to help them “live lives that are totally yielded to God.”

 

Of course, we can’t lead people where we have not been ourselves. Therefore, we must honestly assess our God-walk. Perhaps we’re saved and have received new life in Christ, but are we moving in the direction of totally yielding our lives to God? It's only as we walk this path that we can help others walk this path.

 

Holy Father, thank You for entrusting us in Your process of transforming lives. May we be faithful to do what only we can do as You do what only You can do.

 

 

3. “One life totally devoted to God is of more value to Him than one hundred lives which have been simply awakened by His Spirit.”

 

I'm so convicted by this statement. For years and years I've worked to create ministries and experiences that awaken people's spirit. And I'm thrilled when they have powerful God-moments.

 

But this is only the beginning of the process. Our work continues by helping people become totally devoted to God. It’s only those who are totally devoted to God that transform families, churches communities and our world for God’s Kingdom.

 

Father, please help us go far beyond aiming to provide titillating God-experiences. Please give us a heart for connecting with people who have had such experiences, and leading them in the even greater experience of becoming fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

 

 

4. “As God's workers, we must reproduce our own kind spiritually.”

 

This has been my coaching with New Horizon’s disciple-makers. That is, they are not merely group leaders, but they are commissioned to “reproduce our own kind spiritually.”

 

It's one thing too facilitate group conversation. It's another thing altogether to press into others, help them lay foundation stones of faith, and work to transfer what we've received from Christ into their souls.

 

“As Christian workers, God is bringing us up to a standard of life through His grace, and we are responsible for reproducing that same standard in others.” We’re growing in faith, and God intends for us to help others grow in faith as well. All God has invested in us, He intends for us to invest in others.

 

Father, how we squander what You've given us. We receive it and enjoy it as if the end game is our personal edification. Please help us visualize ourselves helping others receive from You what we've received from You.

 

 

5. “Unless the Christian worker lives a life that is ‘hidden with Christ in God,’” we will be unsuccessful in replicating disciples.

 

It's only as we “live life that is hidden with Christ in God,” that we sense God's calling to help others do the same. Until then, our faith is only a practical matter—going to Heaven when we die, strength for daily living, peace, joy, fulfilment, etc.

 

But, as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we gain His heart for others, and we begin to embrace Gis Great Commission to “go and make disciples.”

 

It’s in union worth God through Christ that we learn to access the Holy Spirit in us for the purpose of helping others know and grow in Jesus. As we abide in Christ, we come to realize we have nothing to offer except that which we have received from Jesus Himself.

 

I cannot give to others what I don’t  possess myself. I cannot call others to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” if mine is not. Lord, have mercy

 

Father, Son and Spirit, we want to live in union with You in the way and to the degree You intend. As we seek to do so, please help us also graciously receive your commission to help others do the same. May we be successful in replication, O Lord.

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4.23.24

 

1. “We are God's fellow workers,”  (1 Corinthians 3:9)

 

Oswald is reminding us of the nuance of this Scripture passage. We don't simply work FOR God; we work WITH God. Those two statements are very different.

 

The first is laborious. We're apt to see ourselves as minions under God’s hand. Or, perhaps we see ourselves working to appease God and earn His favor. Or, we may choose our work and justify its importance as “God's work.”

 

This approach can be exhausting. It can lead to bitterness towards God if we’re working in our own strength.  It can also breed a sense of superiority in our work—after all, what could be more important than working for God?

 

Working WITH God is a different matter. First, we’re subordinate to God—God chooses the work and calls the shots. We don’t dictate to God, but follow His leadership. Second, we don’t labor alone, but in partnership with God. That means God does the heavy lifting. Third, the purpose of our work is God’s, not our own. We're more concerned with what God gets out of it than what we get out of it.

 

The latter is a very freeing notion of serving God. As we work together with God, we enjoy fellowship with God, and experience the ups and downs, laughs and heartaches, and rigor and celebration with God.

 

Nothing in this world is more satisfying then serving alongside the King of Kings.

 

Father, thank You for our incredibly meaningful lives as we serve with our Savior. Lord Jesus, have us today. Put us to Your use. We look forward to being with You.

 

 

2. “As we concentrate on God, we’re completely free with the freedom God gives His worshipping child.”

 

Soul-freedom is the best kind of freedom. And it's ours as we give ourselves to Jesus.

 

A number of years ago I was blessed to do a walking sabbatical in Italy. As I traveled from cathedral to cathedral with my Bible in hand, I stayed in various Air B&B’s and even a convent.

 

In the convent, a senior nun befriended me. She could only speak Italian, so we used Google Translate on my phone to communicate. She loved doting on me during my stay. We even topped off my visit with a time of extended prayer together in their Chapel. It was a joy.

 

As I was leaving, she made a comment that humbled my heart. She said, “You’re the freest individual I've ever met.” I can't imagine a greater compliment. And I owe it all to the freedom Christ affords me with His loving fellowship. Hallelujah!

 

May Christ’s freedom be our daily experience, beloved.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the incredible freedom You offer as we live in a worshipping relationship with You. Thank You for bearing our burdens. Thank you for filling our hearts with Your love, joy and peace. Thank You for the Great Adventure of walking with You day-by-day. Love.

 

 

3.  “A worker who lacks concentration on God will become overly burdened, a slave to their own limits, burned out and defeated.”

 

I certainly know this experience. We can become so consumed by our work, and so distracted from God, that we wind up working in our own strength, trying our hearts and minds, and exhausted and depleted.

 

That's not to say God doesn't call us to do hard things that will tax our reserves. Hardly. He called Jesus to the cross.

 

But I've also experienced the wonderful satisfaction of being completely and utterly exhausted—mind, body, soul and spirit—in serving alongside Jesus. In my depleted state, I find the great satisfaction of having been a co-laborer with my Savior.

 

And I sense His glorious words: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for those opportunities to spend myself for You and Your Kingdom. I love when it feels like every ounce of energy mattered. I long for that on a daily basis. I want to know that my life is making a difference for time and eternity. Thank You for such tremendous opportunities

 

 

4.  “No longer is the responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in constant touch with God.”

 

As we serve God, I think some of the greatest burden and burnout can come from a sense of great responsibility for the outcome.

 

I suppose I'm responsible for the outcome as I'm digging post holes for fencing around the New Horizon Orphanage in Haiti. If I slack off or take shortcuts, the end product will suffer.

 

But, in serving God's Kingdom, we’re also working with human hearts. Although we can encourage or discourage another soul, we can't transform their heart to love and serve Jesus.  Only God can do that.

 

When we relieve ourselves of the responsibility of heart-change, we free ourselves to seek Jesus on behalf of others. In doing so, we take our cues from Him along the way, effervesce the Fruit of the Spirit, and entrust precious hearts to Jesus.

 

And that's becomes our greatest responsibility.

 

Lord Jesus, we offer You our full attention today. We leave hearts in Your capable hands for shaping and forming. Please inspire us with winsome words as we relate to others. May our proximity to You become evident to them.

 

 

5. “God engineers everything He places on us, and our goal is to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him.”

 

This statement is a challenging. Do I believe God in His Sovereignty is engineering the matters I will deal with today? Do I believe He places them upon me with His Holy hand?

 

If I do, I will be of the mind to draw upon His grace as I shoulder the come-what-may of today. If not, I'm liable to grouse and complain, and think God unfair.

 

Which will I choose? My attitudes and affect will certainly demonstrate my decision.

 

Heavenly Father, help me to grow in my absolute confidence of Your complete Sovereignty. I know “stuff happens” on planet earth, and much of it is beyond my control. Please help me gratefully received from Your hand today, and pour out my energies in wholehearted devotion to you.

 

 

 

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4.22.24

 

1. “People who used to be lights to us will flicker out, and those who used to stand with us will turn away.”

 

Isn't this the sad truth? There are so many who have been points of reference in our lives, yet no longer are.

 

Sometimes it's because of failed relationship on our part or theirs. Sometimes it's because of life changes or moral failings.

 

But the effect is the same—we no longer have that anchor to which we can moor our boat.

 

Oswald is speaking to our growing relationship with Jesus. In time, regardless of the bulwarks in our life, Christ becomes our ultimate grounding. Then, as people come and go, Christ continually stands.

 

Thank God.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Rock beneath our feet. How difficult if must be for those who don’t have Your immovable foundation to stand upon. May our lives demonstrate the consistency of “the anchor of our soul” (Hebrews 6:19), so others might discover and find security in You, too.

 

 

2. “Important individuals in our lives are meant to go, so that we will look into the face of God.”

 

I don't believe Oswald is suggesting God plucks important individuals from our lives. Instead, they are training wheels on our bike. As they are removed, we learn to look to Jesus for ourselves.

 

As long as we have parents, teachers, mentors, ministers, best friends, etc., we will look to those people before we look to God. But, in time, we realize they cannot fully provide our needs.

 

It's in those moments we’re forced to look to Jesus. Thank God for those people, but thank God we have something more sure than the most important people in our lives.

 

We have the infallible God as our Heavenly Father. Praise Him forever.

 

Father, thank You for teaching us to look to You above all others. Thank You for the crises in our lives that cause us to do so. Train our hearts to instinctively look to You before we look to others—not out of disregard for others, but out of our highest regard for You.

 

 

3. “A Christian servant is one who perpetually looks into the face of God and then goes forth to talk to others.”

 

How profound. I’m never as useful to others as when I'm closest to Jesus.

 

Proximity to Jesus doesn’t happen by accident. I must diligently pursue Him. And when I do, my heart and mind become seasoned and helpful as I interact with others.

 

It's amazing to me how often I’m able to speak with others out of a very recent encounter with God in the Scriptures, in prayer, in a conversation with someone else, etc.

 

As someone has said, “When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don't, they don't.”

 

Heavenly Father, may our worth to others be heightened by our consistent relationship with You. Thank You for the grace and wisdom You give us for their sake.

 

 

4. “The ministry of Christ is characterized by an abiding glory of which the servant is totally unaware.”

 

I've certainly experienced this in other people. They have no idea they are glowing with the glory of God.

 

They are unaware because it has nothing to do with them, and everything to do with God Himself. They simply abide in Christ, and His glory manifests itself.

 

How I long to be this person, so beaming with Jesus that others see Him instead of me!

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your glory in others. Thank You for those saints who shine so brightly for You. In time, may it be us as well, and may we be unimaginably oblivious.

 

 

5. “The secret of the servant's life is that they stay in tune with God all the time.”

 

What does it mean to “stay in tune with God?”

 

Does it mean we’re always obedient? Does it mean we’re without sin? Does it mean we sequester ourselves to a monastic life?

 

Surely not.

 

“David was a man after God's own heart” (Acts 13:22). As we know full-well, David was anything but the perfect man. He had incredible personal faults and fallouts.

 

Yet David knew how to seek God, how to walk in faith, and how to repent. David certainly paid a high price for his disobedience, yet he went down in the annals of Biblical history as one upon whom God bestowed great matters.

 

Can we be entrusted with the things of God? Can God anticipate us too step out in great faith? Are we those who will respond to the Holy Spirit’s direction and conviction, including repenting and turning from our disobedience?

 

Surely this is an opportunity for all men and women. Surely God is searching for such. All it requires is our determination. May it be so.

 

Heavenly Father, it's the desire of our heart to be Your man or woman. We want You to safely trust in us. We want our lives to fulfill the purposes for which You created us. Please give us the heart and pluck to stay in tune with our God all the time. We say, “yes,” O Lord.

 

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4.21.24

 

1. “Our Lord must be repeatedly astounded at how “un-simple’ we are.”

 

I love the passages in the Gospels when “the people were amazed at Jesus” (Matthew 7:28), because He’s that awesome.

 

I'm also struck by the passages in the Gospels when “Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:6). Ouch.

 

In both places, the amazement Jesus and others experience is triggered by humankind’s lack of faith. Which means, sadly, Jesus and I are consistently amazed by one another.

 

I can understand why Jesus views faith as “simple.” We're “simply” trusting our Almighty God, the greatest Reality of all.

 

But I’m never convinced faith is that simple. It’s because I refuse to be so simple as to simply believe.

 

Lord, have mercy.

 

Jesus, “I believe; please help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). If only I were simple enough to trust You more. Please increase my faith. I want to truly believe.

 

 

2. “When we are simple, we have discernment all the time period”

 

For me, this speaks of our God-given capability of discerning the things of God by virtue of the Holy Spirit living in us.

 

It's me that complicates matters. When I'm inspired with discernment, I seem to need to overthink it, reason it through, and run multiple verifications in my thoughts and mind.

 

But if I'll be simple enough to be moved by the quiet swaying of the Holy Spirit, I find it very natural to sense God's heart and mind in the day-to-day.

 

If only I will.

 

Lord Jesus, You tell me, “unless I become as a little child I will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3). I pray I would become childlike enough to be “simple” enough to simply walk in Your Spirit.

 

 

3. “It is highly probable that we are hurting Jesus by what we ask.”

 

I wonder how often I hurt Jesus with my constant questioning? Even if I don't speak the question, the question is running in my heart: “Can I trust You? Do You have my best interest in mind? Will You ever leave or forsake me?”

 

In Jesus’ mind, these questions have all been answered by His cross and Resurrection. “All the promises of God in Christ are yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

 

It surely breaks Jesus’ heart when I question Him again and again. Thank God, He's patient with me, and is happy to assure me as often as I need.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness. Please forgive me for needing verification time after time. “O for grace to trust You more.”

 

 

4. “If I believe in Jesus and His attributes, am I living up to my belief?”

 

I love reciting the Apostles Creed and other statements of faith. And I love proclaiming the promises and mighty acts of God.

 

The question is, do I truly believe what I claim to believe? Because the only way to demonstrate my faith is to live it.

 

Is God truly Almighty? Is nothing impossible for God? Is He my Savior and Keeper? Does He hold me in the palm of his hands? Will He meet my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus?

 

It's one thing to speak these things as true. It's another to navigate my daily life upon these paving stones.

 

By Your mercy, O Lord, may it be so, more and more.

 

 

5. “I have to get to the point in my relationship with God to take everything exactly as it comes from Him.”

 

This speaks to our confidence in the absolute Sovereignty of God.

 

Certainly there are evils in our world that affect us every day. We also have an enemy of our soul who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. And I am more than capable of dumb decisions.

 

At the same time, I have a God Who oversees my life, and He anticipates me to trust Him explicitly with everything that comes my way. Although He may not be the source of everything that affects me, He’s my Rock and stay, no matter what.

 

My confidence in God’s Sovereignty is borne out through my fully-devoted relationship to Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, I confess my life does not always demonstrate my utter confidence in Your Sovereignty. It's why I worry, strive and wear myself out trying to manipulate and navigate. Thank You for my growing relationship with You. May I grow in my confidence of Your Sovereignty and receive everything that comes my way in fellowship with You.

 

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4.20.24

 

1. “Never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or intellect.”

 

We're likely to think of our spiritual capabilities much like we think of our natural capabilities, which can be measured by an aptitude test. We're also likely to equate our natural giftedness with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

Neither is accurate. Certainly, any capacity we have for thinking, breathing, moving, creating, etc., is a gift from God. But “spiritual gifts” are manifestation of God's Spirit living in us as believers.

 

Therefore, “it’s possible for us to misjudge our capacities.” That’s because our natural capacities have nothing to do with spiritual capacities. “Our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God.”

 

Which means, as we seek God, and as the Holy Spirit has His way in us, we’re unlimited in our spiritual capacities.

 

And recognizing this truth makes all the difference when God nudges us.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit in us, and the unlimited capacities He brings. May we learn to judge ourself based on Your infinite rather than our finite.

 

 

2. “If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse God.”

 

We're likely unaware of our accusations and indictments of God. Lord, have mercy.

 

“All the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen.” The more and more we recognize the power of the cross and Holy Spirit, the less we’ll blame God and recognize our shortcomings.

 

Our failures are never God's fault.

 

“When it's a question of God's Almighty Spirit, never say, I can't.” God says we can because His Spirit dwells in us in Christ. Our weakness is our failure to interface with God's Spirit and His infinite capacities.

 

God forgive us when we lay blame at His feet.

 

Holy Father, not only do we take You for granted, but we unwittingly blame You for so many things. Please have mercy. Thank You for giving us all things in Christ. Please help us give ourselves to receiving all You have for us. May our lives be demonstrations of our gratitude.

 

 

3. “If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.”

 

If we trust Christ, we’ve received God's Spirit As such, the Spirit is eager to manifest Himself in our daily lives.

 

This certainly includes the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These qualities are the supernatural effervescence of Christ's Spirit living in us.

 

But the Holy Spirit is also to be exhibited in our obedience, courage, boldness, tenacity, endurance and more. The Spirit of God in us means we’re capable of sensing God's nudges and responding to His leadership in the power of His Spirit.

 

The work of God's Kingdom is accomplished by God's Spirit working through God's people. Thank God for the latent and humane qualities of humankind. But thank God even more for the exhibition of the Holy Spirit Through Christ's followers.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the incredible demonstrations of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the ages. May we be among them in our day-to-day, as we serve Your purposes. All praise, honor and glory is Yours. Amen!

 

4. “Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry?”

 

Oswald offers quite the challenge.

 

Who are we to worry when “all the promises of God in Christ are yes and amen”? It's as if we think God will leave us hanging high and dry.

 

Jesus never worried because He was confident of God's care and provision, every moment of every day. God extends that privilege to us as we are adopted as His children through faith in Christ.

 

Do we consider worry to be accusatory towards God? Perhaps that's not our intention, but think about how God has proven Himself faithful time and again. Surely we’re hurt when those we love distrust us.

 

“O for grace to trust You more.”

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for inadvertently accusing You when we’re tempted to worry. You haven't failed us yet. Please help us trust You won't fail us today. Thank You for caring and providing for us just as You did for Your Son.

 

 

5. “The person who is lazy is always full of anxious self-pity, always saying, ‘I haven’t been given a decent chance.’”

 

Goodness. Oswald gives us quite the insight here. This doesn't simply apply to our relationship with God, but regards how others might experience us.

 

Do I exhibit self-pity? Am I envious of others for their opportunities? Do I excuse myself because others seem to have a leg-up over me?

 

We all know the smell of self-pity in others. It's noxious. I wonder what people smell in us? God, have mercy.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for slothfulness. And please forgive us when we blame you instead of taking responsibility. Thank you for the tremendous opportunities you've given us. By Your Spirit, please help us take ourselves by the scruff of the neck and do what we no to do. And offer Your glory.

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4.19.24

 

1. “Be alert about the things that may appear to be the least likely to tempt you.”

 

We do well to recognize that better people than us have fallen at lesser things. To maintain a keen sense of our vulnerability to temptation and sin is a critical awareness.

 

No matter my station in life, I will never outgrow my vulnerabilities. Temptation and sin may change form, but this truth always remains:  I’m always just one step away from doing something very stupid.

 

I watch people struggle with matters I don’t presently struggle with. If I’m not facing these temptations presently, it's easy to presume I never will.

 

But, when I truly get to know myself, I recognize I can never say never. “Where one person has turned backs is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back.”

 

Lord Jesus, please have mercy. I’m not above any temptation or sin. I’m as vulnerable as the next person. Please help me remain vigilant and alert, with my eyes on You and my back towards my lusts. I'm no match for them, but thankfully, they’re no match for You. Hallelujah!

 

 

2. “Beware of thinking you are least likely to stumble in the areas of previous victories.”

 

I've had moments of great victory over great temptation. They had me by the throat, but God prevailed and delivered me. Hallelujah!

 

I'm foolish to think that particular temptation no longer hold sway over me.

 

In fact, I may be more vulnerable there than ever. For instance, I incurred a significant twisted ankle playing volleyball years ago. I recovered from that injury, but that ankle remains more prone to injury than my other.

 

I must not assume yesterday's victory makes me impervious to today's temptation. I only survived yesterday by God's grace, and I will only survive today by the same.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the great victories You have wrought in my life. May I never assume Your deliverance without also hiding myself in the shadow of Your wings.

 

 

3. “Don't try to predict where temptation will come; the real danger is likely to be the least likely thing.”

 

If I am attempting to predict the next temptation, my eyes are on the temptation instead of on Jesus. That leaves me completely vulnerable to other temptations.

 

It is amazing how, while God graces me to overcome a significant temptation, I can immediately fall to a smaller and lesser temptation.

 

Sometimes it's because I get cocky. If God can deliver me from that one, He can surely deliver me from anything.

 

I must recognize both God's deliverance and my great vulnerability. I must sustain Christ as my rear guard as well as my front-facing Shield.

 

Lord Jesus, please help me live in a constant state of dependence upon You and Your power over temptation. I have no idea where the next temptation will come from, but I know where my help comes from. Therefore I will seek to continually dwell in Your powerful presence.

 

 

4. “It's in the aftermath of a great spiritual event that the least likely things begin to have an effect.”

 

I love an impactful mission trip, spiritual retreat or other mountaintop experience with God. However, what I've learned is, the devil is on the prowl, eager to trip us up afterwards. “Beware of the undercurrent.”

 

As I lead such events, I intentionally coach participants in what I affectionately refer to as “reentry.” As we descend the mountain and reenter real life, we’ll discover nothing has changed below—including our daily challenges, hardships and temptations.

 

It's utterly amazing how quickly we can have our legs kicked out from under us after significant encounters with God. We’re foolish to believe we're no longer vulnerable, even after the most intense God-moments.

 

Lord, have mercy.

 

Indeed, Lord Jesus, have mercy on our souls. We relish the periodic “great spiritual events” You gift us with along the way. May we be fully aware of our vulnerabilities afterwards. Please help us recognize You're not finished with us yet.

 

 

5. “Bible characters stumbled over their strong points, never their weak ones.”

 

This is powerful. Our greatest strengths can become our greatest liabilities.

 

Surely it's because we falsely believe our strength is sufficient regarding our strong suits. We take for granted our best capabilities, while avoiding or attempting to address our weaknesses.

 

“Unguarded strength is actually a double weakness.” If we’re guarding our liabilities, we leave our strengths unguarded. In this way, our strengths ironically become our vulnerabilities.

 

And just imagine the mess we can make with our greatest strengths.

 

Father, thank You for our areas of giftedness. We offer them to You for Your purposes. Please help us steward them well, never taking them for granted, and always aware of their great liabilities.

 

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4.18.24

 

1. “When God speaks, many of us are like people in a fog and give no answer.”

 

“In a fog” is a great metaphor when we discuss God’s “voice.”

 

For instance, we might be “foggy” on the issue of whether or not God speaks to His people. God certainly does throughout the Scriptures, but does He speak today? Jesus claims He does, and does so by His Holy Spirit which He has given us: “My sheep know My voice and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

 

We might also be “foggy” on how to recognize God’s voice. How do we know it's God and not our own thoughts or even the devil? Perhaps it’s helpful to consider how we’re able to recognize the voice of a loved one, even in a crowd of other voices. And we hear their voice even more distinctly when we eliminate distractions.

 

But it seems the “fog” Oswald is speaking of is our willingness to respond when God does speak. Have we determined to hear? Have we set aside our will to make way for His? Are we anticipating His still, small voice? Are we delighted to hear and obey?

 

We will most likely always fight the “fog” in this matter, but the fog begins to clear as we settle our hearts on the matters above. Once we do, we may discover God speaks to us more often than we imagined.

 

Father, there’s no greater joy then hearing from our God. Thank You for Your nearness and fellowship. Thank You for Your comforting words. Thank You for impressing upon our hearts Your love, encouragement and leadership. May You find us eager to listen and respond.

 

 

2. “Readiness means having a right relationship to God and having the knowledge of where we are.”

 

I hear, “right relationship,” as prioritizing our relationship with God above all things. We're seeking God because we aim to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We’re eagerly participating in God's ongoing work of sanctification—refining us, shaping us and conforming us to the image of Christ. We’re realizing God has purpose for us every moment of every day, and we're determined to follow His leadership to that end.

 

I hear, “knowledge of where we are,” as self-awareness and self-understanding. For instance, I’m a human being, created to bear the image of God everywhere I go. I’m a sinful soul in need of Christ's forgiveness, and I’ll be eternally in His debt for His grace and mercy. And I’m “God's workmanship, created for good works which God has prepared for me” (Ephesians 2:10).

 

With these foundation stones in place, I’m “ready” to hear and respond as God may call. His call is not a strange thing, nor is it an imposition. Instead, it’s the desire of my heart, and, by His grace, I've decided ahead of time to say “yes.

 

Heavenly Father, I want to be “ready.” Please help me desire right relationship with You above all things, and please give me greater understanding of who I am in Your eyes. I want to be Your man, O God.

 

 

3. “We wait with the idea that some great opportunity or something sensation will be coming our way.”

 

We may imagine God isn’t concerned with the petty and mundane, but only with the great matters of our life and our world. Unfortunately, if that is our posture, “we won’t be ready for some obscure duty.”

 

Perhaps we only view God as infinite in magnitude. As such, the trivial is surely beneath Him. However, God's enormity also means He is forever and always present, even in the smallest details.

 

Or perhaps we're not interested in God's leadership in the day-to-day. If God would call us to some great work, we would give it consideration. Surely we’re quite capable of handling everyday matters.

 

But God almost seems more interested in the micro than the macro. Perhaps it's because the macro is made-up of scores of micros. But perhaps it's because, “You’ve been faithful in the small things; I’ll entrust you with greater things” (Matthew 25:23).

 

Either way, in the eyes of God, nothing is insignificant.

 

Heavenly Father, we offer ourselves to You for big and small, things that seem important and unimportant, and things seen by others and unseen. We're simply overjoyed to be included in the work of Your Kingdom.

 

 

4. “Jesus expects to do with us just as the Father did with Him.”

 

We often see Jesus’ life as an example of how we, too, should live. Jesus is certainly our standard and example for walking with God.

 

But Jesus also exhibited great fidelity, deference and obedience to His Father. “The Son can say or do nothing except what He sees His Father say or do” (from John 5:19). And Jesus anticipates us to do the same.

 

That's why Oswald can assert, “Jesus can put us wherever He wants because our union with Him is the same as His union with the Father.”

 

We might imagine this kind of relationship is far beyond our reach. But it certainly aligns with Jesus prayer: “Father, may they be one just as You and I are one.”

 

Jesus is a Son to His Father, and by Christ’s cross and Resurrection, we can be adopted as God’s sons and daughters. As such, it’s God's gift and intention that we experience the same relationship with Him as Jesus did.

 

Wow.

 

Heavenly Father, how can this be so? Yet it is through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hallelujah! Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You as You gave Yourself to the Father. Thank You for so great a privilege as to walk with You. Have Your way with us today.

 

 

5. “Be ready for the sudden surprise visits of God.”

 

The funny thing is, even when we feel we are “ready,” God's visits are always very pleasant surprises.

 

That is, we rarely anticipate when or how God will approach us. Even with years and years of experience in walking with Jesus, His ways remain mysterious and defy description.

 

But isn't that the joy of the God walk? Thank God for a God who is infinitely beyond our comprehension.

 

Thank You for Your glorious ways, O God. It's the joy of our life to walk in intimate and loving relationship with You. May we do so more and more.

 

 

***********

4.17.24

 

1. Have you had a crisis in which you have deliberately, earnestly and recklessly abandoned everything?”

 

We’ve all witnessed this happening in another soul in very negative ways. That is, because of a great loss, rejection, wounding, etc., some have completely withdrawn, isolate themselves and become emotionally paralyzed.

 

That's not what Oswald is speaking of when he speaks of “abandoning.”

 

He’s referring to life situations which are so far beyond our control and ability, that we find ourselves on our face before God, laying everything at His feet.

 

It's coming to the place where we recognize God is our only hope.

 

I wouldn’t wish such crises upon anyone, yet I know from experience what such moments bring about in our lives. It's a very healthy thing to recognize how infinitesimally small we are in the bigger picture, and how magnificently enormous our God truly is.

 

And sometimes only a crisis can bring this revelation about.

 

Father, thank You for personal crises in our lives which convince us of our finitude, and cause us to cry out to our infinite God. Having “deliberately, earnestly and recklessly abandon everything,” may we leave those things at Your feet and walk in the amazing, unfettered freedom of the children of God.

 

 

2. “The giving up of only external things may actually be an indication of your being in total bondage.”

 

This is very insightful.

 

There are those who imagine that stripping themselves from all externals will free them on the inside. This is certainly true if we feel we’re absolving ourselves by self-denial.

 

“Giving up external things” can also be driven by our cravings and habits. There are those who sacrifice family, friends, jobs and security, in order to feed all-consuming addictions.

 

“True surrender is reached internally.” This is the “transaction of a will” Oswald is speaking of. We’re dethroning ourselves, our preferences, druthers, decision making, etc., in favor of God's leadership in our lives.

 

Unfortunately, we know from experience, internal surrender is far more challenging than external.

 

At the same time, internal surrender is much more freeing. It's because we're giving ourselves to the One Who holds all things in His hands. We're abandoning ourselves to the God Who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves. We’re His beloved, and only our God knows what will truly satisfy our soul.

 

Lord Jesus, into Your hands we command our heart, mind and will. We gladly surrender to Your Lordship and leadership. We trust You and believe Your ways are best. Thank You for the freedom we experience when we commit ourselves to You.

 

 

3. “Any positive emotion that results from committing ourselves to Jesus is simply a superficial blessing.”

 

Oswald is challenging us not to be subservient to our emotions. “If you focus your attention on the emotion, you will never make the transaction.”

 

That is, our emotions cannot guide us in our God-walk. There are certainly times of peace and joy as we are obedient to Jesus, but they cannot be our guiding principle. Emotions are fickle, and come and go like the wind.

 

Our guiding principle is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We commit ourselves to responding to His leadership, regardless how we feel.

 

Love is on the same order. We don't rely on our emotions when we love others. We love as an act of our will. There may well be accompanying emotions, but they do not determine when and how we will love another.

 

Thank God for His blessings, but the greatest blessing is simply being His child. It's our relationship with our Heavenly Father that sets everything else right in our lives.

 

Lord Jesus, we commit ourselves to You. We believe You are Truth and Light. Thank You for the gift of life founded and grounded on the Rock.

 

 

4. “Let everything else go, and concentrate on maintaining your intimate relationship with Jesus.”

 

Herein lies the crux of the matter:  All of life’s incidentals become aligned as we set our sights on the face of Jesus.

 

What does this look like in real life? We're developing the ability to visualize ourselves, others and the world around us, through the lens of the Kingdom of God. We’re becoming more aware that every breath we take is breathed in the very presence of God.

 

When we begin to visualize God is the Pinion of all things, great and small, then every matter becomes a God-matter. Every decision becomes a God-decision. Every act effects time and eternity. And we’re determined to make every moment count.

 

There’s no greater relationship that our relationship with Jesus. And there’s no greater life-pursuit than sustaining and deepening that relationship. Afterall, it’s the only thing that will last forever.

 

Lord Jesus, in great gratitude, with great conviction, and with great love and joy, we commit ourselves to You. By Your grace, we choose to devote our greatest concentrations towards You.

 

***********

4.16.14

 

1. “We all have moments when we feel better than ever, and feel fit for anything.”

 

Along the way with Jesus, we've all had these moments. So did the disciples: after Jesus performed wonders, after significant gatherings with people, the Mount of Transfiguration, the Triumphal Entry, etc.

 

“We were not meant to always feel this way.” These are special and blessed experiences. They are moments of revelation and renewal. They are periodic way-points as we walk with Jesus.

 

“These are moments of insight which we live up to even when we don't feel like it.” The motivation to hunker down and do the hard work of reaching a goal is a vision of the goal itself. That's what mountain top moments are all about.

 

One day, “our faith will become sight.” But until that day we’re nudged along by periodic experiences of “the glory to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). May we be compelled by those special moments.

 

Father, thank You for the invaluable mountain top moments along the way. Thank You for transforming our hearts in those moments, and giving us a taste of our greater reality. May the memories of those precious moments fuel us as we press on day-by-day.

 

 

2. “Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop.”

 

This is a statement of the fickle nature of human beings.

 

When life is good—when we love our job, when our marriage is hitting on all cylinders, when we have cash in our pocket, when we’re looking forward to an exciting life-adventure in the near future, etc.—in these moments we’re happy, energetic and pleasant to be around.

 

But our whimsical moments can come crashing down when we least expect them. Things can go south quickly—our plans are disrupted, the demands of others stack up, the onset of aches and pains, etc. Suddenly we are irritated, impatient and annoying.

 

A great challenge in our God-walk is to be consistent throughout our ups and downs, mountain tops and valley lows, euphoria and heartbreak, etc. This consistency is not within our fickle human nature. However, it’s indeed the nature of Christ-in-us by His Holy Spirit, which permits us to demonstrate the even-keel of Christ, come what may, if only we will.

 

Christ’s reputation is on the line in the daily lives of His followers.  May His consistent temperament be a constant and high priority for us today.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unchanging, steady-state, character, mood and affect. Thank You that “you do not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Please help us be more like you.

 

 

3. “Never allow a feeling that is awakened in you on the mountain top to evaporate.”

 

In those mountain-top moments, God has given us a vision and taste of what can be. He doesn’t impute a state of peace and pleasantness upon us. He's letting us experience the well-being that can be ours as we abide in Christ.

 

Mountaintop experiences don’t transport us out of chaos into a carefree existence. Instead, in those mountaintop experiences, we experienced Christ Himself.

 

The joy and freedom of those moments are the result of fellowship with Jesus. Which means, by the Holy Spirit Christ has given us, those moments of fellowship can be daily and ongoing.

 

I must develop the wherewithal to walk in constant fellowship with Jesus if I am to sustain His grace and peace. It's not the product of anything external to me, but living in perpetual union with Christ in me.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the tastes of what can be as we walk hand-in-hand with You. May we “act immediately” as you offer us Your fellowship today.

 

 

4. “Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness.”

 

Oswald says our “laziness can always be seen in our cravings for mountaintop experience.” Surely this explains why we consistently speak of our God-experiences back in the day instead of our God-experiences in the moment.

 

We can’t go back, but only forward. Those moments merely point to what can be today and tomorrow.

 

But it doesn't happen by accident, nor is it a once-and-done. I must “pick myself up by the back of the neck” and do what I must do in order to sustain my God-walk today.

 

Slothfulness is a killer. I don't want to be in a state of running on fumes and memories. I want the fresh inspiration a fresh manna today and every day. Please, O Lord.

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my laziness. I recognize You won’t force Yourself upon me. I must “shake off my flash” and do what I know to do. Thank You for the atomic fortitude of the Holy Spirit within me to do just that. Holy Spirit, I call upon you now...

 

 

5. “Stand committed to God by an act of your own will.”

 

I see this as an ongoing, self-perpetuating act.

 

We recognize the feeble strength of our own will. If willpower alone was enough, we wouldn't need the Holy Spirit.

 

Yet it’s an act of our will that engages the strength of God Spirit in us. We choose to make the connection, pull the lever, and act in accordance with the Holy Spirit.

 

Doing so is our act of defiance against our ego and self-sufficiency, and our procrastination and laziness. We are choosing to step up to Christ’s willingness to live through us as we give Him permission and opportunity.

 

This is the synergy between our will and God's.

 

Holy Spirit, as an act of our will, we call upon Your strength and leadership today. By Your grace, may we walk in Your strength, experience Your fellowship, and produce the Fruit of the Spirit. We determine to do so here and now. Thank You.

 

 

***********

4.15.24

 

1. “King Asa was obedient in what he considered the most important areas, but he was not entirely right with God.”

 

Apparently I am not the judge of the things that matter to God, or of the matters that might separate me from God.

 

It's certainly easy to make such judgment calls, “Oh, that thing in my life doesn't matter much.” And perhaps it doesn't. But my judgment is faulty.

 

If we want to be right with God, we will we'll need to let God make the judgment calls.

 

“Nothing should be considered a trivial matter by a child of God.” We may well conclude God is not nudging or prompting because the matter that seems irrelevant. But perhaps it leads to something more relevant than we can possibly imagine.

 

It would be a shame to miss all God has for us, or wishes to do in or through us, because we are dismissing a small matter.

 

Holy Father, as we seek to offer You the key to our heart, please help us do so completely. Please continue to urge us, even in the small matters. We don't want to compromise Your plans and purposes for our life. Please continue to have at us.

 

 

2. “God keeps trying to teach us, and He never loses patience.”

 

Thank God for our long-suffering God. He never, ever gives up on us. Praise Him.

 

“How much longer are we going to prevent God from teaching us something?” Surely there's something God’s showing us, revealing to us, teaching us, even now. He's been at it for some time, patiently knocking, wooing, drawing, orchestrating circumstances, etc, to get to us to the point of recognizing, repenting, receiving, etc., in an area of our life in which we remain incomplete.

 

He's quietly waiting for our willing participation.

 

And, ironically, what He's working towards will only benefit our soul. Why in the world would we not cooperate?

 

Father, thank You for Your infinite patience. Please don't stop. Please get through our thick head, independence, disobedience, pride, etc., in order for You to have more of our heart. Thank You that Your will for us is nothing but good, always.

 

 

3. “Is there something in your life God causes you to doubt?”

 

Oswald makes a very particular and important point here.

 

I must be very careful not to scrutinize myself. If I do, I may become overly critical. The Pharisees did that. They were sure that more regulations meant more righteousness.

 

“Why do you test God by putting on their necks a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10).

 

Instead, we must permit God alone scrutinize our souls: “Whenever God causes a doubt about something, stop it immediately.”

 

This is the role of the Holy Spirit—opening our eyes, convicting us, calling us to repentance, etc. These judgment calls are above our pay grade and will only burden us. But when God makes the judgment call, He also provides the grace to obey by His Holy Spirit.

 

There’s no greater freedom then trusting God with the details of our obedience.  “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21).

 

Heavenly Father, we give You permission to scrutinize our souls. We will trust You to cause us to doubt when something is out of line. In the meantime, we will “walk in the liberty, freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Thank You.

 

 

4. “Are there things in your physical or intellectual life to which you are not paying attention?”

 

This is certainly convicting.

 

We all have a physical life. We do and don't do things with our bodies that can be wise, foolish, helpful, hurtful, healthy, sinful, productive, slothful, etc. We know good and well when we're being obedient and balanced, and when we’re being disobedient and negligent.

 

Father, please help us do what we know to do, and not to do what we know not to do.

 

We must also pay attention to our intellectual life. This is an area in which we can become quite haughty. We pride ourselves in our opinions, understanding, reasoning, education and more. One of the greatest impediments to faith is intellect. We are not keen to give ourselves in obedience if what God asks doesn't make sense to us.

 

Father, thank You for our minds. Like our bodies, we submit our wits to you as well. May both our physical and intellectual lives be subject to the Living God, even when we don't want to and when we don't understand.

 

 

5. “You no more need a day off from spiritual concentration then your heart needs a day off from beating.”

 

This Oswald-ism that has remained in my mind for years and years.

 

“You cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual.” We certainly are what we eat and do. I am morally and spiritually the product of what I give myself to.

 

“God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying to close attention to keep yourself fit.” Indeed, the motivation for any pursuit must come from a vision for the outcome. Is it the desire of my heart to belong entirely to Jesus? Then I will have to give myself to that end.

 

“It takes a tremendous amount of time to remain spiritually fit.” It's amazing how much time we will give to things we enjoy and benefit from. May our love for Jesus draw us to Jesus more and more and more.

 

Father, please help us give ourselves to being at the top of our game in regards to our God-walk. May we be insistent that nothing else crowd out our times of fellowship with You. May we be more eager about our spiritual fitness than any other pursuit in our life.

 

**********************

4.14.24

 

1. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.”

 

Oswald says, we find our most meaningful fellowship with God as we bear the burdens God places upon us. It's under that yoke we find ourselves side-to-side with Jesus.

 

The burden isn’t ours alone. We’re sharing in the burden of Christ. He bears the burdens of this world, including our fragility, sin nature, self-centeredness and more.

 

It's under that yoke, and yoked with Jesus, that we find Jesus alongside. There He fellowships with us and changes our hearts: “Whom the Lord loves He chastens.”

 

How powerful to consider the burdens we feel from this perspective. Oswald challenges us: “Are you identifying with Jesus in your burdens? If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure.”

 

Lord Jesus, what a phenomenal way to consider our hardships. Thank You for Your nearness as we take upon ourselves Your prescribed yoke. Thank You for altering the dynamic of our burdens, and transforming them into a time of fellowship and personal growth with You. May we be found faithful as we bear those burdens today.

 

 

2. “Where do Saints get their joy?”

 

Oftentimes we experience maturing saints, and from their affect and outward appearance, “we might think they have no burdens at all to bear.”

 

Oswald challenges us in that regard: “The fact they have the peace, light and joy of God is proof they bear a burden as well.” It's in this place they discover and demonstrate, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.”

 

Indeed, it's by enduring the burdens, stresses, strains and hardships, that we learn to fellowship with Jesus and receive His grace and mercy.

 

Perhaps we think there surely must be another way. Apparently there is not. We mustn't think God is cruel or unkind. We must trust our God knows human nature better than anyone else, and therefore knows how to help us receive His joy and peace.

 

And it comes through bearing our burdens with Jesus.

 

Father, we want to be saints who demonstrate You joy and peace. If it's only through our burdens we must learn to draw from You, then so be it. Thank You we’re not alone as we do. Thank You you're nearer than ever in those moments.

 

 

3. “The burden God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces wine.”

 

Indeed, no one on the outside knows the burdens we carry on the inside. What they experience is our words, deeds and affect as we bear our burdens.

 

Do they the wine of God, or do they only hear us whining? “If your life is producing only a whine instead of God’s wine, then ruthlessly kick it out.” None of us like a whiner. Lord have mercy if that whiner is us.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for purposely letting everyone know how burdened we are. Please forgive us for looking for their sympathy as we lick our wounds. And please forgive us for blaming You in our struggles. By Your grace, may we survive the squeeze and produce only the beautiful wine of Christ in us.

 

 

4. “No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit.”

 

This is a glorious statement. It declares the strength and power on tap as we draw from the Holy Spirit living in us.

 

The Spirit of God within us “creates an inner invincibility.” That's why we can confidently make this statement: “We are more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us” (Romans 8:31).

 

It's because it’s not us, but Christ in us that empowers, sustains and keeps us moment-by-moment, and day-by-day. And it’s through our daily circumstances and the press of our life that God helps us learn and lean into the strength of His Spirit in us.

 

“It's definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God's strength.” What a convicting statement. How can I be weak, mopey and complaining if the Spirit that made the worlds lives in me?

 

Holy God, please forgive me for acting at times as if You've forsaken me. Please forgive me for entertaining thoughts that You aren’t just and fair. Thank You for Your strong Spirit living within me through faith in Christ. May the strength of your Spirit grip me and gird me up for victorious living today and every day.

***********

4.13.24

 

1. “We must recognize the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong.”

 

This is helpful, because not all burdens are the same.

 

Rightly, there are burdens God places on our soul—like our care and concern for a neighbor or a loved one. We see their struggle and long for them to find freedom in Christ. God has burdened us for their sake, and we become intercessors and witnesses of the goodness of God.

 

Wrongly, we can carry burdens of sin, shame, doubt, fear, unforgiveness and more. These are unbearably heavy and crush our soul and spirit. Some of us have carried these burdens so long they’ve become part of us, and we’re no longer aware of the continual weariness they cause.

 

The cross of Jesus Christ is the dumping ground for inappropriate burdens. We unload them at the foot of the cross that they might become soaked in the blood of Jesus. By the grace and strength of His Holy Spirit, our God can bear them away once and for all.

 

This is what happens when we finally release a long-standing secret sin to Jesus, and discover His strength to become free. Or when Jesus helps us recognize, dislodge and grant forgiveness for a long held grudge. Or when Jesus is able to finally convince us our sin has been forgiven and cast into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19).

 

Thank God for a burden-bearing God. May we permit Him to bear away our caustic burdens today.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for rescuing us from burdens we cannot bear. By Your strong Spirit, please reveal such burdens to us today, and give us grace to cast them upon You. Thank You for the completeness of Your forgiveness, healing and heart change.

 

 

2. “There are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not tend to lift.”

 

Has God burdened us with care and concern for another soul? Or perhaps for another nation or people group? Or perhaps with a present social dilemma?

 

Such a burden can become all-consuming. Every minute and every circumstance can be a reminder. It's all we can think about when we see the suffering, read a headline and kneel to pray.

 

Unlike unhealthy burdens, like fear, doubt and unforgiveness, God will not bear away burdens He has placed upon us. He placed it on there so we might be a co-laborer with Christ.

 

Key to bearing this burden is to include God in the process. God burdens our soul we might participate in His work. If we attempt to bear the burden alone, solve the problem ourselvces, tend to the need in our own strength, etc., we will find ourselves over-burdened and consumed.

 

Therefore, we “cast our burden upon the Lord,” as a means of participating with God in addressing the need. We co-labor with Jesus in intercession, with sacrifice, by the work of our hands and heart, etc.

 

But we recognize that, ultimately, the burden is beyond our capabilities. We must permit God do the heavy lifting as we attend to the burden alongside Him.

 

Such is the life of a Christ-follower yoked with Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for burdening our soul in this way. May we faithfully attend to You, doing what we know to do, while trusting you to do what only You can do. Please help us faithfully and correctly bear the burden You’ve placed on our shoulders. It's an honor to share in Your burden.

 

 

3. “If we get out of touch with God, the sense of responsibility we feel will be overwhelming and defeating.”

 

It's amazing to read of saints who’ve served God's people in deplorable conditions, yet were able to maintain their vitality in Christ.

 

For instance, Mother Teresa served among the poor in Calcutta. She watched the suffering, witnessed the human atrocities, yet faithfully fulfilled God's calling upon her life.

 

Only in her constant pursuit of and connection with Jesus was she able to bear up. Christ bore her up as she bore the burdens of the people God loves.

 

Surely she had to learn she could not do it herself. Failure after failure, frustration after frustration, and with every tear she cried, she learned to lean into Jesus with the burden He had placed on her soul.

 

What burden has Christ laid on us? Are we permitting Him to bear the burden alongside us? Otherwise, “the sense of responsibility will be overwhelming and defeating.”

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive us when we become so concerned about doing that we get out of touch with You. The endless needs and the agonizing heartbreak is more than we can possibly bear alone. Therefore, today, right now, in this moment, we draw close to You, that You might help us carry our cross. Thank You.

 

 

4. “You will see that your burden is lightened by the sense of companionship with Jesus.”

 

It is so helpful to have a friend come alongside, recognize our burden, and tend to our soul by listening and praying.

 

How much more does Jesus’ companionship do the same? He’s “closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Simply the presence of Jesus lightens the load.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your nearness when we call. Just knowing You're there, knowing You know, makes all the difference. We draw near to You today with the burden on our soul simply to gain Your ear and sense Your companionship. Please help us faithfully bear our burdens as we walk with You.

 

***********

4.12.24

 

1. “Eternal life is not a gift FROM God; Eternal life is the gift OF God Himself.”

 

I love this language. Eternal life is “Christ in me, the Hope of Glory” (Colossians 1:27). God doesn’t simply bestow His life upon me, but enters me and lives His Life in me.

 

“The life I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God in me” (Galatians 2:20).

 

What could be a greater gift from God than God Himself? And what could be a greater Life-Energy than the Spirit of Life living in us?

 

Thank God “for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 6:23).

 

Father, Thank You for Your very Personal Gift of dwelling in us in Christ. Thank You for the eternal quality of life You live through us. In praise and gratitude, we welcome You, and we wholeheartedly give ourselves to You in return.

 

 

2. “Eternal life is the life which Jesus Christ exhibited on earth, and it's the same life which is made evident in us when we are born again.”

 

Thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ, and His atoning death and Resurrection. We believe we’re forgiven and adopted as children of God as we trust in Christ’s work on our behalf.

 

But thank God also for Christ’s demonstration of what life on earth can look like when we are fully given to God and His Holy Spirit living in us!

 

Just to think, the life exhibited by the Son of God on earth can be ours today in Christ! Hallelujah!

 

Heavenly Father, may it be so! Holy Spirit, we give You full access to our lives that we might live like Jesus lived. Thank You that the greatest and most profound ever lived can be ours in Christ. Father, we want nothing less. Have Your way in us today. Make Your abode in us. Live through us. Thank You for eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

 

3.  “God's power is not a gift from the Holy Spirit; God's power is the Holy Spirit in us.”

 

This is rubber-meets-the-road stuff. We believe God created all that is by the power of His Holy Spirit. And we believe God raised Jesus from the dead by the power of His Holy Spirit.

 

And, just to think, the Holy Spirit and His power dwells in us!

 

What might our lives look like if the Holy Spirit were to truly have His way in us, just as He did in Jesus? “The energy and power which was evident in Jesus is also in us by an act of God's sovereign grace.”

 

May it be so, O Lord!

 

Heavenly Father, it's one thing to talk about this stuff. It's another for it to manifest itself in us. Thank You for the Gift of Your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, thank You that the power that made the worlds dwells in us by faith in Christ. Holy Spirit, have Your way in our lives today. Please help us offer You full reign. Please do in and through us what You've always imagined.

 

 

4. “If it's difficult to get right with God, it's because we refuse to make a moral decision about our sin.”

 

There's a great “if” in all of this talk of the Holy Spirit. “IF we've made the complete and effective decision about sin.” “IF we make the decision to be identified with Christ.” Etc.

 

God’s holiness, power, victory and eternal life is a work of God's Spirit in us. But the “IF” is our part of the bargain. I must reckon with the reality of my sinful nature, and fully embrace the cross of Jesus Christ as God's provision for my forgiveness and adoption as a child of God.

 

If there's anything between me and God, it's on me, not on God. As soon as I own my sin, confess my powerlessness over it, lay my sinful self-nature before the cross of Jesus Christ, and receive absolute and complete cleansing by the blood of Jesus, there will always be distance between me and God.

 

But, in an instant, and as an act of my will, I can be done “permitting sin to reign in my mortal body” (Romans 6:12). I can dethrone my sinful nature and enthrone the Son of God in my heart.

 

And this we will do by the grace of God.

 

Heavenly Father, we're sick of compromise. We so quickly make excuses for our sin, and we’re so sure we can deal with it in our own strength. Here and now we reckon with our sinful nature. We place it upon Christ on His cross, and fully embrace His resurrected life in us. By Your grace, please clear any obstructions between You and us. We decide today for You rather than for our sin, and we receive “Your endless supply of life” in Christ our Lord. Thank You, amen.

 

 

5. “Even the weakest saint can experience the power of God when we’re willing to ‘let go.’”

 

I remember my first experience of rappelling down a cliff face, hanging by a rope. In order to rappel well, one must lean back into the harness and back down the cliff in a horizontal position. It requires defeating our instinct to be upright and cling to the rope.

 

This has always served as an analogy for me in my God-walk. I must be willing to “let go” of the rope, trust Jesus, and permit Him to have me completely.

 

It certainly requires counterintuitive effort to do so. But it certainly yields great joy and peace.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience as I learn to let go and let You. Thank You that, as I do, “the great, full life of God invades and penetrates every part” of me. Thank You for Your grace as I learn to offer You “complete dominion” over me. Have Your way today, O Lord.

 

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4.11.24

 

1. “Co resurrection.”

 

I love this language.

 

“If we have been united with Christ in His death, we are also united with Him in His Resurrection.”

 

It's apparent we've been reading through the section of My Utmost for His Highest intended to be reflections on the Lenten Season, the suffering, death and Resurrection of Christ.

 

The Scriptures declare again and again that we join Jesus in His death by dying to ourselves, and join Jesus in His Resurrection by being born again to new life.

 

One might view this language as metaphorical. Oswald is helping us see that it's much more than that. In Christ, and in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, we truly do “put to death” our old nature and “come alive” to our new nature by faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

 

This is the heart and soul of Christian conversion. It's not simply a change of mind, habits and worldview, but a transaction with God that results in a brand new creation. It’s literal, not figurative.

 

And the gist of the God-walk is recognizing the new and walking in it, as we deny and deprive the old.

 

Lord Jesus, may it be so in us. Instead of striving to be godly, may spiritual death and resurrection truly be an occurrence and practice in our life. Thank You for the power of the cross and the empty grave. Hallelujah!

 

 

2. “The proof that I have experienced crucifixion with Jesus is that I have a definite likeness to Him.”

 

Indeed. May it be said of us, “You're not who you used to be!”

 

But it's not us knuckling down, defeating bad habits, and becoming more optimistic, kind, generous, etc. It's truly the Resurrected life of Christ happening in us.

 

The Fruit of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23) isn’t human in origin or effort. It's the effervescence of the Holy Spirit making us new creations in Christ.

 

We’re not simply imitating Christ. We’re learning to permit Christ to live through us and overwhelmed our old nature. And, in time, it becomes as natural to us as the old nature used to be.

 

Lord Jesus, we desire this more than ever. More of You, less of us. “He must increase, we must decrease” (John 3:30). May it be so in us today.

 

 

3. “The experiences of my life must now be built on the foundation of His life.”

 

If Christ lives in me, I must learn to bear in mind, whatever happens to me, happens to Him.

 

That means, as I face hardships, struggles, temptations, sorrow, grief and more, Christ is experiencing these things with me. I'm not alone. His mercy and grace comfort me, strengthen me, and help me endure.

 

In like manner, as I celebrate goodness, blessings, peace and joy, I'm experiencing these things along with Jesus. Jesus shares in my enjoyment, and I get to laugh with Him, and thank and praise Him along the way.

 

On the other hand, I can also drag Jesus through the muck when I permit bad attitudes, prejudices, unforgiveness, anger, outbursts, sin and disobedience manifest in my life. How dreadful it is when we sully Jesus’ reputation.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You that we get to live our life founded in Your life. Thank You for a new Cornerstone, the Rock beneath our feet, and Your constant fellowship moment-by-moment. Thank You for the overwhelming satisfaction of experiencing and sharing with You in the day-to-day. Including right here and right now. Hallelujah!

 

 

4. “It takes the Omnipotence of God to live the life of the Son of God in the flesh.”

 

Was this not true of Jesus of Nazareth? His inward and outward life was that of the Incarnation, the fullness of God in human flesh.

 

So it is for me. I cannot live into the standards of God in my own strength. It requires “the omnipotence of God” if I am to put to death the old and live the new.

 

As long as I think I can do it by myself, I won’t lean into the life of Christ in me. Instead, in confessing my weakness and inability, I permit the Resurrected Christ lived through me.

 

Father, in Your Omnipotence, and by Your Spirit, may the life of Jesus Christ manifest itself in us today. We can’t do it on our own. Therefore, we gladly give way to “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

 

 

5. “The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a Guest in merely one room of the house; He invades all of it.”

 

Denise's Uncle Jim used to say, “We don't invite Jesus in and sit Him on the couch. We permit Him to rearrange the furniture.”

 

Perhaps it's intimidating to allow the Holy Spirit to invade our soul, to have His way, to call the shots and “conform us to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29).

 

What a shame it is when we inhibit the Holy Spirit’s work in our life, when we put limits on Him, when we deny Him access to hidden corridors. When we do so, we’ll never know what we could have been otherwise.

 

Holy Spirit, come in and have Your way. “Take charge of everything.” By Your grace, may we “walk in the Light and obey all You reveal to us.” May we “find the life of Jesus in us all the time.” Thank you we now “belong to a new spiritual order.” May it be so today.

 

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4.10.24

 

1. “Have you decided that sin must be completely killed in you?”

 

This is a moral matter. I must “agree with God’s verdict on the nature of sin in me.” God is not passive on this point. Sin entered God’s perfect creation and has been destructive in human souls and on planet earth ever since.

 

God's verdict is, sin is serious. It’s evil and cannot be toyed with. I must address it head-on.

 

That's why this is also a violent matter. “Sin must be completely killed in me.” I cannot treat sin politely. I cannot allow it one inch or it will take a mile. I can’t toy with sin or nibble at it. If I do, it will take the whole kit-and-caboodle.

 

The only way to deal with sin is to crucify it. That's precisely what Jesus did with the sin of the world. I must reckon with sin and bring it to a bloody death. After all, that's what it's trying to do to me.

 

Heavenly Father, please help me come to this point. Help me love You more than I love my sin, and please help me hate my sin as much as You do. By Your grace, may sin be crucified in me, that the Resurrected Life of Christ might live through me.

 

 

2. “It's the greatest moment in your life once you decide that sin must die in you.”

 

We give ourselves much way too much credit. We're sure we can navigate and manage sin on our own. We convince ourselves we can “restrain, suppress or counteract sin.” Instead, sin must be crucified. That's precisely the approach God took when He sent His Son to die for the sin of the world.

 

“Pull yourself up, take some time alone with God, and make this important decision.” I can point to these moments in my life, when I confronted the thing in the presence of God, committed it to death and committed myself to God's way. These were defining moments. And they’ve lasted to this day. Hallelujah!

 

Lord Jesus, by Your grace, help me keep my sin on the cross, dead and defeated. Thank You that through this process sin no longer has a hold on me. Please help me sustain my sin’s death through proximity with You. I'm loving my freedom more and more. Bless You, O Lord!

 

 

3. “Dying to sin was not some divine future expectation on the part of Paul.”

 

We’re the best at justifying and rationalizing as we fall to temptation and sin. We’re liable to conclude that it’s only one day by-and-by that we’ll no longer need to deal with these matters.

 

Instead, that day can be today.

 

It won't come by positive thinking and revving up our willpower. I must “reckon myself dead to sin.” It's a deliberate personal struggle and a bloody death.

 

“You must radically deal with the issue of your will before God.” My will says I can handle this. My will says one day in heaven I will be free of this. Instead, we must wrestle our will to the ground, agree with God, and will for our sin to be crucified with Christ.

 

Only then can we enter into “the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

 

Lord Jesus, we certainly long for the day when there will be no more sorrow or pain. But thank You that today can be the day of salvation and freedom from “the sin that so easily beset our souls” (Hebrews 12:1). We long for the freedom from sin afforded by Christ’s cross. May it be ours today. Thank You for so great a victory.

 

 

4. “Are you prepared to let the Spirit of God search you regarding your sin?”

 

Let's not become our own worst enemy.  We can do so by nitpicking ourselves to death deciding what sin and righteousness look like.

 

For instance, the Pharisees “tithed mint and dill” (Matthew 23:23) in their attempt to achieve self-righteousness. That is, they decided that plucking and tithing to God one mint and dill leaf per ten new leaves was a way of gaining right-standing with God.

 

That's why Christians in previous generations forbid movies, dancing, card games and more. They were deciding for themselves what sin and righteousness were, and heaped upon themselves rules and regulations to that end.

 

Instead, we must permit the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal our sin. And when He does, He also provides the supernatural ability to crucify and find victory over that sin.

 

Which means, if God isn’t convicting, we can live in glorious freedom and assurance of right-standing with God. And, when God convicts, we eagerly heed, repent, receive forgiveness, and crucify that sin in our lives.

 

Holy Spirit, please search our hearts. We want to be right with You. Please reveal our sin that we might confront it and render it crucified, in Jesus’ Name. Thank You for the great freedom of looking to You for our convictions.

 

5. Is this even possible?

 

“Have you entered into the glorious privilege of being crucified with Christ, until all that remains in your flesh and blood is his life?”

 

Wouldn't be glorious to be free from our hurts, habits, hang ups, attitudes, prejudices, liabilities, lusts, unforgiveness, self-centeredness and more? Surely that will be our experience in the Kingdom of God.

 

But Jesus says, “the Kingdom of God is among us.” That is, by His death and Resurrection, and by the indwelling Holy Spirit, I can know “the glorious privilege” of being crucified and dead to my old nature, and enjoy the vital, vibrant, vigorous and victorious life of Christ within.

 

Hallelujah!

 

Lord Jesus, we infinitely desire Your Life over our own. We have “tasted and seen the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Your Life eclipses anything else this world has to offer. We long for it more and more. Today, right now, and to that end, we give ourselves to You for crucifixion and resurrection. Come, Lord Jesus!

 

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4.9.24

 

1. “Once you’ve seen Him, you can never be the same.”

 

A truer statement has never been spoken.

 

A nanosecond’s glimpse of the face of Jesus is an absolute game-changer. It's so undeniable, so profound, so glorious, it becomes all-consuming.

 

“Other things will not have the appeal they did before.” What a huge understatement, because nothing else in this world compares to Jesus.

 

It doesn't mean we can't be distracted. But in those quiet moments with Jesus, everything else loses its luster.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the way You open our eyes as You reveal Yourself to us. I can’t describe what I've seen, but my heart can’t forget. I'm different for having seen You. Thank You, thank You, thank You.

 

 

2. “We cannot order or predict when He will come.”

 

“Seeing Jesus” is always so surprising. And so titillating.

 

It's not necessarily when I'm seeking Him out, when I'm buried in the Scriptures, I've been fasting for days, etc. He simply appears and vanishes instantaneously, without warning or fanfare.

 

Nor can we sustain God-sightings. We can only revel in the moment, thanking Him, praising Him and enjoyingHim.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for those moments when You reveal Yourself. They are so precious and life-giving. We can't wait for the day when our faith becomes sight. Hallelujah!

 

 

3. “No one can see Jesus with their eyes.”

 

I’ve certainly never seen Jesus with my physical eyes. I would imagine it would be like attempting to view a solar eclipse with the naked eye. It's simply beyond our capability.

 

But somehow Jesus appears. He rises in our heart, mind, soul and spirit. Something on the inside recognizes His quickening. It's unmistakable, yet indescribable.

 

It makes me become more and more aware that there is far more to a human being than what we see and touch. We've been created in the image of God, to respond to God in our inward parts.

 

And, in time, that must become our greater reality.

 

Lord Jesus, it makes complete sense to me when I read of sightings in the Scriptures when your disciples don't recognize You. Somehow you have to make that happen on the inside. Please make us more and more adept with our spiritual sensitivities.

 

 

4. “You cannot bring your friend to the point of seeing; God must do it.”

 

I have certainly experienced this.

 

It's absolutely unimaginable to me that others can’t see what I see—the Truth of the Scriptures, God's hand in the world around us, the nearness of God in our soul, and more.

 

How can something be so real to me be so inconceivable for others?

 

Indeed, “If you've seen Jesus, you will want others to see Him too.” This is the driving force in my life and the witness. I long for others to see what I've seen. And I figure, if I can see, surely they can as well.

 

“When you see Him, you must tell, even if they don't believe.” I certainly resonate with the “you must tell” part. It's the “even if they don't believe” part that drives me nuts.

 

It's beyond me how others can’t see and believe the God Who has become so real to me. Mercy.

 

Holy God, please open their eyes. Please reveal Yourself to them. Please astonish them with Your beauty, majesty and love. Please take their breath away as You have mine. Thank You for revealing Yourself to humankind. Please do so more and more.  Thank You.

***********

4.7.24

 

1. “You should say nothing until the Son of God is risen in you.”

 

Oswald is speaking particularly here.

 

He’s not suggesting we can't ask questions and have conversation about the things of God. There are certainly appropriate contexts to ask questions, share experiences, offer opinions, etc. How else would we learn?

 

It’s problematic, however, when we make public, declarative statements about the things of God that don’t square with Biblical that orthodox Christian faith. When we do, we lead others astray: “Woe to you if you cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble” (Matthew 18:6).

 

This is how many Americana Christian chinches, which have no Biblical basis, came into being. For instance, “Everything happens for a reason,” “God helps those who help themselves,” “God won't give you more than you can handle,” “I'm sorry you lost your loved one; God must’ve needed another angel in heaven” etc.

 

These fabrications give false hope and damage faith.

 

We are incapable of making such statements after “the Son of God is risen in us,” because we realize they are not in keeping with the character of the Christ we know and love. We certainly don’t have all the answers, but our personal awareness of the risen Christ compels us to speak of the Jesus we’ve come to know rather than conjecture based on theories and speculation.

 

May it be so more and more.

 

Lord Jesus, please arise in us. We want to speak of You on the basis of our personal relationship with You. Please help us know and speak “truth from our inward parts” (Psalm 51:6).

 

 

2. “Jesus said, ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot hear them now.’”

 

Oswald offers a very helpful perspective on this passage.

 

Jesus couldn’t speak some things to His disciples while He was on earth because their hearts we're not yet prepared to receive them. In time, as God battered and shaped their souls, the disciples would be able to receive and perceive greater revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

The same is true of us. God has so much to reveal to our hearts, but we cannot receive them without His ongoing, formative work in us. And, we must be willing to receive that work.

 

Are we eager for Christ to reveal Himself in greater ways? Or are we satisfied where we are?

 

May we “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6), and a grander vision of Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, please continue preparing our hearts that we might hear from You more and more. May we never be content to stay where we are.

 

 

3. “We must have a oneness with Jesus’ risen life before we are prepared to bear any particular truth from Him.”

 

This is the very personal nature of our relationship with Jesus. It is a “oneness” with Him.

 

Not only is Jesus alive from the dead, but He has risen from the pages of Scripture and the annals of human history, and has entered our hearts, personally, intimately and truly.

 

Then, in quiet moments with Him, He’s able to reveal Himself in greater ways. And, as we commune with Him personally, we’re able to receive because we’re receiving from our Friend.

 

The more He opens our eyes, the nearer we draw to Him. And the cycle continues perpetually.

 

Jesus, we want greater oneness with You, whatever it takes, no matter the cost. We want to know You and Your truth more and more.

 

 

4. “His Word is becoming understandable to us.”

 

This is not a matter of intellect, but a matter of personal relationship. We are experiencing the character and the Person of Jesus Christ, and as we do, His Word is continually fresh and new.

 

“Jesus opened the eyes of their understanding” (Luke 24:45). He could so for the disciples because they were in near proximity to them. How much more can Jesus open the eyes of our heart because He dwells in us?

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for living in us by Your Spirit. Please reveal Your Word more and more. May it continually be light and life as we search the Scriptures and listen.

 

 

5. “Our own unyielding and headstrong opinions will effectively prevent God from revealing anything new to us.”

 

We all have opinions about God. Let's learn to hold them loosely.

 

God's Truth is a completely different matter. As God reveals Himself to us in the Scriptures, His Truth lodges in our heart. It becomes the loadstar that aligns us with God’s heart, and positions us to listen, hear and receive directly from our God.

 

It's a beautiful thing to acquire from God in this way. “What He has revealed in the secret places, shout from the rooftops” (Matthew 10:27). When God reveals His heart to us, we take ownership of something very personal.

 

“Mary pondered all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:19). She was receiving new and fresh revelation of the God she had only known in part.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for “headstrong opinions” that prevent You from revealing Yourself to us more fully. Please help us make distinctions between our conjecture and the Truth you reveal to us. May we hold the former loosely and cling tightly to the latter. Bless You, Holy God.

***********

 

4.6.24

 

1. “The cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God's judgment on sin.”

 

For me, this is some of Oswald's finest writing.

 

As he describes the cross of Christ and what God has accomplished, my mind reels at the audacious and bodacious work of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

“Jesus made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into right standing relationship with God.” This is no small matter. It didn’t happen with the snap of God's fingers or the flick of His wrist.

 

It cost God His Own life in Christ.

 

The brutality of the cross is evidence of the eternally fatal nature of sin and the just and final judgment of God. The judgment I readily deserve fell upon Christ in His suffering and death.

 

My sin debt has been fully paid in Jesus. And that's the Truth.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for taking upon Yourself the judgment I deserve. Father, how You love us to visit Your judgement upon Your Son in our place. Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing all God has done for us. We stand in awe and gratitude.

 

 

2. “Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the cross of Christ.”

 

There are some who misinterpret Christ's suffering and death. They presume Jesus fell prey to political betrayal and execution.

 

Nothing could be farther from the truth: “No one takes My life from Me; I give My life of My Own free will” (John 10:18).

 

Jesus didn’t get caught up in a snafu. The cross was the reason He came in the first place.

 

Lord Jesus, how can it be that You would give Yourself for a wretch like me? Thank You for leaving Your throne, taking on flesh and giving Yourself in my place. Indeed, “Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friend” (John 15:13). With great gratitude I receive Your loving forgiveness. Thank You, Jesus.

 

 

3. “Christ's cross was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell.”

 

This is the stuff of heroes. Jesus accomplished what couldn’t be done in any other way or by anyone else.

 

In Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit defeated sin, death, hell and the grave, once for all, forevermore!

 

This was the single-handed act of God Most High. In His humble and quiet way, God turned heaven and earth upside down by the cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

Christ's victory is imputed to me as righteousness as I trust and receive His grace. By faith in Christ, I, too, will triumph over the mortal enemies of sin and death.

 

Hallelujah! What a mighty God we serve!

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for assailing death and hell on our behalf. You victoriously triumphed over the enemies of our soul. Thank You for Your undisputed victory and Your gift for all to receive. We give You all praise, honor and glory forevermore!

 

 

4. “The Incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the cross.”

 

We’re liable to think Jesus came simply to show us what God is like: His love, care, compassion, concern, healing power, provision and more.

 

We certainly gain perspective as we examine Jesus’ life and hear His teaching. Thank God for His tremendous demonstration of goodness towards us.

 

But ultimately, the Incarnation of Christ was destined for the cross. Apparently, there was no other way. If God was to atone for the world, it would require God becoming flesh and dying in our place.

 

We remember the Incarnation of Christ happening in a singular moment in history as the Christ Child was born. Let's also remember the destiny for which He was born.

 

Father, thank You for sending Your Son. Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your life. Holy Spirit, thank You for raising Jesus from the dead. Thank You, our God, for opening our eyes to Your marvelous ways as You took on flesh, dwelt among us, and gave Yourself for us. We stand flabbergasted.

 

 

5. “The cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.”

 

There is no way to overstate the centrality and paramount importance of the cross of Jesus Christ.

 

Indeed, the cross has changed the course of human history. By the cross and through the subsequent giving of the Holy Spirit, God dwells in those who trust and receive Christ. This has been God's intentions since creation, the creator living within the creation. And through Christ followers, the world has become significantly better.

 

And, the cross has changed eternity for humankind. By faith in Christ, we are adopted as children of God, and have the insurance assurance of everlasting life in the presence of our God. We will enjoy perfect union with our God forever endeavor.

 

Indeed, the cross changed everything.

 

Lord Jesus, we are living testimonies of the supreme power of your cross to alter the destiny of humankind throughout all time and eternity. We rejoice in your great gift. You are the answer to all our concerns. Thank you for such great grace. Hallelujah!

 

6. “The reason salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much.”

 

What a powerful statement!

 

The Christian faith certainly seems too easy: We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, only in the death and Resurrection of Christ. Period.

 

That’s crazy talk.

 

God can make it this simple because “all the cost and pain of the collision between God and sinful humankind was absorbed by the heart of God.”

 

This is the meaning, message and work of Christ's cross on our behalf. Hallelujah!

 

Heavenly Father, we believe with all our heart. Thank You for all You've done in Christ. It certainly seems too good to be true, but we will believe and receive just as You ask. We trust Your Word and your way as we trust in Christ’s death and resurrection. Thank You for the glorious gift of salvation.

 

***********

 

4.5.24

 

1. “We can't comprehend Christ's agony, but we don't have to misunderstand it.”

 

This is why we “brood in the cross” every Lenten Season. Thank God for our remembrance.

 

We’ll forever glory in Christ’s agony, suffering and atoning work on the cross. Throughout time and eternity, we’ll only come to greater realizations of all Christ does for us.

 

May we also come to greater appreciation, fondness, captivation, awe and wonder. It’s unimaginable what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.  Praise Him forevermore!

 

Thank You, Lord Jesus. You only become more and more marvelous, and our love for You only grows and grows. We bless You, our Lord and Savior!

 

 

2. “In the agony of the cross, Jesus came face-to-face with sin.”

 

We undervalue the cross when we downplay the ravages of sin. Sin is no small thing. Nothing in heaven or on earth can render the eternal destruction caused by sin in our life.

 

But, we have a Savior Who’s greater than our sin. He defeated sin, death, hell and the grave, once for all, on our behalf. Hallelujah!

 

May we only grow in our realization and gratitude of what Christ has done for us, and demonstrate it every day as we say yes to Jesus and no to temptation and sin.

 

And all by Your grace, Lord Jesus.

 

Our Savior, thank You for paying the unimaginable debt of our sin with Your cross. We joyfully receive Your atonement and forgiveness. May we never, ever take it for granted.

 

 

3. “Jesus’ concern was that He might not get through the struggle.”

 

I can imagine this statement raising eyebrows. How could Jesus have doubts, fears and concerns?

 

We must remember that Jesus “laid aside His deity” to become Incarnate (Philippians 2:7). He didn’t cease being God, but “took upon Himself the nature of a servant, and became obedient to death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

 

It's breathtaking to consider the risk God took upon Himself. Jesus had to become capable of sin in order to atone for our sin. Had He fallen prey to temptation, it would have fractured the Godhead permanently.

 

Such is the nature of God's incredible love for us.

 

Lord Jesus, it's beyond our intellect and emotions us to comprehend what it cost You to pay the debt of our sin. We bless You forevermore for Your act of Self-giving love. Thank You for Your supreme sacrifice, Your triumphant success and our eternal freedom. Just as You offered Your all for us, by Your grace we offer our all for you. You are worthy, our God and Savior. Hallelujah!

 

4. “The veil is pulled back to reveal all it cost Jesus to make it possible for us to become the children of God.”

 

By Christ’s death and Resurrection, the “veil” separating us from our Holy God has been “torn asunder” (Luke 23:45). “Nothing separates us” from our God as we trust Jesus (Romans 8:31).

 

And, as we gaze through the torn veil, we recognize the enormity of what Christ has done for us. We would have no access whatsoever without him.

 

And the more we peer upon the face of the revealed one, the more amazed we become. Look what our God has done for us!

 

More Jesus, thank you for full access to the father by your cross. Other, “we boldly approach your throne of grace” through Christ our Lord (Hebrews 4:16). Your grace is ever more amazing day-by-day. Hallelujah!

 

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4.4.24

 

1. “The way to permanent faith.”

 

Oswald is helping us visualize God's process of making our faith steadfast and immovable.

 

Oswald describes the Twelve Disciples’ faith as “real, but disordered and unfocused.” They truly believed, but they were still learning how to enact faith “in the important realities of life.”

 

This is certainly the case with us. If we've walked with Jesus for any time at all, we know the emotions of faith can wane.

 

And a faith founded on emotion will never stand in the press of life.

 

“Our faith must be exercised.” We must stub our toes, bump our head and skin our knees, as our faith is battered into becoming an essential part of our daily life.

 

You and I are going through this process in this very moment. Beloved, let's to be faithful to Jesus, not on the basis of emotions only, but on the basis of willful determination.

 

Let’s trust Jesus as He forges our faith.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for real faith; please do what You must to make it permanent faith. Please help us endure the daily process before us.

 

 

2. “We will be scattered into the barrenness and emptiness of our lives to know what God's blessings truly mean.”

 

We can become so accustomed to God's blessings we don't realize them.

 

There will be times when we come face-to-face with the meaninglessness of life outside of a relationship with God. In those moments we recognize how sweet His blessings are.

 

God permits these dark moments to remind us just how real our God-walk is. We find life intolerable without the meaning and purpose only God can give.

 

Just think, in those experiences, we're getting a taste of what some people live day-by-day. May it cause our hearts to well up with compassion for them to know Jesus, and may we help them do so.

 

Father, it seems inconceivable that we could take Your blessings for granted. But, without a doubt, we surely do. Thank You for the wake-up calls, when we get a glimpse of the bleakness of life outside of Christ. It only makes us more determined to walk with You.

 

 

3. “Once our faith is made permanent, no matter where God may place us, we can praise Him that all is well.”

 

I do long for a steady-state faith, regardless of circumstances.

 

I know how agitated I can become at the smallest things. I'm embarrassed to think about it.

 

I’ve watched many saints in my life endure tremendous hardships. I'm so impressed with their faithfulness during their suffering.

 

I want to be like them.

 

Lord Jesus, I want permanent faith, impervious to the stuff of life, incapable of doubting You, blaming You, becoming impatient with You, etc. I want a faith that endures until I see You face-to-face. Please.

 

 

4. “God is never in a hurry. He’ll point out when we’ve been interested only in God's blessings instead of God Himself.”

 

This is a humiliating experience. God’s interested in me, not simply what I can do for Him. I wish I could say the same of my interest in God.

 

Lord, please make it clear when You’re secondary to Your blessings. Refine my faith until You alone are my heart’s desire.

 

 

5. “Unyielding spiritual fortitude is what we need.”

 

I love this language, and I find it very helpful to connect it to Jesus statement: “I have overcome the world.”

 

“Unyielding spiritual fortitude” connotes an enduring and rigorous faith, capable of standing in the face of all that assails. It's a recognition of God's nearness and infinite grace and mercy on my behalf.

 

It's a faith that never whines or licks it's wounds. It’s a confidence in God that knows no bounds. It’s a boldness to believe and declare God will never fail.

 

This is where God is taking us in the process of making our “real” faith into “permanent” faith.

 

Father, help us remain on Your anvil as You forge unyielding spiritual fortitude in us. May we go the distance, without shortcuts or hesitation. All by Your grace.

***********

4.3.24

 

1. “Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly but was met by a strange God—the religious pride of the Pharisees.”

 

“Religious pride” is an insidious enemy of our God-walk. It may seem upright, “but inside it's full of dead men's bones.”

 

This describes “a form of godliness that denies God’s power” (2 Timothy 3:5). That is, a sense of righteousness that stems from within instead of coming from faith in Christ.

 

The religious pride of the Pharisees convinced them they did not need a spiritual Savior. They were eager for deliverance from the Romans, but felt fully justified in their own righteousness.

 

Is there any bone in me that believes I'm righteous before God on the basis of my merits? If so, I inhibit Jesus from triumphally entering my heart as Ruler and King.

 

Because religious pride can occupy the throne in my soul instead of Jesus.  God, have mercy.

 

Lord Jesus, I renounce all religious pride in me right now. There is no righteousness in me except Yours (Philippians 3:9). Please enter my heart and soul in greater ways and have Your way. It's my joy to welcome and receive You.

 

 

2. “Is there an unholy nature that controls your life?”

 

We tend to think of “unholy” as mortal sin and depravity. Instead, “unholy” describes the absence of God and His Holiness.

 

Such is my old and natural nature. It’s devoid of the Lordship of Jesus. It’s not interested in the things of God or His glory. It demands doing things its own way without regard to God's will and way.

 

Therefore, our God-walk necessarily involves trusting Christ and becoming “born again” (John 3:3). When we’re born again by faith in Christ, we received a new nature. (2 Corinthians 5:17). And in walking with Jesus, we determine daily to permit our new nature usurp the old.

 

“I still find myself under the control of that strange god.” If our old nature is permitted to reign, “I am blind to the things that make for my peace.” I cannot know the fullness of God’s love, joy and peace until the old nature is vanquished by the new.

 

Lord Jesus, I confess there are times when my old nature gets the best of me. Thank You for the grace to be forgiven and to reinstitute my new nature in place of the old. Please reign in my heart as Sovereign Lord over the new me. Thank You.

 

 

3. “We are responsible for our own faults. God holds us accountable for what we refuse to see.”

 

Today's Scripture implies the things of God can be “hidden from our eyes.” But God isn’t hiding these things. They’re hidden because “we’ve never completely yielded our nature to God.”

 

It takes great humility to surrender our heart, mind, body, soul, spirit and will to Jesus. It's a confession of our inadequacies and a willingness to permit Christ rule and reign in us.

 

When we finally recognize we’ve been holding God at arm’s length, there’s great grief and “deep, unending sadness for what might have been.” Certainly, God is a Redeemer, but God doesn’t rewrite history. We must live with the consequences of having chosen our will over God's.

 

Thankfully, God holds tomorrow in His capable hands. And we, by declaring Jesus Christ as Lord, can choose to step into God's future for us beginning right now.

 

Lord Jesus, we yield our lives to You. Please forgive us when we’ve refused. We take full responsibility for our compromises. Please have Your way in us today.

 

 

4. “Your memory is a minister of God bringing rebuke and sorrow to you.”

 

We speak of God “casting our sin into the sea of forgetfulness” (Micah 7:19). We truly believe the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and God never revisits the matter.

 

But, we’ll never forget. Yet, although those memories may haunt and grieve us, they can also be our friends. They remind us of what compromises lead to.

 

It's God's grace that permits us to remember. It’s also God's grace that “turns what might have been into a wonderful lesson of growth for the future.”

 

Our memories are not God's punishment, but God's encouragement to choose differently today.

 

Father, we can remember all our foibles as if they were yesterday. Thank You for taking the sting out of our past and granting us a new future in Christ. May our yesterdays remind us to never go back.

 

***********

4.2.24

 

1. “Paul received spiritual insight into the Person of Jesus Christ.”

 

Thankfully, this is not unique to Paul. If we come to know Jesus Christ, it's because God has given us spiritual insight.

 

Ours is a “revealed faith.” It’s not a matter of study and cognition only. God opens our eyes to a spiritual realm and truth beyond our natural reach and comprehension.

 

“The natural man cannot comprehend the things of the God; they must spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

 

Matters of faith are not merely intellectually perceived. Rather, we must become more and more familiar with the spiritual dimension of our being. We’re “made in the image of God,” with a spiritual mechanism designed to comprehend our spiritual God: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

 

It's not a dismissal of our mental faculties. One only needs to look at the intellectual rigor and literary craftsmanship of Paul and other writers in the New Testament.

 

But they learned to unleash their spirit as well. And so can we.

 

Holy Spirit, please continue revealing Jesus to us. Please help us exercise our spirit in concert with Your Spirit. Thank You for our mind and our spirit. May we employ both as we seek You.

 

 

2. “Learn to maintain a strong degree of the character that has been revealed to us in our vision of Jesus Christ.”

 

As we come to know Jesus, His glorious character becomes more and more prominent. And, as His followers, we desire our character to become more and more like His.

 

The Scriptures certainly describes what godly character looks like. But God went a step further and sent His Son to demonstrate that character as well.

 

May Jesus’ manner and demeanor make us thirsty for the same in us.

 

Lord Jesus, we want to be more like You. May Your strong Spirit continue to shape, fashion and conform us to Your image. We present our growing character to You as our love offering and living sacrifice.

 

 

3. “We must nurture the ability to understand the meaning of Jesus Christ, and the ability to explain the purposes of God to others.”

 

This is a powerful exhortation.

 

Have we pressed into Jesus to understand more and more fully Who He is and what He accomplished with His cross and Resurrection? And have we given ourselves to the task of being able to describe and explain for others the mysteries of God’s Kingdom?

 

It doesn’t require formal education. It requires a givenness to the things of God, and a givenness to God’s Kingdom purposes for our lives.

 

When we do so, we’re taking seriously our “citizenship in God’s Kingdom” (Philippians 3:20), and our role as “Christ’s ambassadors, through whom God makes His appeal” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

 

Jesus, please open our eyes more and more to Your truth, way and Person. We want to know You more and more, and the ability to more clearly articulate You to others. Please give us a greater givenness to this lifelong pursuit.

 

 

4. “To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you.”

 

Let's contextualize this observation.

 

God doesn’t intend for us to be contemplative only, with zero interest or concern with everyday affairs and future matters.

 

Instead, God calls us to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). We are stewards of this earth, to discover, learn, develop and prosper.

 

Another way of considering Oswald's observation is to visualize our pursuits in the context of God's Kingdom. Be a business entrepreneur, with a vision of how your business can serve God's Kingdom. Be a research scientist, with a vision of how your research can benefit humanity for God's sake.

 

We are “unspiritual” when we have no interest or the inability to perceive our lives in the greater context of God's Kingdom. We’re growing in spirit as we recognize God's calling upon our lives, the gifts and passions He has given us, and put them to use for His purposes.

 

Father, may we see our lives and our world from Your perspective more and more. May that vision result in a greater eagerness to serve You and bring You glory.

***********

 

4.1.24

 

1. “Christ makes intercession for us.”

 

What on earth does this mean?

 

Scripture teaches, “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). Which assures us, even now, Jesus is appealing to the Father on our behalf.

 

How amazing is it to have such representation in Heaven? In Christ, we need not fear God, because Jesus stands before Him for on our behalf.

 

And when God sees us, He sees us through the righteousness of Christ.

 

Not only so, but Jesus is presenting our needs before God. He knows our needs better than we do, and petitions God in our place.

 

And surely the Father never refuses His Son. Hallelujah!

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for interceding for us before the Father. Thank You for being our High Priest, going before us into the very presence of God. Thank You we can join You there—received, forgiven, adopted and whole. Thank You for Your continuing, personal, self-ministry for us.

 

 

2. “Do we do the work of intercession as a result of being the children of God?”

 

Intercession seems to be the way of the Godhead. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding before the Father for us (Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:27), demonstrating for the saints a life of interceding for one another.

 

Surely intercession becomes our natural response as we grow to believe “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

 

Why would we hesitate?

 

Intercession is in our bloodline. It's the ministry of our Savior and God's Spirit. And God anticipates His children to carry on in that ministry.

 

Just imagine an existence wherein we, along with everyone we know, are joining the Son and Spirit in interceding for everyone else we know. What a tremendously powerful web of prayerful care shielding us from the slings and arrows of the wicked one.

 

Once again, God's ways are amazing. Praise!

 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit. Please help us to grow into Your ministry of intercession. May we discover Your heart for others, and find ourselves in the center of the action as we intercede.

 

 

3. “Do crises seem to be crushing in on us?”

 

Undoubtedly, the 24/7 news cycle can weigh us down. Let alone all the drama happening in our extended families and friendships.

 

No wonder we live in a world of unprecedented mental health issues.

 

“Put a stop to such distractions through the work of intercession.” This is a powerful freedom. As we connect with God in a relationship of intercession, we can sustain our relationships with our world and others by prayerfully and engaging with God regarding these matters.

 

“Intercession is where God works His miracles.” And the first miracle is, we’re able to transfer these crushing burdens from our shoulders to God’s as we intercede.

 

We’re not heartless to do so. We’ll do what we can do, but we’re determined to trust God to do what only He can do.

 

And it results in great liberation for our souls.

 

Father, into Your capable hands we commend the crises all around us, in our community, nation and world, and among our family members and friends. Even the crisis occurring in us right now as we consider all these crises. Please help us learn to cast these cares on You as we faithfully pray and commend them to Your care.

 

 

4. “We run ahead of God in a thousand and one activities, becoming so burdened with people and problems that we fail to intercede.”

 

I recognize this dilemma in some of the people I love. They concern themselves with a great many matters, and along the way find themselves covered in the lint of all the associated problems and burdens.

 

It results in great weariness because they fail to cast those cares upon Jesus.

 

There’s surely a great eagerness in our soul to tend to many, many needs. But we can quickly get ahead of God, anticipating what God might have us do, and biting off far more than we can chew.

 

Perhaps a good rule of thumb would be, don't concern ourselves with more then we're willing to also pray for. That only makes sense. Our intercession provides a constant reminder to involve God in all we're doing for God.

 

We may even find there's plenty of matters we burden ourselves with that don’t concern us. And, by God's grace, perhaps we can dismiss ourselves.

 

Father, forgive us for trying to bear burdens without You. It certainly becomes soul-crushing. Help us be wise in the matters we involve ourselves. May we be prayerful first before acting.

 

 

5. “If a burden comes upon us and we do not intercede, it will only produce a hardness towards God and despair in our own souls.”

 

I know a great many people who struggle in this way. The cares and concerns of the world and their loved ones hang around their neck like a boat anchor. They become so burdened and weary they lose faith and hope.

 

Soon a “hardness towards God” results. They become critical because they don't understand why God isn't intervening. They may even try to supplement for God's lack of intervention by taking more and more burden upon themselves.

 

And it results in a downward spiral.

 

Oswald calls us to immediately intercede when we sense the burdens around us. As we do, we not only gain God's compassion, but also a confidence God’s at work. We entrust difficult situations to Him, knowing He's fully aware and fully able.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for indicting You when we are burdened. Please forgive us for failing to entrust matters to Your capable hands. Please forgive us for charging ahead without You, and blaming You for our weariness. Thank You for the gift of intercession. May we faithfully labor alongside You.

***********

 

3.31.24

 

1. “Take our ridicule and criticism towards others and turn it into intercession.”

 

We certainly can be judgmental towards others when we see their foolishness and disobedience. It can lead us to brewing and stewing rather than praying.

 

Oswald says, “God reveals the truth about others to us by His Spirit.” That is, God is giving us eyes to recognize their shortcomings, not so we can condemn them, but so we can pray for them.

 

This is certainly what I’d like you to do for me when you watch me speak or act in ways beneath myself as a Christ-follower. When you see my wrongdoing, please be gracious and hold me before our Heavenly Father.

 

And I’ll work to do the same for you.

 

Father, I can become so aware, perturbed and offended by the speck in others’ eyes. Please help me love and be patient with others by interceding for them. May we both receive Your mercy and grace as I pray.

 

 

2. “God says, ‘Ask, and I will give life for those who commit sin not leading to death.’”

 

A pushback to this statement may be, “Who can forgive sin but God alone?” Or, “How can someone be forgiven who doesn’t acknowledge or turn from their sin?

 

Surely this goes hand in hand with Oswald’s theme of interceding for others as we discern their foibles.

 

Praying for another person benefits both of us. First, we’re praying for God's ongoing work in their life. And second, we’re delivered from criticism, cynicism and judgmentalism as we pray.

 

God grants life to each of us as we intercede instead of critique.

 

Heavenly Father, we ask for life today as we pray for others. Please continue Your transforming process in them and in us.

 

 

3. “Don't become a hypocrite by trying to get others right with God before you get right with God.”

 

Oswald is exhorting us along the lines of Jesus’ teaching: “Don’t concern yourself with the speck in someone else's eye while ignoring the plank in our own” (Matthew 7:3-5).

 

We're pretty good at using different measurements for us and others. Instead, may we extend the same grace to others that we extend to ourselves.

 

Father, we have plenty of shortcomings without concerning ourself with others’. Please forgive us when we fixate on theirs instead of ours. Please help us fix my eyes on You instead.

 

 

4. God gives us discernment about others so we might accept the responsibility for their soul.”

 

How will I steward this gift of discernment?

 

God gifts me in many ways and anticipates me to steward those gifts for His Kingdom: Family, friends, skills, abilities, opportunities, potential, material goods, finances, etc.

 

Stewardship is our way of demonstrating our faithfulness to God.

 

Oswald calls us to the stewardship of other souls. God gives us insight into their souls so we might pray for them as God works His purposes in them and us.

 

It's a blessed responsibility. And just think, God has called others to steward our soul as well.

 

Father, thank You for the gift of discernment regarding others, and the opportunity of interceding for them. May we be intentional and faithful as we steward these gifts. Thank You for involving us in the critical and eternal matters of Your Kingdom.

 

 

5. “Awaken ourselves to the point where God is able to convey His mind to us regarding the people for whom we intercede.”

 

Father, thank You for this tremendous gift. Thank You for helping us see Your involvement and work in other people's souls.

 

Father, we pray the scales would fall from our eyes as we view others. May we see them as Your beloved children, for whom Christ died, and for whom You have great hopes, dreams, plans and purposes.

 

Father, we pray for “the agony of Christ's soul in us” towards others. May we see and visualize them just as Jesus does.

 

Father, may You be “completely and overwhelmingly satisfied with us as intercessors.” May we truly join You—heart, soul, mind and spirit—in Your mission in other lives. Thank You for this amazing privilege.

 

***********

 

3.30.24

 

1. “We stop praying because we only have an emotional interest in prayer.”

 

Oswald pulls no punches. We neglect prayer when our heart’s not in it.

 

That is, when we don't feel a direct need. Because, when we do have a need, we’ll certainly pray more readily and sincerely.

 

Or, when we don't feel like God is listening or responding. Perhaps we become disappointed and give up.

 

Yet the Scriptures call us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It's a call to pray whether we feel like it or not.

 

Is it because God’s demanding? No—it’s because it's best for us to pray. Prayer isn't only about moving the heart of God. It also moves our heart towards God.

 

We’re always better for having prayed because it means we're placing ourselves in God’s presence. And we’re always better for having done so.

 

May it become our habitual practice.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for losing interest in prayer. Please forgive us for only praying as we have needs. Help us become prayer warriors in the sense that we’re able to battle through our emotional disinterest and become people of prayer.

 

 

2. Worship and intercession must go together”

 

What’s “worship?” It’s ascribing “worth” to something or someone, which is what we’re doing as we pray. We’re addressing and exalting God because we believe He’s able.

 

And what’s intercession? It’s more than praying for someone's needs. It involves “raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying.”

 

That is, we press through, connect with God's heart, and pray God's heart over others. Interfacing with God in this way is an act of worship, and a powerful means of motivating our praying.

 

Heavenly Father, we worship You, the One to Whom all hearts are known. Please help us to know Your heart for those You love, so we might join You in Your work in their lives.

 

 

3. “When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic.”

 

This is a hard truth.

 

It is our ongoing connection with God that helps us maintain a supple heart. When that connection is broken, we can become calloused towards God and others.

 

It's because our God is the God of love, grace, mercy, truth, compassion, kindness, gentleness and more. Prayer is our umbilical cord to God, and His qualities circulate through us as we pray.

 

God’s qualities become ours through our prayer-connection with God. Which means, our character is most like God’s as we pray.

 

And most unlike God when we don’t.

 

Heavenly Father, we’re so easily distracted from prayer. Please help us cultivate the discipline of prayer that our heart might remain supple, sensitive, kind and caring towards You and others.

 

 

4. “Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work.”

 

This is a helpful reality check: It takes effort to pray.

 

Prayer requires girding up our heart, mind, will and emotions, and directing them towards God. It means availing ourselves to be acted upon by God.

 

If it were easy, everyone would pray. This is why prayer is so often neglected, and our privilege of praying often goes unused.

 

From God’s perspective, it’s surely unimaginable that we’re not more prayerful.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for slothfulness regarding prayer. We ask for a greater givenness to this incredible, supernatural gift. Please stir our hearts for “the real work of intercession.”

 

***********

 

3.29.24

 

1. “A Christian worker’s greatest need is a readiness to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn.”

 

A “Christian worker” is one who is determined to be of service to God.

 

But Oswald persistently admonishes us not to permit our service for Jesus take precedence over Jesus Himself. We can become so involved in our work we pay no attention to our Leader.

 

Unfortunately, this leads to our spirit and attitude becoming misaligned from God’s heart. As a result, we can become pushy and put out with people and obstructions if they hinder our work.

 

Instead, Oswald exhorts us to “be ready to face Jesus Himself at every turn.” Only then will we see recognize in “serving the least of these” we’re serving Christ Himself (Matthew 25:40).

 

Father, please forgive us for viewing others as nuisances in our service to You. Help us become more and more aware of Your loving leadership and presence. May our intentions and motivations align with Yours.

 

 

2. “Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical situations.”

 

Isn't this the truth?

 

In our idealism, we imagine God's ways very differently from our actual experiences of God. For instance, we may anticipate God in the profound and extraordinary. Instead, He seems to intervene in the least likely ways.

 

Why wouldn't God boldly skywrite His intentions? Why wouldn't God reveal Himself in supernatural signs and wonders on a more regular basis? Why are God's ways so hidden and diffuse?

 

It’s because God knows our heart must be aligned with His before we can believe and receive. To that end, God chooses to reveal Himself as we seek Him, and opens our eyes and heart to see and believe as He operates in quiet nuances.

 

May God's ways become more and more evident to us day by day.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your still and mysterious ways. We're thrilled when we catch a glimpse of You here and there. You've convinced us time and time again of Your ever-present nearness. May we come to expect You, any way You may choose.

 

 

3. “Be ready for the Lord's surprise visits.”

 

Christ-followers live in a strange paradox: We constantly anticipate Jesus, but we're always surprised at His ways.

 

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not yours” (Isaiah 55:8).

 

Does this frustrate and aggravate us? Why can't God be more predictable? Why must we always be left wondering?

 

Thank God for our “wonder” at His interventions. If we were able to fully understand God’s ways, our God would be far too small.

 

As it is, we get to live in the joyful unknown, trusting God's Sovereignty over our lives, and looking forward to whatever our God might do next.

 

Lord Jesus, visit as You will and wish. May You find us ready and eager to welcome You in whatever manner You choose. We're thrilled to be a part of what You're doing today.

 

 

4. “Expect Jesus Christ at every turn. This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder.”

 

I've always considered “childlikeness” to depict our recognition of absolute dependency upon God. That's certainly where our God-walk begins.

 

But “childlike wonder” is a great way to describe the delicious and joyful amazement that consistently overcomes and overwhelms us as we walk with our God.

 

It's almost as if He never does the same thing twice so we’ll never grow tired of His displays.

 

Lord Jesus, please continually renew our sense of wonder at Your marvels and majesty. Thank You for being an infinite God who constantly amazes us. You’re worthy of all our praise.

 

 

5. “Set your heart on what God wants and thinking His thoughts.”

 

When we love someone, we’re forever concerned with their needs and wants. It's the desire of our heart to care for them as an expression of our love.

 

The same is true of our conversation with others. “What's on your mind?” is our way of seeking to interface with those we care about, to share in their thoughts, dreams and concerns.

 

So it is in our God-walk. Our primary concern is God's thoughts, will and purposes for our world. It's our greatest joy to participate in what God’s doing.

 

“Jesus said, ‘I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you’” (John 15:15).

 

Father, what’s on Your heart and mind today?  It's the desire of our heart to know and follow You.

 

***********

3.28.24

 

1. “Just because I don't understand what Jesus says doesn't mean He must be mistaken.”

 

This is the human tendency to think we know better than God. It's a great temptation for us. After all, we know better than anyone else about our context, capabilities, the people around us, etc., right?

 

This surely leads to reinterpreting or correcting the Scriptures or the leadership of the Holy Spirit when they don't seem to fit our contemporary reasoning and context. We assume we know how Jesus would respond if He were living in our day.

 

When we begin down this path, there’s no end. We’ve permitted our intellect rather than God to direct our paths. If we follow this trajectory, who knows where we may find ourselves. But it will most likely result in becoming distanced from God.

 

Lord, have mercy.

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for reinterpreting what You teach and tell me. Please forgive me for thinking less of You and more of me. Please help me determine Your Word and Your ways are always right. And when they collide with my reasoning, please help me always bend in Your direction.

 

 

2. “I know when the instructions have come from God because of their quiet persistence.”

 

I continued to maintain, I believe we know God's voice better than we're willing to admit. It's because of His “quiet persistence.” He doesn’t antagonize or provoke. Instead, He patiently reminds and waits for my response.

 

“I begin to weigh the pros and cons, and doubt and debate enter my mind.” This is certainly our thought process as we reason through the liabilities and ramifications of everyday decision-making. But if we apply this thinking to God's leadership, we may well talk ourselves into disobedience.

 

Yet, if we’ll step out and obey, we’ll discover God's ways are infinitely wise and prudent. They may not make sense in the moment, but they certainly do in the long run. Even if we don't see the outcome in this life.

 

Such is the way of following the nudges of God’s Spirit.

 

Holy Spirit, thank You for Your quiet persistence. Right now, whatever it is You’re speaking to our heart, whatever it is that we might be ignoring or pushing aside, whatever it is we’re weighing in a balance, please persistently press through until we obey.

 

 

3. “Many of us are faithful to our ideas about Jesus, but how many of us are faithful to Jesus Himself?”

 

Boom. Right between the eyes. Oswald knows how to shoot straight.

 

We all have our concept of Who Jesus is, how to interpret what He says, drawing conclusions about His purposes, etc. We can even become dogmatic and defensive about these matters.

 

But are we being faithful to Jesus Himself? Is our faithfulness and obedience pure and simple, based on nothing less than what Jesus teaches and speaks? Or is our obedience filtered through our own opinions and druthers?

 

Because the latter can certainly lead to great compromise.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being infinitely more than merely an ideal, philosophy or worldview. Please forgive us when we speak of Your ways and Word in those terms. Help us instead regard You as the Person You are, our Lord and Savior, and live in the loving relationship You intend. May we be far more passionate about You then about our opinions about You.

 

 

4. “Faith is not an intellectual understanding, but a deliberate commitment to the Person of Jesus Christ, even when we can't see the way ahead.”

 

These are powerful words. The Person of Jesus must be the Object of our faith, and our deliberate commitment to Jesus Himself is our act of faith.

 

Faith involves a knowing that goes beyond understanding. It's a trust and confidence even when we're unable to visualize all the components of the equation.

 

We’re learning to trust Jesus’ wisdom, and growing in our confidence that He’s working in ways and towards objectives we can't fully comprehend or imagine.

 

Our faith is our demonstration of commitment and fidelity to our Leader, Lord and Savior. It's personal for both of us.

 

Lord Jesus, our heart’s desire is to be fully given to You. You know our need to understand. Please help us step over this hurdle when You call. Please help us trust You more and more.

 

 

5. “Don't wait until you can clearly see how to do what He has asked. Simply obey Him with unrestrained joy.”

 

I don't need to fully understand an aircraft to board a plane. I will trust its designers, builders, mechanics and pilots.

 

I'm simply thrilled to be there, and munch my free pretzels and Pepsi.

 

May this be the way of my God-walk as well. I don't know the inner workings, the details, the how’s and why’s, the future, etc. But I know the One Who’s called me, and I trust He knows what He’s doing.

 

And I know the joy that comes from obedience.

 

I also know, if I wait for all the details, the moment for obedience may pass, and I will have missed out and what could have been. ☹

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the joy of obedience. Thank You for leading us in Your great adventure. Please forgive us when we're hesitant because we don't fully comprehend. Please help us trust and obey with abandon today.

 

***********

 

3.27.24

 

1. “A higher state with God is only achieved through higher personal character.”

 

I'm thankful Oswald emphasizes the critical nature of our character. Surely our growing character is the greatest demonstration of our ongoing God-walk.

 

If we're going to go on with God, it will necessary involve character development. My God-walk is not measured by my increasing knowledge or experiences of God, but the God-qualities that emerge as I walk with Jesus.

 

Growing in humility is part of my growing character. Which means, as God forges my character, I cannot boast. I can only credit the presence and ongoing work of God in my life.

 

Lord God, thank You for exhorting us regarding the essential of character. Please continue Your character development in us as You take us higher. May our lives display Your grace and glory more and more.

 

 

2. “God will continually say to you, ‘Friend, come up even higher.’”

 

By definition, there’s always a “higher” in our relationship with our eternal God. To that end, God will never be finished with us. He’ll be making us more like Jesus for time and eternity.

 

Paradoxically, “When you go higher, you only encounter other temptations.” We might imagine there is a height at which we no longer contend with temptation. Yet that was certainly not the case with Jesus: “Father, please take this cup from Me; but not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

 

Oswald suggests higher character only leads to higher temptation, which leads to a greater pursuit of God, which leads to higher character, etc. And the cycle continues endlessly.

 

By recognizing this ongoing process, may we not become discouraged and weary. May we only become more engaged and determined.

 

Lord God, thank You for continuing to call us higher. Thank You for the high honor of doing so. And thank You for Your all-sufficient grace to reckon with the higher temptations and challenges all along the way. May You be victorious as You escort us upward.

 

 

3. “When God elevates you by His grace into heavenly places, you find a vast plateau where you can move about with ease.”

 

What a beautiful portrait of going higher with our God. We don’t experience constraints, but liberation from our tenacious and fallen lower nature.

 

Thank God for drawing us upwards—even when we hesitate, complain or resist. Thank God for His long-suffering with our soul. He knows what's best, and He's determined to get us there.

 

Elevate us, O Lord! Thank You for your patient persistence in doing so. Thank You for what You're working in us. Thank You for the great freedom of soul we discover as we rise higher and higher into Your glorious presence. Hallelujah!

 

 

4. “Never allow God to show you a truth which you do not instantly begin to live up to, applying it to your life.”

 

I'm presently seeing a physical therapist to recover from repetitive trauma to my right arm and rotator cuff due to aggressive guitar playing. It's not easy getting older. 😊

 

He tells me I'm one of the few that actually work all the stretching exercises he assigns. He tells many clients simply hope they'll get better without doing the work.

 

Oswald suggests the same is true in God's process of taking us higher. When God reveals something to us about Himself, ourself or others, He intends for us to begin living into that truth. If we don't, we will not receive His intended benefit.

 

Heavenly Father, by Your grace, please help us to receive, embrace and live into the greater Light You reveal to us. Please help us never plateau, but do the work of letting You further transform our hearts and minds. Take us higher, O Lord.

 

 

5. “God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to the growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He’s able to reveal it.”

 

A mentor of mine says, “God can only anoint a person to the extent of that person's character.” He's also the guy that turned me on to Oswald Chambers. I wonder if Oswald inspired his statement?

 

I get it. Perhaps we long for greater revelations and knowledge of God, more occasions to serve God, new opportunities for leadership and teaching roles, etc. Perhaps we wonder why we've not been chosen for such things.

 

Could it be our character can’t provide sufficient foundation for what we're hoping for?

 

Surely the solution is not to give up hoping and asking, but to also hope, ask and participate in God's process of developing our character. Instead of being put out with God and others because doors aren't opening, we will do well to give ourselves to God’s present and ongoing work in our lives.

 

Then trust, as God grows our character, He will also open the doors we aspire to walk through.

 

Father, we long to know and be used by You to greater and greater degrees. Please do what You must in us to prepare us for that day.

 

***********

 

3.26.24

 

1. “Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God.”

 

Perhaps we think of purity as the absence of sin, sully, impropriety, etc. Those are certainly characteristics of purity. But purity is not brought about by removing things alone, but by the sustained presence of our Holy God.

 

In union with our Holy God I become aware of my impurity. Only as God convicts and offers grace am I able to address those things, depart from them and receive God’s forgiveness.

 

In the Light of God’s presence I recognize my impurity, turn from it, and receive His purity.

 

And it’s beautiful.

 

Father, I desire “purity in my inward parts” (Psalm 51.6). Thank You for giving me that desire, and thank You for the capability of living into that desire as I seek union with You. Purify me, O Lord, that I might be pure in Your sight.

 

 

2. “As our outer life becomes spotted and stained, we recognize the necessity of maintaining.”

 

I know when I've become spotted and stained by things I've said and done. It's a feeling of regret. I'm dirty and need cleansed. I have stooped beneath myself in Christ.

 

Thank God for His gift of conviction, repentance, forgiveness and restoration. I need not stay in my contaminated state. I can be made clean and whole once again by the blood of Jesus.

 

I’m very aware of my inability to remain pure outside of God's grace. It’s my continuing pursuit of union with God that enables me to maintain the purity I long for. It’s that desire that drives me to our God.

 

Lord Jesus, the vision of Your holiness what whets my appetite for the same. Thank You for Your cleansing. Please help me sustain purity by maintaining an airtight relationship with you. May it become more and more the desire of my heart.

 

 

3. “If our spiritual life with God is impaired to the slightest degree, we must put everything else aside until we make it right.”

 

The word “must” in Oswald’s statement is conditional. It’s not God requiring it of us and threatening consequences if we don't. It's a matter of us recognizing we’re compromising and need to make things right with God.

 

It comes from a heart that’s unwilling to permit anything to come between us and our God. Nothing is worth stilting His nearness.

 

“If you love Me, you'll obey Me” (John 14:15). To the degree I love God, I’ll seek to maintain a low impedance connection with Him.

 

Father, I want to respond more and more quickly for Your reconciliation when I sense the slightest distance between us. May nothing be more important to me.

 

 

4. “It's coming in contact with other people and other points of view that tend to tarnish us.”

 

Isn't this a remarkable truth? Even the people we love the most can set us off. God, have mercy.

 

Certainly it’s their quirks and idiosyncrasies, but it’s also their opinions. It's amazing how offended we can become by those we disagree with. And it only seems to be more and more prevalent in our day.

 

Father, may we become more and more aware of this tendency. Please help us become better postured for those moments when others get under our skin. May our nearness to Jesus, and may your Holy Spirit within us, enable us to lovingly interact, listen and sustain a pure heart.

 

 

5. “If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things.”

 

This has certainly been my experience. My thought life can truly hinder my God walk, let alone the things I say and do. Mercy.

 

“Some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us.” Here we become aware of the dynamic relationship each is of us have with Jesus.

 

Paul speaks of this as well: “Some can eat meat in good conscience, while others cannot” (Romans 14:2). An example of this for me is, many Christ-followers in my family and beyond have no conscientious objections to alcohol in moderation. However, because God delivered me from substance abuse, I have determined to keep my distance.

 

In time, our “refusing” is not burdensome, but becomes our love gift to God. It tells God we’re more interested and maintaining personal intimacy with Jesus than we are those things we avoid.

 

Lord God, it's our joy to stand clear of the things that injure our relationship with You. We're learning there's nothing we want more than You.

 

 

6. “Begin to see others as God does.”

 

This is a tremendously practical and helpful way of “keeping our personal purity unblemished in our relations with other people.”

 

If all we see are faults and offenses, we will forever be critical and distanced from others. Especially those who’ve injured us in the past.

 

Oswald encourages us to see others as “perfect in Christ.” We’re not oblivious of their faults, but neither are we oblivious of God's ongoing work in their lives. We're praying for the refining work of God in ourselves and others.

 

Beloved, we’re all works in progress. May we give others the same grace we hope they’ll give us.

 

Lord Jesus, this is a beautiful sentiment. Please give us eyes to see and hearts to love and respect others, knowing the same grace at work in us is also at work in them. Please help us measure ourselves and others by Your cross alone.

 

***********

 

3.25.24

 

1. “If my holiness is not drawing others to Jesus, it's not the right kind of holiness.”

 

Isn't this a curious statement? Surely my example always points to Jesus, doesn't it?

 

That depends upon the state of my heart. Perhaps I’m hoping others will see and think well of me. We call this “spiritual pride” and we must permit God to extinguish it.

 

Instead, “Goodness and purity should never be traits that draw attention to themselves, but should be magnets that draw people to Jesus Christ.”

 

Perhaps the secret to this posture is to be very open about our personal failings and God's dealings with us. In this way we’re helping others understand we’re not so great after all.

 

Let’s help others perceive the amazing grace of God working in us. Christ dwells in us by faith, and His Spirit is transforming us. And He wants to do the same for them.

 

Holy God, we recognize that “nothing good dwells in us” apart from Christ (Romans 7:18-19). We openly confess, if anyone sees any good in us, it's because of You. May this attitude be abundantly apparent in our lives today.

 

 

2. “A saint can be a hindrance in leading people to Christ by presenting only what Christ has done for them, instead of presenting Christ Himself.”

 

I must be careful in the way I posture myself as I speak of what Christ has done for me. It must be the farthest thing from my mind to believe God blesses me because of my inherent goodness.

 

Instead, let’s strive to live a self-effacing life that continuously points to Jesus as our Source of forgiveness, joy, strength, purpose and meaning.

 

Because our goal is not someone's adulation, but that they might come know our Savior.

 

Father, please forgive us for taking any credit that belongs to You alone. “We are a new creation in Christ; it’s is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us” (Galatians 2:20). May this be our humble way today and always.

 

 

3. “‘What a fine person they are!’ is not being ‘a true friend of the Bridegroom.’”

 

Is this an offensive statement?

 

Perhaps we think we're fine folk, only in need of a bit of adjustment here and there. But that’s not a Biblical perspective. We are sinful people in need of a Savior, and anything good in us is God's doing, not ours.

 

If we take credit for our goodness, we are unwittingly suggesting other people can do the same. If that were the case, we diminish the necessity and work of the cross.

 

A “true friend of the Bridegroom” gives credit where credit is due. Any goodness in us comes from Christ in us. We are “wretched, poor, blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17) outside of Christ.

 

The goal of our God-walk is for Christ’s goodness to be evident in our lives, and for Jesus to receive all the honor and glory.

 

Lord Jesus, we confess we are nothing without You. We offer You all praise, honor and glory for what You’re doing in us. May our lives reflect only You and Your goodness, because we are incapable in and of ourselves. We truly want to be Your friend by pointing others to You.

 

 

4. “Our only task is to maintain a vital connection with Jesus Christ.”

 

This may be counterintuitive. Perhaps we see our God-walk as a pursuit of virtue. But virtue is merely outcropping of our relationship with Jesus.

 

If we give our attention to developing and displaying our inherent goodness and morality, we’re concentrating on ourselves instead of Jesus. But, if we concentrate on Jesus, the Fruit of the Spirit begins to emanate from us.

 

Likewise, “our life is not spent in trying to be consciously obedient, but in maintaining our relationship with Jesus.” Because, as we seek to walk in unhindered fellowship with Jesus, His Spirit is causing us “to will and do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

 

There is something beautifully symbiotic in a vital connection with Jesus, because in doing so, we begin to experience “Christ in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:17).

 

Walking with Jesus isn’t effortless, because we must choose to pursue Jesus. But the fruit of our lives is effortless, because it’s merely the fruit of Christ living in a us.

 

Lord Jesus, it's the desire of our heart to maintain a vital connection with You. It's ironic that we can become distracted by attempting to live a virtuous life rather than simply seek to live in unbroken relationship with You. Please help us concentrate on the latter that our lives might exhibit the former.

 

 

5. “Christian work can actually be a means of diverting a person's focus away from Jesus Christ.”

 

Perhaps I work to serve Jesus as a means of checking a box to meet God's requirements. If that's the case, I'm missing out on the joy of walking with Jesus.

 

God created us to “walk with God in the cool of the evening” (Genesis 3:8). Or, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This way of thinking and living is far different from striving to accomplish objectives.

 

This is the genius and joy of the God-walk. We get to spend time and eternity in union with our God and Savior. Nothing is more gratifying than living into God’s brilliant design.

 

Heavenly Father, may the simplicity and beauty of Your way become ours. May nothing divert our attention from walking more closely with You.

 

***********

 

3.24.24

 

1. “We try to be amateur providences in someone's life.”

 

It's at this point, if not before, some will put this book down and be done with it.

 

It's statements like this that make Oswald so difficult: “When you begin to see that person struggle, don't try to prevent it, but pray it will grow 10 times stronger.” That seems cruel and uncaring.

 

Until you understand what Oswald is after.

 

Of course there are times when we minister to people's needs. The Scripture are very clear about our loving generosity in the face of human poverty.

 

But, Oswald also recognizes our paramount need for God, and God's way of breaking down our defense mechanisms to get at our heart. God’s process is necessary, “until no power on earth or in hell can hold a person away from Jesus Christ.”

 

The pain we try to prevent could well be God's way of gaining a person's attention. God help us not be “a thief who steals someone’s desire to follow Jesus.”

 

May we be wise, discerning and obedient in our care for others.

 

Lord God, it certainly is hard to “watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it.” In our idealism and self-certainty, we’re sure there must be a better way. Please forgive us for jumping in to ease pain, only to defuse Your reckoning with another soul. Please help us be helpful to You as You do what You must to win others’ heart.

 

 

2. “If you become a necessity in someone else's life, you are out of God's will.”

 

This is a powerful notion.

 

In today's language, we might call this “enabling.” It's when we, in what we believe is compassion, care for a person's needs to the point at which a person becomes dependent upon us.

 

There is certainly a time and place for caring for those who can’t care for themselves. But we must never usurp God's place in a person's life. Their need could well be God's way of gaining their heart.

 

Lord God, this is certainly a thin line. When am I helping and when am I hurting? My natural compassion wants to eliminate suffering. But, in doing so, am I conditioning someone to look to me instead of You? Whom am I enabling today? Please help me discern so I don't get in Your way.

 

 

3. “The friend of the Bridegroom rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice.”

 

It will certainly be amazing to hear Jesus’ voice one day. What a great celebration that will be!

 

But Oswald is speaking of the rejoicing in our heart when a friend finally hears the Bridegroom's voice for themself. Our prayer all along is for God to gain their heart just as He has gained ours.

 

In the joy of this moment, we “step aside, removing ourselves, never to be thought of again.” That is, people take their eyes off of us as they behold Jesus. “He must increase; I must decrease.”

 

And we gladly stand in the shadows.

 

Lord Jesus, we long for the moment when those we love hear Your voice. Please connect with their heart as You have ours. May they see what we see and love the One we love. We will happily rejoice with them as they do, and humbly fade into the background.

 

 

4. “Listen intently until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person.”

 

There does seem to be a moment when we recognize that a loved one is beginning to hear Jesus for themselves. We've shared and shared about God's work in our lives, and finally they begin to recognize His work in their own.

 

What a day of rejoicing that will be as they perceive Jesus revealing Himself to them! And immediately we’ll be able to fellowship with that person in the Light of Christ. Hallelujah!

 

Lord Jesus, we long for that moment in our loved one’s life. Please help us not be an impediment to it happening for them. Please help us be a consistent example of listening, hearing and responding to You. May our example whet their appetite for what we have in You.

 

***********

 

3.23.24

 

1. “Carnality is the desire of the flesh warring against the Spirit.”

 

We rarely use the term “carnal.” Perhaps it's because it seems so debased. We want to think of ourselves as enlightened and above our “carnal nature.”

 

But the Bible helps us understand the fallen state of our human nature. Its tendencies, appetites and inclinations are constantly “warring against God’s Spirit” (Galatians 5:17) when we don’t get our way.

 

Which means our old, fallen, sinful nature becomes a daily impediment as we seek to offer ourselves completely to Jesus.

 

Thank God, we are “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17) through faith in Jesus Christ!

 

Lord Jesus, we call upon the strength of Your Spirit in our present battle with our lower nature. Thank You we can be “more than conquerors through Him Who loves us” (Romans 8:37). May we know Your victory, freedom and joy today.

 

 

2. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

 

This is one of the most important learnings in our God-walk.

 

Different situations “awaken” our fallen nature and elicit a sinful response. We’re not alone in this experience: “Paul connects these attitudes with carnality.”

 

Hence, “the process of sanctification.” It's God's work to defeat our lower nature. God’s  supernatural grace is transforming us. He conceives a new nature in us as we trust Christ, and nurtures the new while rooting out the old.

 

I’m no match for my fallen nature. But it’s no match for our God. Hallelujah!

 

Lord God, thank You for Your ongoing work in our life. We’re all too familiar with our sinful nature. It continually reacts and rebels against Your ways. May the new creation in us supersede and overwhelm the old,in the strength of Your Spirit.  Amen.

 

 

3. “God doesn't ask you to make it right; He asks you to accept His Light and Truth, then He will make it right.”

 

In Christ, I’m not a self-made man, because I'm no match for my old nature. But my old nature is no match for Jesus.

 

God's way is to shine the Light of His Truth on certain matters in my life. As He reveals them, perhaps my immediate response is to justify them: “Oh, I can explain that.” If so, His Light will persist until I acknowledge my sin.

 

When I finally acknowledging my sin, I'm liable to attempt to make things right. I make big promises, then I grit my teeth and do my best. But I find myself continually falling short.

 

Instead, God calls me to be “a child of the Light, confessing my wrongdoing, and letting God deal with them.” This is the way of God's transformation. I can’t change my heart any more than I can lift myself up by my bootstraps.

 

It will be the work of God’s Spirit, or it won’t happen.

 

Father, please help me truly embrace Your process. Please shine Your Light. Please give me grace to acknowledge and turn from my sin, and grace to enable You to change my heart. Thank You for Your present, persistent and ongoing work in my life, here and now. Hallelujah!

 

 

4. “You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.”

 

Oswald says, “God will see to it you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace.” That is, I will find myself in situations where my responses and reactions are different than they used to be.

 

It’s because God is transforming me from the inside out.

 

What a joy to realize I'm not who I used to be! And as it happens, I recognize I have very little to do with it. God gets all the glory, because I’m convinced He’s doing the transforming work in me.

 

Father, may we be amazed more and more as You continue to do Your transforming work in us. May our new nature exhibit itself more and more in everyday situations, and may we and others be aware of and amazed by of Your ongoing work in our life.

 

***********

 

3.22.24

 

1. “Did not our hearts burn within us?”

 

Oswald calls this, “the secret of the burning heart.” It's those moments Jesus appears and fans our flames. It's the mountaintop experiences we can't reproduce.

 

Oswald encourages us to “maintain the secret of the burning heart.” That is, to act on what we believe and imagine in those moments. Sustaining the burning heart permits us to go through anything—including “the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people.”

 

When's the last time my heart burned within me? What did I do in response? Did I act on the burning? Did I seek to live out what God revealed to me?

 

It's not too late to obey the burning heart.

 

Lord Jesus, please bring to mind anything You've revealed to us on which we’ve not acted. We don't want it to be an impediment in our God-walk. Please rekindle the burning heart within us, and give us grace to respond.

 

 

2. “We are ignorant of the laws of our own nature.”

 

We’re certainly learning more and more about ourselves these days. We have greater understanding of what makes us tick, and more tools to explore our hearts, minds, personalities, temperament, etc.

 

Let's not forget the insight we gain from the Scriptures for understanding human nature. And let’s not dismiss the personal learnings we gain as the Holy Spirit reveals ourselves to ourselves.

 

We’re complicated beings. Thank God for helping us discover who we are.

 

Father, thank You for creating us in Your Own image. Thank You we’re “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Please, by Your Spirit, help us to “know thyself” (Socrates, c.400 BC). Please help us fully utilize the tremendous capacities You've given us—and avoid their pitfalls.

 

 

3. “Determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion run its course in our lives.”

 

Over the years we've become very aware of what happens when we permit our emotions to drive the bus. We know where they can lead.

 

Oswald encourages us to “examine the final outcome of that emotion.” And, “if the outcome is something God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately.”

 

That means we mustn’t permit our emotions determine our course. Instead, “we’re learning the secret of abiding in Jesus.”

 

We’re discovering our emotions don’t have to have the final word. We can determine to let Jesus have the last word instead.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for helping us understand our inner workings. And thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, Who’s able to supersede our emotions, temperament and more. Please help us become more acquainted with our ways, and more given to Yours.

 

4. “If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will.”

 

What's an “irrevocable decision?” For instance, it would be determining, by God’s grace, to leave behind a bad habit, and sharing your decision with a friend. In doing so, we’re seeking accountability and leaning into God’s strength to follow through.

 

Another example would be taking measured steps in following God’s leadership to go and do a particular thing. Instead of telling ourselves, “one day we’ll do this or that,” we put the date on our calendar and follow through, by God’s grace. We might even tell a good friend for extra measure.

 

We've grown accustomed to making backup plans in case our initial plans fail. However, when we make backup plans prior to stepping out in obedience, we've already hindered our faith.

 

Faith means we don't have a backup plan.

 

Lord Jesus, please help us act more immediately to Your nudges in ways that don’t include escape clauses. Please help us develop a faith that eagerly responds to You rather than letting our reasoning, sensibilities and procrastination persuade us otherwise.

 

***********

 

3.21.24

 

1. “Sign the death certificate of our sinful nature.”

 

Oswald is emphatic: We do not tame our sinful nature; we crucify it with Christ.

 

“A moral verdict against the nature of sin” means I truly agree with God and recognize my sin as destructive and an impediment in my relationship with God, myself and others. It must not be permitted.

 

“I have no claim to my right to myself.” This is what it means to be “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2: 20). Sin manifests itself as I claim ownership of myself. But if I belong to Jesus, “I despise my sin and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).

 

Does this seem radical, harsh and overstated? Not if we truly recognize the destructive nature of the sin in our life. It's a cancer in our system, and dying and rising with Jesus is the antidote.

 

Lord Jesus, here and now we sign the death certificate of our sinful nature. We die to ourself in Your Name, that You might live Your Resurrected life through us. Thank You for setting us free from the boat anchor of sin. We rejoice in Resurrected life with you. Hallelujah!

 

 

2. “I have been crucified with Christ.”

 

This is an emphatic statement, not merely good intentions. We aren’t simply trying harder to follow Jesus, but “identifying with Him in His death.”

 

The Christian faith is bloody. It's the death of Christ for my sin, because that's what atonement required.

 

But it's also my own crucifixion, and it's not pretty. “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). That means every day I must place my old nature on Christ's cross, die with Him, and permit the Resurrected Christ to live through me.

 

Does this seem extreme? It is only if I believe I'm naturally a good person who simply needs tweaking. Instead, I’m a sinner with a soiled soul who needs a new nature. To be “born again” (John 3: 37) means receiving a new nature by faith in Christ, and striving daily to put my old nature to death.

 

It's this process that yields newer and newer life every day. And it's glorious. Hallelujah!

 

Lord Jesus, please help us take our old and new lives seriously. Please help us be done with the old and fully live into the new. We die to ourself right now that Your life might flourish in us. Thank You.

 

 

3. “May Christ accomplish IN us all that Christ accomplished FOR us on the cross.”

 

If we're not careful, we’re apt to consider Christ's cross far more lightly than we ought. Indeed, Christ paid the debt of our sins with His death, but He accomplished infinitely more:

 

“Christ died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for Him Who died and was raised to life for their sake” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

 

There is so much more to following Jesus than heaven when we die. There is today, apprehending, appreciating and appropriating all Christ has accomplished for us.

 

We can be different people because of His cross.

 

Lord Jesus, please help us grow in our understanding of what You've wrought for us through Your death and Resurrection. Please help us to receive and walk in all Your cross provides. Thank You for such amazing grace.

 

 

4. “My unrestrained commitment of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to grant to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.”

 

We're liable to think holiness is simply the absence of sin. Instead, holiness is the presence of God in us.

 

The results of sinless living is righteousness and purity. But only the Holy Spirit can grant the holiness of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s death and Resurrection permits the Holy Spirit to make me holy.

 

But this isn’t an automatic or default process. It requires “my unrestrained commitment to God.” I must participate by yielding myself to God’s continuing work in me.

 

Giving God permission is ongoing and never ending. I must do it again today, tomorrow and forever.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for all you've done through Your Son and Your Spirit that I might be made holy. Please forgive me for undervaluing what it cost You to do so. Please help me be a willing participant in receiving. And all for Your glory.

 

 

5. “Faith in Jesus Christ is not my own; It’s the faith the Son of God gives me.”

 

I give myself too much credit if I think I can believe on my own. It is the grace of God that draws me, opens my eyes, touches my heart and grants me faith to believe.

 

Just as I can’t save myself, I can’t believe on my own. I don’t have the aptitude, so Jesus grants it to me. “I live by the faith of the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).

 

Beloved, let’s become more and more dependent upon our Savior, and more and more willing to receive what only He can give. This is the process of faith-development in Christ.

 

Lord Jesus, we need what only You can give—time and time again. We call upon You for faith to believe and receive Your daily mercy and grace. We recognize our incapability and Your infinite capability. Thank You.

 

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3.20.24

 

1. “The delight of true friendship with God.”

 

Oswald takes a turn here. He’s been pressing us about submission to God and following God's leadership rather than our natural sensibilities.

 

Now Oswald speaks along another line. He suggests we can be “so intimately in touch with God that we never even need to ask Him to show us His will.” That is, we have progressed into a union with God whereby we sense God's will without even asking.

 

In this place, “all of our common sense decisions are actually God’s will for us.” It’s because Christ has so transformed us that our sensibilities have merged with His. “Not my will but Yours be done” has become a union of our will with His.

 

In this union, if my decisions are wrong, “I sense a feeling of restraint brought on by a check in my spirit.” This is simply God's gentle way of course-correcting.

 

In this intimacy, “we have freedom, liberty and delight,” because, “when He restrains us, we stop immediately.” This arrangement produces great soundness and security as we walk with Jesus every day.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for our growing friendship with You. Thank You we're becoming more familiar with You and Your ways. Thank You for Your ongoing work in our heart, “helping us will and do Your good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). And thank You for the resulting peace and joy. Hallelujah!

 

 

2. “Abraham stopped praying because he lacked intimacy in his relationship with God.”

 

Oswald suggests we don't pray because our relationship with God is not what it could be. If it were, we would “boldly continue with the Lord in prayer until God grants our desires.”

 

Not that God gives us everything we want, but we are assured enough to ask, and assured enough if God doesn't bring it about.  That's because, in our intimacy with God, we’re more interested in getting to God then in getting the thing we’re asking for.

 

“The reason for asking is so you may get to know God better.” Surely that’s the intention behind this Scripture: “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” Why then would God have us ask? It’s because asking builds our relationship with God and solidifies in our hearts Who God is.

 

Beloved, let’s grow in our love for God as we pray.

 

Lord Jesus, may we constantly pursue an intimacy with You that leads to “the freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). When we're hesitant to pray, please draw us closer. We want to know and love You more and more.

 

 

3.  “You are nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith.”

 

It seems bodacious that Oswald would speak this way. Is he doing so out of personal experience? How does he know what the final stage is?

 

“We still have another level to go.” This is Oswald's emphasis on ongoing sanctification. We will never arrive, but must never cease in our pursuit to offer “our utmost for His highest.”

 

This is the never-ending nature of our God walk.

 

Father, thank You for taking us “step-by-step, here-a-little, there-a-little, line upon line, precept upon precept” (Isaiah 28:10). We’re confident we've only begun discovering the riches of Who You are. We relish our continuing journey. Thank You.

 

***********

 

3.19.24

 

1. “We are to be separated mentally and morally from the viewpoint of family members who don’t believe.”

 

This is Oswald's interpretation of Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, they cannot be My disciple.”

 

This is certainly a troubling passage. Perhaps equally troubling is being on a different page from people we love who don’t follow Jesus.

 

It's quite a temptation to attempt to find agreement with others by compromising Biblical values. Doing so certainly brings down the tensions between us.

 

But it also compromises our God-walk. And it compromises our effectiveness as salt and light for others.

 

Our manner of life, conversation, deeds and affect are to be reflections of Jesus to draw others to our Savior. We’re different people because Jesus lives in and through us. And the goal of our life is for others to know and follow Him, too.

 

Lord Jesus, please give us great grace to walk this delicate balance with unbelieving family members. Help us love and embrace, even when we disagree vehemently. Just like You do for us. Thank You.

 

 

2. “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you’re being led, yet knowing and loving the One Who’s leading.”

 

What a tremendous definition of faith. We may not understand the how, where or why, but we absolutely know and trust the Who.

 

“It's literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason.” This dimension of walking with Jesus can strip our gears. In nearly every other aspect of life our reason and sensibility is helping us decide.

 

But when we walk with Jesus, we're letting Him decide. And, although we have no idea where it may lead, we have a growing love for and confidence in the Person we’re following.

 

Beloved, may we become ever more assured we can implicitly and completely trust Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, faith can seem so foreign to us, because we’re so well acquainted with our sensibilities and reasoning faculties. Please help walk in the assurance that comes from knowing You, even when we don’t comprehend or understand.

 

 

3. “One of the biggest traps we fall into is the belief that, if we have faith, God will surely lead us to success in this world.”

 

Goodness. It's certainly a temptation to equate faith in Christ with successful living. After all, isn't that the measure of God’s abundance?

 

Instead, walking in faith leads to a deep abiding in the Person of Jesus Christ.  In time, His nearness and fellowship becomes sweeter than anything the world has to offer.

 

We’re also likely to view worldly success as a reflection of our choices and gumption. Surely the lack of success is an indicator of our foolishness and failure.

 

But what if God's purpose for our lives is to live less than optimally in order to be used by Him in the circles we find ourselves? Wherever God places us, wherever His path for us takes us, may the people around us be influenced for God’s Kingdom because of Christ's presence in us.

 

Lord Jesus, we can certainly imagine what a successful life might look like. Instead, may the measure of our success become our faithfulness and submission to You. May we bloom wherever it is You choose to plant us. And all by Your grace. Thank You.

 

 

4. “The final stage of the life of faith is the attainment of character.”

 

Do we realize the highest aspiration in life is Christ-like character? Because if we don't, we won’t value the process God is leading us through.

 

God's intention is to make us more like Jesus every day. Not just morally, but inwardly, demonstrating character fashioned after Christ Himself.

 

This is surely indicated by the Fruit of the Holy Spirit emanating from us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 2: 22-23).

 

It's Christ-like character, not our accomplishments and possessions, that holds greatest value in the Kingdom of God. Because our character permits God to put us on display for all the world to see.

 

Heavenly Father, please continue to forge in us the character of Your Son. May we go to our graves having attained the highest possible character, and may it bring You glory now and forevermore.

 

 

5. “Faith is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting.”

 

I'm inspired by this description of the faith-life.

 

Although my emotions and reactions can be all over the map, I want my daily living to be integral. That is, the same on the inside and outside—consistent, determined and enduring—all for the sake of God's Kingdom and glory.

 

Oswald reminds us this can only happen if our life of faith is tested and true, built on God alone. We may be able to muster this stuff in the moment, but not for a lifetime.

 

Abraham and others “believed God.” That is, they bet the farm and built their lives on the premise that God is God, God is good, and God will never fail us. As such, they could step out in great faith and audacity following God’s leadership and reflecting His character.

 

Father, I want this kind of faith—a great confidence in You that fashions and motivates my daily living and endurance. Thank You for the example of amazing saints. I want to be among them, and all by Your grace and for Your glory.

 

 

***********

 

3.18.24

 

1. “God intends for me to recognize His claim of ownership over me.”

 

This is certainly contrary to my natural will. My assumption is, I belong to no one but myself, and I choose how I will divvy myself out to others.

 

Because no one else owns me. I’m surely mine alone.

 

We begin to see things differently as we walk with Jesus. God opens our eyes to His sovereign claim over all things—including us.

 

This perspective is at the heart of Christian faith. We follow a Savior Who demonstrated giving Himself completely over to His Father’s will.

 

And He calls His followers to do the same.

 

My Lord and my God, I hereby recognize and confess, I am Yours. Have me as You will. I place myself before You; I’m at Your disposal. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in and through me today. Amen.

 

 

2. “God instructs us even in the smallest details of life. I begin to transform my natural life into spiritual life by obeying Him.”

 

I don't become spiritual; God forms me spiritually. He does so as I respond to His Spirit. When the Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin, I turn from that sin to God, and seek and receive His forgiveness through Christ.

 

Along the way, as God directs me to go left and right, I do so, by His grace. Not only is God accomplishing His purposes through me, He’s also conforming me to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

 

In these ways and more, God is “sanctifying me.” “He’s setting me apart and making me holy in His sight.”

 

How given am I to obeying God? My unwillingness is evidence of the unspiritual nature in me. It may, therefore, require my own brute force, by God's grace, as I determine to obey. But as I do, and as I’m transformed, I find I’m growing more eager to do so.

 

May it be so, O God.

 

Heavenly Father, please bring about this metamorphosis in my life. Please help me participate by being obedient to You today. I'm looking forward to seeing Your finished work in me.

 

 

3. “Am I allowing the mind of Christ to be formed in me?”

 

Something happens in our mind as we yield ourselves to Jesus. There are new learnings, knowings, sensitivities, realizations and more. Jesus is forming “the mind of Christ” in me (1 Corinthians 2:16).

 

But Jesus will not force Himself upon me; I must participate. It requires God’s grace working in me to do away with the old and begin walking in the new. And God can only do so as I release my grip.

 

As I consider giving myself to Jesus to this end, I find myself tremendously possessive of my mind, thoughts and imaginations. Nothing is closer to who I am, and nothing influences me more.

 

Which is why it’s critical for Jesus to transform my mind by forming His mind in me.

 

Therefore, Lord Jesus, have at it. Rewire my mind as need be. I want my thoughts might be Yours. By Your grace, may I become of one mind and heart with You.

 

 

4. “Jesus never spoke of His right to Himself, but maintained submission to His Father.”

 

Jesus didn't simply live a moral life. He demonstrated a life given over to His Father's will.

 

He calls me to do the same, to “vigilantly keep my spirit in agreement with God's Spirit.”

 

As I do so, “Jesus is gradually lifting me to the level where He lives—in perfect submission to His Father's will.” It's a place where “we pay attention to nothing else.”

 

“Are people beginning to see God in my life more and more?” This only happens “as God is having His way with me.”

 

Heavenly Father, Jesus whets my appetite for what He has. Like my Savior, please help me “be serious about my commitment to You and gladly leave everything else alone.” Please take me farther into this way of being.

 

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3.17.24

 

1. “Seeking ‘to be well pleasing to God’ requires a conscious decision and effort to keep this primary goal before us.”

 

If we are to accomplish an objective, we must have a goal. That's true for spring cleaning, a day at work, or a lifetime aspiration.

 

What if our overarching goal was “to be well pleasing to God?” That is, a determination that our thoughts, motivations, words and deeds be pleasing to God no matter what we put our hand to.

 

Is any personal objective worth compromising our right-standing with God? Or, is “to be well pleasing with God” of greater value to us than anything else?

 

If we’re determined to live into the latter, the rest will follow, including the example of our life today. Because we’re aspiring to our grand and overarching goal.

 

May it be so, our God.

 

Lord Jesus, we pray our hearts would become satisfied with nothing less than to be well-pleasing in Your sight. Thank You for every opportunity we'll have today to demonstrate You’re most important in our lives.

 

 

2. “Examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you.”

 

This is one reason we might avoid God. It's because, in His Light, we see our short-comings.

 

But we're only cheating ourselves when we don't concern ourselves with measuring up to God's standards, because our natural affinities and decisions will lead us elsewhere. And that means we're missing out on God's best.

 

Lord, have mercy.

 

Father, please examine our heart—even if it means exposing things we don't want to see. Help us want what You want more than what we want.

 

 

3. “A musician gives no thought to audience approval, only approval from their conductor.”

 

I'm not sure this is always my motivation. Instead, I think I may be looking for your affirmation rather than God's.

 

Surely this is evidence of the human condition. If we examine our daily decisions and actions, they’re often made to fit in, gain others’ attention, and please those around us.

 

Yet what’s more satisfying than our Heavenly Father's approval? There are no more gratifying words then these: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:53).

 

Father, may we be myopic in our desire to please You alone. May we experience Your wink and nod as we go about today’s business.

 

 

4. “My worth to God publicly is measured by what I really am in my private life.”

 

This is such a revealing statement. But instead of it becoming a heavy load, may it become our primary motivation toward giving “My utmost for His highest.”

 

I make public appearances everywhere I go. What do others see in me? Is it important to me to reflect Christ everywhere I go and in everything I say and do?

 

If so, I will need to give myself to the pursuit of God, and out of that pursuit will effervesce the Fruit of God’s Spirit in my everyday life. Because it’s my intentional and unbroken connection with God that necessarily alters how I speak and behave.

 

Thankfully, reflecting Christ is not the result of gritting my teeth, hunkering down and doing my level best. It's the product of a low impedance circuit between God’s heart and mine, and a determination to permit the Resurrected Christ live through me.

 

Heavenly Father, I'm up to the challenge today of seeking first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. May You leak through me as I do.

 

***********

 

3.16.24

 

1. “Learn here and now to live under the scrutiny of Christ's pure Light. Then your final judgment will only bring delight in seeing the work God has done in you.”

 

Do I live in fear of God’s judgment? Perhaps it's because I know good and well I'm walking in darkness in various areas of my life, and I realize there will be an accounting for these things one day.

 

No wonder I might keep my distance from God.

 

But if we “walk in the Light as He is in the Light,” and immediately bring our convictions of sin before His throne in confession and repentance, we immediately receive His grace and forgiveness, and can walk in great confidence as the children of God.

 

To remain up-to-date with Jesus is to walk in great freedom, and to walk in great anticipation of the great and glorious day we see Him face-to-face. May this mode of being mark our daily God-walk.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your constant scrutiny. Thank You for the opportunity to turn and repent in an instant as You convict us. Wherever we may be harboring sin, please shine Your light and grant us a willing heart to respond. May we walk with great joy in the light of Your Spirit, rather than fearfully anticipating Your impending judgment.

 

 

2. If you don't turn and confess your guilt, your heart will become hardened through and through.”

 

I'm so grateful for Christ's immediate conviction and forgiveness. We don't have to prove our worthiness to receive God's grace. It is unmerited, and it’s instantaneously ours for the asking.

 

On the other hand, when I excuse my sin, thinking it won't harm me, and thinking no one is looking, I will find myself distanced from God. And if I ignore His conviction long enough, my heart will become calloused to the point where I no longer sense His correction.

 

Beloved, has God put His kind finger upon something in our life? It's because that thing is toxic and will only lead to a hard heart. And a hard heart can be hard to revive.

 

Lord Jesus, in this very moment, we turn from known sin and receive Your amazing and all-sufficient grace. Please strengthen our resolve to love You more than our sin, and to respond immediately when You convict us. And, where there may be hardness in our hearts, please soften us once again with the oil of Your gentle Spirit. We want to remain in vital, up-to-date relationship with You.

 

 

3. “Sin itself takes its toll. The penalty of sin is that we gradually get used to it.”

 

This is the reality of personal sin. God doesn’t need to judge or punish, because the consequences of our sin are punishment enough.

 

The penalty of sin is it's pernicious effect on my relationship with God and others. Sin is always a crummy counterfeit of a greater good, and only robs me of the blessings that can be mine as I walk in obedience.

 

Without exception, my sin separates me from God, and that isolation is painful. I come to full recognition of that pain when I turn from my sin, receive God’s forgiveness, and am re-reconciled with God. Until I do, I have no idea what I'm missing.

 

Holy God, surely I’ve tortured myself with my sin. I’ve compromised what could have been if I were living in full submission to You instead. To that end, please sweep through my system and convict me of my sin. Please give me grace to turn from sin, receive Your forgiveness, and enjoy Your fellowship without impediment. Thank You for Your good and perfect ways, and for loving me back to Yourself time and again.

 

 

4. “No power except the power of God's Holy Spirit can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin.”

 

Sin fools us. We're pretty sure we're in control, but we're not. It takes us by the throat, encourages our compromises and diminishes our lives.

 

If we’re able to conquer sin on our own, our Savior, His cross and His Spirit would be unnecessary.

 

But that's far from the case. Sin is insidious. It lies, creeps in under the door and poisons our souls. Our best intentions are no match, and we find ourselves at its mercy once we partake.

 

Thank God for the gracious Gift of His Spirit. “We’re more than conquerors through Him Who loves us” (Romans 8:37). What we cannot do in our own strength, God is fully capable of doing in His glorious strength.

 

Holy Spirit, we call upon You for Your deliverance today. We yield our souls to Your process of rooting out our sin. We confess our inability to do it on our own, and trust Your loving and gracious capability of setting us free.

 

***********

 

3.15.24

 

1. “In the beginning of our life with Jesus, we were sure we knew all there was to know about following Him.”

 

Remember being younger? When we had a new experience, we become experts on the subject. We happily informed others because we imagined we knew everything there is to know about the matter.

 

Then the maturing process continues. We have other experiences that contradict our previous experience, and hear opinions that cause us to question the conclusions we’ve drawn.

 

It certainly happens as we mature in our God-walk: “Jesus is far ahead of us and is beginning to seem different and unfamiliar.” Growing in Christ means continually coming to a greater understanding of the “mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16).

 

Beloved, Jesus doesn’t change, but He’s changing us. And even as we and our world change over the years, we can take great confidence knowing “our God is the same today, yesterday and forevermore” (Hebrews 13:8). Hallelujah.

 

Lord Jesus, even as water passes under our bridge, we’re so thankful for the stability You offer our lives. Please continue to reveal Yourself to us more and more. We want to know You even as You know us (1 Corinthians 13:12).

 

 

2. “As Jesus walks before me with great determination, He strikes terror right through me.”

 

There was a time in our God walk when Jesus carried us in a most unmistakable way. Almost like training wheels on a bicycle.

 

But as we mature in Christ, He treats us more and more like the maturing human beings we’re becoming. He may “no longer seem to be our Counselor and Friend,” because He is anticipating us to stand on our own two feet in the strength of His Spirit.

 

Indeed, “Jesus has a point of view about which I know nothing.” He will continually call us out into deeper waters, anticipating us to rely on Him more and more, even when we don't see it or feel it.

 

Remember, “God is conforming us to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). To that end, God continues to grow our faith in every season of our lives.

 

May we not think it strange, but trust His ever-wise leadership

 

Father, thank You for Your steadfastness in helping us mature as Christ’s followers. Please help us stand on what You’ve already worked into us, and take steps today as You continue to form us. We trust and follow You today.

 

 

3. “There is a distance between Jesus and me and I can no longer be intimate with Him.”

 

I liken this to my maturing relationship with my parents. There was a time when they never left my side, but took me by the hand through the developmental seasons of my life. They offered me a sense of assurance as I navigated a strange new world.

 

There was a time when Jesus physically walked among His disciples, teaching them, answering their questions, defending them and debriefing. But after His Resurrection, and after the outpouring of His Spirit, He was no longer among them as a Man.

 

It's not what they had in mind, but it's precisely what God intended. They were to be filled, empowered and directed by His Spirit in Christ’s continuing mission.

 

So it is with us today. As newly born-again babes, we experience the nearness of Jesus as He nurtures our faith. But in time, He sends us out into our woolly world to be His representatives and conduits of His love and grace to others.

 

In God’s strength, may we be faithful to Christ’s mission today.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the nearness and power of Your Spirit dwelling in us. May we walk in greater faith and determination today as Your ambassadors in our world. We want to reflect You well.

 

 

4. “We tend to look back on our past relationship with God in an effort to keep our enthusiasm for Jesus strong.”

 

It's one thing to look back and remember God's faithfulness as we walk in Christ today. It's another matter to live in the past, remembering when we were younger and our relationship with Jesus was new and fresh.

 

Thankfully, our God is infinite, and the newness and thrill of discovering and following Jesus never dissipates.

 

Because, beloved, we’ve only scratched the surface of Who He is.

 

Lord Jesus, please forgive us when our enthusiasm wanes because we’ve left off pursuing You. Please stir our hearts to more eagerly know and follow You today.

 

***********

 

3.14.24

 

1. “There’s no power other than yielding to God that’s capable of breaking the bondage of our human nature.”

 

This is intense stuff. Oswald is talking about the overwhelming power of human nature.

 

For instance, we can’t yield for a second to temptation. Even a nibble and our human nature is rendered powerless and we’re taken captive by that thing. This is true of our imaginations, bad attitudes, fears, complacency, slothfulness, resentment, unforgiveness, lusts, addictions and more.

 

However, when we yield ourselves to Jesus, He’s able to break the power of our old nature by giving us a new nature empowered by His Spirit. Then, by God’s grace, we can say no to temptation and discover God’s freedom.

 

Hallelujah!

 

Heavenly Father, may we yield more and more to You and Your Spirit, and find ourselves more and more capable of NOT yielding to lesser things. Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us a new nature that overwhelms our old nature.

 

 

2. “I am responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be.”

 

Nothing and no one can force me to yield. They can threaten me, humiliate me, twist my arm and tempt me, but I alone and responsible for yielding.

 

I’d rather not be responsible. I’d like to blame someone or something else. But in the end, it’s I alone who says, “yes” when I yield to temptation. And when I do, I’m in its grip.

 

But the tremendous power of yielding also wields the power of God as we yield to His Spirit. To some, yielding to God may seem weak and limiting. Yet, in doing so, we learn to tap into God's power and become free from the cruel taskmasters in our life.

 

And we’re the only one who can say “yes” to Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, we give You our “yes” today. “Yes” to Your work in our lives, “yes” to Your leadership, and “yes” to Your will and Your way. We yield ourselves to You for Your purposes today, and for Your strength to say “no” to compromise.

 

 

3. “Selfishness is the most enslaving tyranny on earth.”

 

Oswald named the most vicious attribute of our human nature: Selfishness. It’s this liability that divides us from God and others.

 

Self-centeredness convinces us it knows best how to satisfy our soul. It makes great demands of others, only to leave us less satisfied and alone.

 

And outside of Jesus, we’re prisoners of this tyrant.

 

Thank God for a selfless Savior Who names, saves and delivers us from our selfishness, and introduces us to His selflessness. In Christ, we discover God's glorious economy: “It's more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your unselfish ways, and for helping us realize our selfishness and the sorrow it brings. Please continue to deliver us from this evil attribute. Please set us free for selfless, joyful, Kingdom living.

 

 

4. “No release or escape from this slavery will come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption.”

 

This is the glorious deliverance of God for the children of God.

 

It may seem counter intuitive, but only in “yielding ourselves in utter humiliation to the only One Who can break this dominating power in our life,” do we find freedom from slavery to our lower nature.

 

Christ not only cancels sin, but can cancel the power of things to which we’ve yielded. Jesus resets our loves and yieldings as we yield ourselves to Him. Thank You, Jesus!

 

Lord Jesus, we want more and more of Your freedom. Help us pry our fingers off lesser things as we yield ourselves to You. Please set us free from the things that hold us captive today.

 

 

5. “A bad habit absolutely dominates because we willingly yield to it.”

 

Surely we recognize our helplessness in habits that exert control over us. “‘I can give up that habit whenever I like,’ but we know we cannot.”

 

Oswald claims we are dominated by habits because we've willingly yielded ourselves to them. Much hardship in our lives is due to our “obvious slavery to ourselves.”

 

Thank God for our Savior: “Yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person's life.” I long for this freedom. And it can be mine if I will only yield.

 

Lord Jesus, we declare and proclaim “You will break every fetter.” Please help us live into this truth. Thank You for Your power that can cancel strongholds in our lives. Please “speak liberty” to this captive.

 

***********

 

3.13.24

 

1. “Salvation means being completely delivered from myself, and being placed in perfect union with God.”

 

What a tremendous way to understand our salvation. Indeed, salvation means we’re delivered from sin and enter the process of sanctification.  But God's goal in salvation is so much more. Jesus intends to bring us into complete union with our Heavenly Father.

 

We undersell salvation if it's simply a means to freedom from the sin that holds us in bondage, and going to heaven one day when we die. Instead, “the Spirit of God has brought me into intimate contact with the true Person of God Himself.”

 

The gift of salvation is the gift of personal communion with our Heavenly Father. How could there possibly be a greater gift?

 

Heavenly Father, we receive Your gift of salvation. Not only deliverance from our sin and heaven when we die, but day-by-day, moment-by-moment union with our God and Creator. What a gift! Thank You for giving Yourself to us to that end.

 

 

2. “As I’m caught up into total surrender to God, I've become thrilled with something infinitely greater than myself.”

 

This has certainly been my experience.

 

I came to Christ out of self-preservation—I wanted to go to heaven when I die. But what I received in return is infinitely greater. I’ve been caught up into the life of God. It was totally unexpected. But it's been the joy and pleasure of my life ever since.

 

I think that's why I love this God-thing. It's bigger than me. It has the smell and ring of destiny and eternity. And nothing else holds a candle to it.

 

Heavenly Father, I had no idea. Thank You for ushering me into such amazing grace. My life is so full because I have been united with my Maker. I look forward to each day, and eternity together with You. Hallelujah!

 

 

3. “If we’re truly surrendered, our entire life will be consumed with the One to Whom we surrender.”

 

How I want this to be so.

 

I do feel like I’ve tasted this to a degree. My God and Savior continues to subsume my life. The things of earth continue to grow more and more strangely dim.

 

I love that our salvation is not about a place or our pleasures. Instead, it’s about a Person—the Person of God Himself. It's a love affair and dance with our Creator. It's discovering that for which we were made in the first place.

 

It makes it so personal. This is less and less about me, and more and more about Him. Which is what makes a great relationship, after all. Hallelujah.

 

Heavenly Father, it's such a joy to know You, to serve You, and to be Your child. You’re continually becoming the biggest part of my life. And the more I get to know you, the more I love You, and the more satisfied and content I become. Thank You so infinitely more than I bargained for. Hallelujah.

 

 

4. “Salvation is God's wonderful and total surrender to us.”

 

What an amazing God!

 

At the heart of our God-walk is a God Who gave Himself for us. The goal of our God-walk, is to give ourselves completely to Him.

 

It's this reciprocal relationship that makes our God-walk so beautiful. We’re following the lead of our self-giving God as we yield ourselves to Him.

 

I love the way God never asks anything He doesn't do Himself. He asks for our heart because He has given us His. And He asks for our faithfulness and fidelity, because He has given us His.

 

How amazing, mysterious and wonderful is our salvation. Hallelujah!

 

We receive your advance, Holy God, and we’re learning to release our hearts to You more and more. Thank You for your demonstration as we enter this union with You. Thank You for more and more of Your love and joy as we surrender to You more and more.

 

 

5. “The consequences and circumstances resulting from our surrender will never even enter our minds, because our life will be totally consumed with Him.”

 

It never occurs to me what I could have had if I wasn't married with four children. The gift of my wife and kids are the greatest blessing in my life.

 

The same is true of my God-walk. I never think about what I might be missing out on because I follow Jesus. I certainly have to count the cost as I surrender various aspects of my life, but those things never occur to me afterward.

 

It's because the sheer delight and satisfaction of pleasing God infinitely outweighs anything I’ve given Him.

 

That's precisely how Jesus feels: “For the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). As we surrender to God, His pleasure becomes our greatest joy.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the incredible satisfaction of being rightly related to You through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. You fill our heart with such pleasure and contentment as we give ourselves to You. By Your grace, may we do so today.

 

***********

 

3.12.24

 

1. “Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits.’

 

It’s so easy to bargain with God. We have this or that need, so we attempt to make a deal with God that may include surrendering this or that.

 

Instead, Jesus says, “Surrender is for My sake and the Gospel’s.”

 

It's amazing how persistent our flesh can be. It’s constantly looking for self-gratification, and will seize every opportunity for personal gain. And it can easily drive our God-walk.

 

That is, often we’re turning to Jesus for our sake, not His. ☹

 

Lord Jesus, please have mercy. I recognize I’m naturally driven by my appetites, wants and needs. Please forgive me when this becomes my motivation for approaching You. I want my relationship with you to be different. I want to move towards the place where I surrender to You and follow You out of a growing love for You.

 

 

2. “We can be so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself.”

 

We know the burden of constantly being on the giving end of a relationship. It seems like the other party is only after what they can gain from us.

 

It certainly make the relationship seem superficial.

 

Is it possible this is how God experiences our relationship with Him? Could it be we only look to God for what we receive from Him, without personal care or concern for God Himself?

 

How heartbreaking that must be for our God.

 

Heavenly Father, I certainly am self-centered and manipulative. Please forgive me when I approach You in this way. I want to give myself to You for Your pleasure, not my own. Please help me do so.

 

 

3. “Genuine, total surrender is a personal and sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.”

 

Oswald names the many benefits of following Jesus: gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, being made useful to God, etc. But, “these things should never even be a consideration in real surrender.”

 

I regret that some of the preaching, teaching and devotional reading we've received over the years emphasizes what we gain from God, rather gaining God Himself.

 

 That sets us up for expectations of personal gratification.

 

Instead, God's intention is for us to reciprocate His love and self-giving, and walk with God in a relationship of offering our all-in-all to one another. Just like Jesus did when He laid down His life for us.

 

This is the means whereby we share in the joy and peace of God Himself.

 

Father, thank You for the mutual, self-giving economy of Your Kingdom. Thank You for all You've poured out for us because of Your personal interest in us. Please help us grow in our intentions to do the same for You.

 

 

4. “True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion.”

 

Natural devotion has to do with curiosity, infatuation, personal satisfaction and gain, etc. It's what many friendships and marriages begin with.

 

But natural devotion quickly subsides as we lose interest and grow discontent. Our fading natural devotion doesn’t have the horsepower to sustain a long-term, self-giving relationship.

 

Including our God-walk.

 

Not so with total surrender: “Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God.” Surrender is an act of my will for God’s sake, not mine. Which is precisely what Jesus did as He gave Himself up for us.

 

Thank God for the horsepower of total surrender. May it be the driving force of our God-walk today.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for often relating to You based on my natural affections. I realize the casual nature of that kind of devotion. Please help me take next steps in walking in total surrender to You, just as You do for me.

 

***********

 

3.11.24

 

1. “If we lose the ‘heavenly vision’ God has given us, we alone are responsible.”

 

I wonder what the “heavenly vision” is?

 

Have you ever had a moment of inspiration from a mountaintop experience with God, a moving message or blog, a powerful time of fellowship with other Christ-followers, etc.? In that moment we sensed God speaking to our soul, and experienced a glimpse of what it would be like to walk in the fullness of God.

 

Then, as time passed, that inspiration faded, and we found ourselves precisely where we began. We did nothing with that inspiration, so it withered on the vine.

 

What if we had stepped into the ideal we imagined? Perhaps it would have been a step forward in our God-walk, to be followed by the next moment of inspiration, and the next and the next. But we missed out because we didn't.

 

Surely, as we intentionally turn our face to Jesus, there will be other moments of inspiration. As we do, let’s determine to be “obedient to the heavenly vision,” whatever it may require of us.

 

Surely this is what it means to follow Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for those moments of great inspiration, where You are so near and visible. Please help us live into what we imagined in those moment. Please forgive us for neglecting to do so in the past. Please grace us to respond differently going forward.

 

 

2. “Be obedient to the heavenly vision in the details of our everyday life.”

 

Oswald is good at reminding us that our lives are not subdivided into the spiritual and non-spiritual. Instead, every moment of every day is lived out in the context of the Kingdom of God.

 

There may be times when God calls us to do great things: Perhaps it's a costly sacrifice, a hard conversation, giving our leadership, lending our support and energies, etc.

 

But the most common way of living for Jesus is in the everyday. It's the way we relate with people, how we speak and do, our affect and attitudes, our willingness to start and complete hard things, etc.

 

These are the proving grounds of our obedience to the heavenly vision.

 

Heavenly Father, please forgive us for undervaluing the everyday. Please help us offer ourselves to you “60 seconds out of every minute, and 60 minutes out of every hour.” Please use us for Your glory today, even in the little things.

 

 

3. “The only way to be obedient to the heavenly vision is to give our utmost for His highest—our best for God’s glory.”

 

The God-walk is not a lazy person's way. It's why we're called “disciples.” We discipline our hearts, minds, bodies and emotions for the Kingdom of God.

 

Like the very best friendships, marriages and family relationships, we value those people by giving them our very best time, attention and efforts.

 

So it is with our God-walk. “My utmost for His highest” is our motto and our goal. No slacking, no self-pity, no shortcuts. We are all-in for the glory of God.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the language of “our utmost for Your highest.” Thank You for the way it constantly reminds us that You’re worthy of our very best, 24/7/365. May the flames of our passion for our God never flicker or dim, but only grow to consume us more and more.

 

 

3. “We get caught up in the practical busy work, only to miss the fulfillment of the heavenly vision.”

 

I have great respect for Brother Lawrence and others in the monastic tradition. Their way is to discover and worship God in the most menial of tasks, including scrubbing toilets and washing dishes.

 

The discipline of their practice is to experience God even in the menial, practical, busywork that consumes most of our existence. They learn to see even the smallest works of their hands as critical components in God's Kingdom purposes.

 

Let's not get distracted by practical busywork today. Let’s recognize our labors as significant in the eyes of God.

 

Father, please help us to see You in everything we do. Please help us appreciate each moment as a means of serving and fellowshipping with You. Thank You for the opportunities to do so today. Thank You.

 

 

4. “God plants His Saints through the whirlwind of His storms.”

 

It's not the sunny days that cause a tree to grow roots, but the windy, stormy days that seem to threaten their existence.

 

Surely the same is true of us. It's the battering and bruising of life that causes us to send our roots deeply into the Word of God, prayer and fellowship with our Savior. If it weren't for those challenges, we would not learn endurance.

 

Thank God for the occasional sunny day. It's wonderful to stretch our arms wide and receive in those gracious moments. But thank God also for the storms that prepares to go the distance.

 

Father, please help us endure today's challenges, that we might be fit and of use to You. Thank You for the endurance You’re working in us. Thank You for the strength we're developing as we walk out our hardships. Thank You for Your faithfulness throughout.

 

 

5. “If you allow God to plant you, you’ll bear much fruit.”

 

“Bloom where you're planted” is a common idiom. But it's not uncommon to wish we were planted elsewhere.

 

“If you select your own spot to be planted, you’ll be an unproductive, empty pod.” We may think we know best, but that's not always the case.

 

It's highly likely our circumstances are of our own design. We're reaping as we've sown.

 

But it's also possible God has planted us in our difficult context. It’s not for our immediate pleasure, but for His Kingdom purposes. We can endure knowing our faithfulness and fruitfulness will ultimately bring about His pleasure—and, in turn, ours.

 

Lord God, plant us where You will. Please help us receive our assignment with determination to produce much fruit for Your Kingdom and glory. And all by Your grace.

 

***********

 

3.10.24

 

1. “We’re saved to be God's sons and daughters, not just instruments for His use.”

 

What a beautiful sentiment. Indeed, we’re God's workers. But we’re also His workmanship, created in Christ and adopted by faith in Christ, to become God's sons and daughters. Hallelujah!

 

And what a joy it is. It's an incredible privilege to be a child of God, and we use our daily life as a means of living, speaking, proclaiming and appreciating this amazing gift.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You that we can call You Father, and thank You for calling us Your children. It is the joy of our life to belong to You.

 

 

2. “The message must be part of us. Jesus was His Own message.”

 

This is great. It means my message is unique to me. It’s the expression of my heart, personality, sense of humor and more. I get to use all of that as I share my story of Jesus.

 

“Our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message.” What a great motivator this is. People take their cues from me. If I speak truth without living truth, I hinder the message. Conversely, if I live the message of the Gospel well, it makes it more and more accessible to others.

 

Lord Jesus, please help me own the message of Your work in my life. Please help me share and proclaim it with all that's in me, and live in such a way as to show others how real You are.

 

 

3. “It takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God's purpose, to make a person's life a holy example of God's message.”

 

Goodness, that's a mouthful. And, quite the process. It's not automatic or random. It's God's work within me as I permit God to do so.

 

This means I must recognize and grieve my sin as a personal trespass against my Holy God. I must permit the Spirit of God to infiltrate more deeply as He recreates me from the inside out. And I must permit God to use everyday hardships as a means of helping me become more submitted to the will of God.

 

To the extent I give myself to this process, God's message will be evident in my life.

 

Father, this is certainly easier said than done. I’m eager for my life to be “a holy example of Your message,” but I’m not as eager about the long and arduous process of transformation. But I’m willing for You to shape, fashion and mold me, so You might receive greater glory, and others might come to know You. By Your grace, O God.

 

 

4. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached.”

 

This is powerful. Sometimes we think the way forward with God is simply to learn more about God and His ways. But that’s not the case.

 

For instance, I can know all about anatomy, the importance of diet and exercise, etc., but it's not until I practice that stuff that it has positive effect on my body, mind and spirit.

 

In the same way, God is not simply educating me, but is transforming me. It’s the process of spiritual formation, and God is doing it day-by-day as I seek His face, follow the nudges of His Spirit, and endure with faithfulness.

 

Afterall, God did the same with Jesus.

 

Holy Father, please continue to “conform me to the image of Your Son” (Romans 8:29). Do what You must to shape my mind, soul and spirit. Forge me and batter me into shape. Please give me the grace to receive it with joy. And all for Your glory. Thank You.

 

 

5. “Before God's message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you.”

 

This makes perfect sense. I can't sell others on something I don't buy myself. I can’t convince others of God's freedom, deliverance and new life if those things aren’t evident in me.

 

And, when these things become my own, I can share them with great enthusiasm and vibrancy. I eagerly help other beggars find bread. I’m liberated to help others find liberation.

 

Lord Jesus, I want to practice what I preach. I want You to do in me what I proclaim You can do in others. Please help me “freely give as I have freely received” (Matthew 10:8). I want to be authentic. Please do what You must to make it so.

 

 

***********

 

3.9.24

 

1. “Our Lord’s words often hit home for us when He speaks in the simplest way.”

 

We may think the ways of God are complicated and complex. However, “Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3).

 

God's ways are far simpler than we make them out to be. Not simple in doing, but simple in comprehending.

 

Jesus simply asks us to walk with Him in full and complete surrender and devotion, living out our daily lives in loving obedience, eagerly given to His Kingdom purposes for our lives and our world.

 

Is it possible we complicate the way of Jesus as a way of creating a diversion?

Lord Jesus, our simple Savior, thank You for Your simple words and Your simple way. May we become simple enough to believe, receive and follow.

 

 

2. “We must continually maintain an adventurous attitudes towards Jesus.”

 

Without a doubt, following Jesus is forever a Great Adventure, with surprises around every bend.

 

And why wouldn’t we be surprised by Jesus’ leadership in our lives? “His ways are past finding out” (Romans 11:33). How can we possibly comprehend, understand or predict where He might take us next?

 

How much of the Great Adventure do I miss because of my unwillingness to risk? In what ways have I compromised my God-walk with my own sensibilities?

 

One day, as we stand before His throne, I wonder if we’ll realize what could have been?

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the Great Adventure of walking with You. How would You have us serve You today? Please give us grace to take the risk and dive headlong.

 

 

3. “Many turned back from walking with Jesus; Not into sin, but away from Him.”

 

Refraining from sin is admirable. But it's not the same as walking with Jesus.

 

Walking with Jesus is more than being kind and good-hearted. It means setting aside our druthers and following His leadership, no matter where it may take us.

 

I certainly want to be a righteous man; I want my life to reflect my Savior. But am I also willing to let Him drive the bus? That means letting go of my control, direction and aspirations.

 

But who knows better than our Heavenly Father what will truly satisfy the depths of our soul? Surely anything less than walking with Jesus is a compromise, no matter how good it may be.

 

Lord Jesus, what a dreadful thought of compromising what could have been had we walked with You. Instead, what a thrilling notion to experience daily Kingdom living in the very center of Your will for our lives. Holy Savior, please help us walk with You every moment of every day, not turning aside to distractions or our druthers, but satisfied only by being in step with You.

 

 

4. “All that’s required for oneness with Jesus is living our natural life in absolute dependence upon Him.”

 

Once again, do we complicate our God-walk? Is it truly as easy as simply walking in absolute dependence on Jesus?

 

I think of those in my life who demonstrate the greatest surrender and serenity in their God-walk. It’s those who recognize the greatness of Jesus and their great need for Jesus.

 

Because, if there's any hint of self-sufficiency, it’s preventing us from knowing God’s all-sufficiency.

 

Lord Jesus, awaken us to how needful we are and how completely dependent we are upon You. Thank You for every heartbeat, every breath and every moment of our existence. Our heart’s desire is be one with the One Who made us for Himself.

 

 

5. “The secret of walking with Jesus is to show no concern for the uncertainties that lie ahead.”

 

In speaking of the simplicity of walking with Jesus, Oswald now names the great difficulty of doing so.

 

Those in the Scriptures who demonstrated the greatest faith are those who seemed least concerned about uncertainties, and simply stepped out to follow God's leadership.

 

It seems so simple until God asks us to do the same. Then it tends to get incredibly complicated. What about this? What about that? Our minds run a million equations as we weigh our cares and concerns against the uncertainty of following Jesus.

 

Yet, it’s when we risk and step out in faith to follow Jesus that we often find His greatest assurance. We sense His nearness and rest confidently in His all-sufficient grace.

 

As we seek to follow Jesus, we have a heightened sense that He has us, holds us and will never let us go. Surely wherever He's taking us His best, because we’ll be with Him there.

 

Lord Jesus, we can become so concerned with uncertainties, and they often prevent us from laying aside our cares and stepping into the unknown with You. Thank You for the honor and simplicity of walking with You. May this be our way today.

 

***********

 

3.8.24

 

1. “To become one with Jesus will not only mean giving up our sin, but surrendering our way of looking at things.”

 

I'm so sure my way of looking at things is correct. How can I be wrong? Am I not the reference point for right and wrong, true and false, fact and fiction, good and evil?

 

Our pushback to the things of God is often along the lines of pride and arrogance. When we can’t understand, we’re offended rather than being humbled. Something inside rises up to defend our inability to understand, rather than humbly asking God to open our eyes to His Truth.

 

Perhaps this is what I love most about Oswald Chambers: He challenges my thinking. It's not his theology or philosophy, but his perspective on the Scriptures and God's ways. He often sees something I don't see.

 

And it typically points back to me and my unwillingness.

 

Lord Jesus, Your ways are not my ways. They are foreign and strange. They frighten and offend me because they are not always sensible. Please help me loosen my grip on my way of seeing things. Please open my eyes to things unseen.

 

 

2. “The Lord wants us to present to Him, not our goodness, honesty and efforts to do better, but real, solid sin.”

 

Good intentions are certainly a good thing. But our intentions to be a better person must also be met with our willingness to bring our sin to the cross.

 

It’s the only way we receive a clean slate: “What God gives us in exchange for our sin is real, solid righteousness.” We don't tidy ourselves up. Our acknowledgement and repentance of sin is permission for Jesus to cleanse us and clothe us in His righteousness.

 

It's offensive to us when Jesus tells us we can’t do this on our own. We're convinced we surely can. Yet nothing we do today can make up for yesterday. Yesterday's refuse must be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

 

“We must give up our claims of being worthy of God's consideration.” We think we’re worthy because of our good intentions. If we could see the soiled condition of our soul we’d surely throw ourselves upon the mercy of God and readily receive His forgiveness and grace.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing with us through our good intentions. By Your grace, may we continually humble ourselves before You, recognize our sin, and permit You to wash us clean. May our intention be honesty with You about our sin and Your forgiveness.

 

 

3. “God will show us what we need to surrender next.”

 

This is certainly God's way. He's never finished recreating us.

 

Even the most seasoned saint is still being sanctified. We’re a continual work in progress as God conforms us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:39).

 

I wonder what God might ask me to surrender to Him today? I wonder how His request will be met? Do I trust Him enough to believe He's working to bring about His very best in my life?

 

Father, please help me trust Your motivations and give myself to Your process. May I please be met with the grace to surrender as You call for more and more of me.

 

 

4. “We will suffer the sharp pain of disillusionment before we fully surrender.”

 

Moving nearer and nearer to Jesus brings a greater vision of His Holiness, and a clearer perspective of my unrighteousness.

 

In His presence, I find I'm not all that.

 

Surely this is the “sharp pain of disillusionment” that accompanies full surrender to Jesus. “Are we willing to surrender our grasp?” That is, our sense of worthiness, goodness, morality, sensibility, wisdom, understanding and more?

 

But disillusionment also brings a vision of who we can be in Christ. When we see ourselves for who we are compared to Who He is, something switches in our soul. We're no longer satisfied with us. We only want more of Him.

 

Heavenly Father, please bring on the disillusionment. “May the things of earth grow strangely dim in the Light of Your glory and grace.” May our disillusionment be overwhelmed with our astonishment at Who You.

 

***********

 

3.7.24

 

1. “Some things seem likely to separate us from the love of God, but nothing can.”

 

This is where we must discern between how we might feel and what is our reality.

 

Indeed, challenges of life can “disrupt our close fellowship with God,” but, “none of them is able to come between the love of God and the saint.” Because the love of God withstands and overcomes every obstacle.

 

Beloved, God’s doesn’t count on us. God loves us out of Who He is, not out of who we are. We don’t earn or deserve God’s love; we simply receive it.

 

As such, God’s love is never deterred or diminished. It’s endless, coming from His endless capacity to love. And God directs it toward every human being ever conceived.

 

Wow.

 

Heavenly Father, we receive Your love, unmerited and undeserved. We’ll count on it, every moment of every day, no matter what. Thank You for loving us, regardless. Thank You for being You.

 

 

2. “The underlying foundation of the Christian faith is the undeserved, limitless miracle of God’s love exhibited on the cross of Calvary.”

 

Do I know this love? Do I trust this love? Have I permitted this love to embrace me? As I do, I find “the freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

 

Without this sense, we will always live under the burden of trying to please and appease God, which inhibits us from simply being a child with our Father.

 

But when we’re able to receive God's unconditional love, we can laugh and play with our God. We can enjoy His mirth. We can even receive His correction, knowing He loves us and is cultivating the very best in us.

 

Thank God for His marvelous ways, and thank God for the demonstration of His love by Christ’s cross. How can we ever doubt?

 

Father, thank You for Your boundless love toward us. We open our hearts today and receive Your unmerited affection and care. Please forgive us for ignoring, diminishing or thinking less of Your love. May it be our foundation, every moment of every day.

 

 

3. “We are super-victors with a joy that comes from experiencing the very things which look as if they’re going to overwhelm us.”

 

Every day we face our dreadful imaginations. We conjure images of the worst scenarios. We pull the covers over our heads in fear and trepidation.

 

Instead, knowing our infinite God goes before us, let’s step out in faith and audacity, trusting God to be Who God truly is.

 

And, as we do, we’ll find great joy in experiencing His all sufficient grace in the midst of that which used to hold us captive in fear and trepidation. Those daily challenges are precisely the things that help us know our God in greater ways. Hallelujah!

 

Heavenly Father, thank You that “we are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us” (Romans 8:37). Thank You that You go before us today. Thank You that, as the wind and the waves appear to be prevailing, You will show us Your victory. You've done it countless times before. Help us trust You again today.

 

 

4. “A saint doesn't know the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it.”

 

This seems like the craziest statement ever uttered. But our experiences demonstrate its truth.

 

We relish our personal stories of God's incredible faithfulness when odds were stacked against us. We've been there, felt the heat and fear, yet experienced God’s faithful care and deliverance in those dreadful moments.

 

And we can't wait to tell others.

 

Although we don't seek tribulation and hardships, or wish them on others, it’s in those moments we often find ourselves closer to God than ever.

 

That's because “our joy is not built on anything passing, but on the love of God that nothing can change.” This is the reality in which we live today. Praise Jesus!

 

Lord, thank You for Your unrelenting love. Thank You for proving Yourself over and over. Thank You for the stories we can tell of Your great grace and mercy when we’ve been in over our heads. As we find ourselves in those situations today, may we draw on our own experiences of Your prevailing grace.

 

***********

 

3.6.24

 

1. “It requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in our devotion to Him.”

 

Oswald is speaking of those seasons in our God-walk when we lack natural enthusiasm and the encouragement of others. In those moments “we have no vision from God,” and can’t seem to lift our eyes to Heaven.

 

There are times when it’s impossible in our own strength to take next steps. We’re drained and unmotivated. That’s when we must press in and draw upon the supernatural grace of God to do what we’re not naturally inspired to do.

 

Maybe we're in that place today. Many live in a toxic environment that’s not conducive to faith. Perhaps we’re incredibly discouraged and God’s the last thing on our minds.

 

As Christ-followers, we've all been there. Beloved, let’s pray from personal experience for those who might be there now:

 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, we call upon You for Your grace and mercy in the lives of those who are presently struggling and despondent; for those who are discouraged to the bone and cannot see You clearly; for those who are pressed down and oppressed. We ask for a breakthrough of Your Amazing Grace. Draw their eyes upward, revive their hearts, increase the oxygen of Your Spirit in their bloodstream. Please help them take the next step out of their darkness and into Your marvelous Light. Thank You, our Mighty God.

 

 

2. “We must experience the essence of the Incarnation by working it out with God's hands.”

 

The essence of the Incarnation is Christ in us by His Holy Spirit. As Christ’s followers, we're permitting Christ Himself to live through us.

 

This must become our go to, especially in times of great heaviness and heartache. We can’t, but our God can. That which we are incapable of doing in our natural strength, God can do in His supernatural strength.

 

We’re learning to let Christ live through us—seeing through His eyes, walking in the faith Christ provides, standing in His strength, and more.

 

These aren’t signs of weakness. This is the essence of crucifying ourself and giving Christ His rightful place on the throne of our hearts. It’s permitting Jesus to rule and reign in us, and bring about His glorious victories through His mighty strength.

 

Lord Jesus, Incarnation of God in us, please work within and through us today. Please do for us what we can’t do for ourselves. We call upon Your supernatural grace and power—the very life of Christ dwelling in us—to do what we find impossible. Thank You for being Lord of our lives.

 

 

3. “When we have no vison from God, we lose interest, and our everyday life becomes trivial tasks.”

 

This is the liability of taking our eyes off of Jesus and going it alone.

 

As human beings, we were made for greater things. There’s no pursuit on planet Earth, no pleasure or accomplishment, that will ultimately satisfy our hearts. Only God Himself can do this.

 

Without a constant pursuit of Jesus, we simply lose interest in the things of God, and we’re liable to become buried in the everyday and trivial tasks of life. Despondency can overtake us, and we find ourselves joining the ranks of the discontent, unsatisfied and unfulfilled.

 

Thank God for His higher calling, His abundant living, the gift of His life-giving Spirit within us, and our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. We exist because of, for the purposes of, and by the good pleasure of our God in Heaven. Hallelujah!

 

Father, we lift our eyes to You today. Please help us visualize our place in Your Kingdom. Please help us to draw upon Your life-giving Spirit as we step into a new day. Thank You for meaning, purpose, and Your grace-filled fellowship.

 

 

4. “The thing that really testifies for God is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others.”

 

This describes the quality I admire in so many saints. They press on, day after day, without fanfare or flourish, unbeknownst to others, but in full view of the God they trust.

 

Thank God for their demonstration. They are an inspiration of dedication and discipline. And surely, if they can do it, by the grace of God, so can we.

 

Lord Jesus, we don’t need to be seen by others to be affirmed and encouraged. We know You see us, strengthen us and walk with us. May our daily inspiration come from a sense of Your good pleasure. May that alone be sufficient as we persevere.

 

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3.5.24

 

1. “Joy comes from seeing the complete fulfillment of the specific purpose for which I was created and born again.”

 

Wow. How profound. “For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross...” (Hebrews 12:2).

 

I sense the joy of the Lord when I know I’ve been obedient. It's worth more than anything else. It certainly helps me imagine one day the joy of hearing God's say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

 

What could be better than responding to God daily? I can't imagine.

 

Lord Jesus, help me be about Your Father's business. I can become so easily distracted. I can foolishly look for fulfillment in the wrong places, when all along it comes from simply following You. Thank You for such joyous pleasure.

 

 

2. “Consider your life valuable only for the purpose of fulfilling that to which you were called.”

 

The Christian ethic is, every human life is of sacred worth, because every soul is created in the image of God. We dearly hold to this consistent life ethic.

 

But beyond being alive, what gives my life value is that I was created for God’s purposes, and I get to live into those purposes on a daily basis. Every day I’m on a mission for God.

 

What a tremendous reason to get out of bed in the morning.

 

But to what is God calling me? In general, I’m called to die to myself daily and make myself fully available to Jesus. I won’t know the specifics until I sense His nudges, but I can determine now to act when He does.

 

Father, thank You for making us for Yourself. And thank You that we get to live out our life in union and obedience to our Creator. Thank You for our moment by moment interactions. They bring such joy, purpose and meaning to our lives.

 

 

3. “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My Name’s sake.”

 

This Scripture passage names the object of our faith and obedience:  It's our God Himself.

 

As Psalm 31:15 implies, we exist for God's purposes: “Our times are in His hands.” We were created for God’s purposes, and by living into God’s purposes we find our purpose and meaning.

 

We were joyfully created by our joyful God to spend time an eternity in His joyful dance. Everything else in heaven and on earth pales in comparison.

 

Welcome to the God-walk, beloved. This is how we get to spend our days. Hallelujah!

 

Heavenly Father, we offer our lives to You for Your Name’s sake today. Have us.  Do with us as You will. Nothing brings us more joy or satisfaction.

 

 

4. “The need is not the same as the call.”

 

This Oswald-ism has stuck with me for decades.

 

If I merely respond to human needs, I will give myself endlessly. There are more demands in this world than anyone can possibly fulfill in 1000 lifetimes.

 

Instead, I give myself to God’s leadership. The needs around me are simply opportunities to exercise God’s call. I'm demonstrating my faithfulness and obedience, which is the greatest gift I can give Him.

 

Simultaneously, the time and energy I expend with my obedience, combined with the God's outpouring of mercy and grace, produces effectual service as I interact with others. Not only am I experiencing the joy of obedience in fellowship with God, but also the satisfaction of knowing my life is significant, and my efforts are making a difference in our world.

 

What a great way to live.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the sense of Your ownership You place upon my life. I love belonging to You. Please help me swiftly respond to Your leadership today.

 

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3.4.24

 

1. “It is easier to serve or work for God without a vision and a call, because then you are not bothered by what He requires.”

 

This is a critical dimension of Christian faith. If my idea of serving God is to simply do stuff for God, I will do according to my liking and common sense or best judgment. That's very different from listening to God’s still, small voice and being obedient even in the smallest matters.

 

If our goal is to follow God’s still, small voice, we will find it does not leave us, but is perpetual in its persistence. God won't twist our arm, but once we become aware of God's nudges, we find them there all the time.

 

We’re learning to know them, and learning to know when we’re ignoring them.

 

Holy Spirit, thank You for Your gentle way. Thank You for making us aware of Your leadership. May we meet Your leadership with instant obedience, even if it's not what we would choose. We’re determined to choose You more and more.

 

 

2. “What do I count in my life as ‘dear to myself?’”

 

Perhaps “I consider the time I decide to give to God’s service as dear.” If this is the case, I will track and keep account of the time I spend. I will tally the cost and equate it as my devotion to God.

 

Oswald uses Paul as an example of one who considered his time as dear, not because he was keeping track of the time he gave God, but because his time for serving God was so limited. “He refused to use his energy on anything else.” Paul recognized how little time he had to give everything he had to Jesus.

 

Surely the same is true of our time, energies, resources, relationships, future plans, etc. If we hold these things dear, then we count any of God’s impingements upon them as a sacrifice to God. Instead, Oswald challenges us to see all our holdings as riches to spend for God's glory and purposes.

 

That's quite a change in mindset.

 

Lord Jesus, I certainly count my fleeting life as dear, along with my limited resources and more. I'm liable to attempt to preserve these things rather than spend them for You. Do change my mind. May I readily pour out my most precious treasures as love gifts to You.

 

 

3. “Paul displays an almost noble annoyance at being asked to consider himself.”

 

We certainly don't worship Paul. But it's interesting that God gives us Paul as an example of a life lived solely for Jesus.

 

My human nature considers myself in every equation. What are my preferences, gains, costs or sacrifices? How much time and energy will it take? Will I have anything left over for myself?

 

I love the descriptor, “noble annoyance.” We can't fake that. Nor is it a prideful display. Instead, it's a determined demonstration of where our heart and priorities lie.

 

In short, it speaks of profound devotion to Jesus.

 

Lord Jesus, I'm challenged by this notion. I would love such a thing to be said about me. Please continue helping me detach from myself from lesser things that I might be more completely devoted to You.

 

 

4. “Our ordinary and reasonable service to God may actually compete against our total surrender to Him.”

 

I can see how this is so. I can feel very justified in my “ordinary and reasonable service to God.” That is, the decisions I make day in and day out as I seek to live a moral and upright life.

 

In turn, I may feel my obligations to God are quite and sufficiently satisfied. If this is the case, I may be oblivious to God's specific leadership. After all, I've already done what is required.

 

But God’s looking for more than an ethical life and obedience to His commands. He’s seeking a surrendered life, wholly given to Him and His purposes. Because God is ultimately after our fellowship with God in mutual givenness to one another.

 

A relationship out of obligation rings hollow. A relationship built upon loving surrender and deference is optimum. And this is what we’re offered in Christ.

 

Lord Jesus, to the best of our ability, and by the grace of Your Holy Spirit, we surrender our hearts to You today. We want to be pliable in Your hands. We want to relate with You in the realm of reciprocal self-giving.

 

 

5. “Never consider whether or not you are of use to God, but always consider that ‘you are not your own.’”

 

Usefulness is not the goal of my God-walk. Detaching from my life and attaching to the life of God is the goal of my God-walk.

 

To recognize “I am not my own” is not to devalue and throw away my life. Instead, it’s to offer my life as a love-gift to Jesus. As I do so, I recognize the preciousness of this exchange, and grow in my appreciation of Jesus giving His precious life for me.

 

How beautiful.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the amazing arrangement You provide for relating with You. Thank You for the pleasure of giving ourselves to You as You give Yourself to us, that we might joyfully flourish together in Your abundant life. May this vision for what-could-be motivate us to do so.

 

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3.3.24

 

1. “When we receive the Life of Christ through the Holy Spirit, He unites us with God.”

 

I love the notion of “the Life of Christ through the Holy Spirit” within us. God isn’t simply improving our existing life. God has birthed His Life in us, and we have the moment-by-moment and lifelong privilege of partaking of that Life.

 

It’s not as if an alien has taken up residence in us. Instead, we were created to house the Holy Spirit in the first place. We were designed for union with God and to be empowered by God’s Life within.

 

Beloved, let’s not simply sip of that Life during our times of need. Let’s nurture it and permit it to subsume our natural life. This is the “abundant life” Jesus spoke of (John 10:10), and He makes it all possible by His cross and Spirit.

 

Welcome to the God-Life, children of God. It’s what we’re made for.

 

Father, thank You for the gift of Your Life in us. Please help us provide a hospitable environment so Jesus can flourish within us. Thank You for the joy of sharing in Your glorious Life.

 

 

2. “We are united with God by His Spirit in exactly the same way Jesus was.”

 

This is difficult to imagine. Surely the Father and Son have a union that we can never experience. But that's not the teaching of Jesus: “Father, may they be one even as You and I are one, I in them and You in Me” (John 17:22-23).

 

Apparently God's intention is for us to be united with Him just as His Son is united with Him. That doesn’t make us Divine. Instead, it brings us into the relationship God created for us in the beginning.

 

The Father is eager and willing. Am I?

 

Heavenly Father, may we be fully united with You and Your Son by Your Holy Spirit. May we wholeheartedly give ourselves to this union and become one with You and one another.

 

 

3. “Pour yourself out. Feed My sheep.”

 

Oswald is direct. “Don't testify about how much you love Me.” Instead, we’re to demonstrate our love for Jesus by pouring ourselves out for His sheep.

 

Unfortunately, we’re liable to see Jesus’ sheep as needy nuisances: “Jesus has some extraordinarily peculiar sheep.” They can be unkempt, dirty, awkward, pushy and wayward. But Jesus calls us to love and feed them anyway, just like He does.

 

Beloved, it’s one thing to love Jesus. It’s another thing altogether to love His sheep. But the former comes with the latter: We love Jesus by loving His sheep.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your way. Please enlarge my heart for Your sheep. And please enlarge the hearts of others as they contend with loving me.

 

 

4. “It's impossible to exhaust God's love.”

 

My love runs out very quickly. I'm so thankful God’s love never does.

 

God calls us to love others with the inexhaustible love of God wherewith we are loved. And God makes that love available to me by His Holy Spirit.

 

That means I have no excuse for not loving others. They may try my patience, but the Holy Spirit is able to supply me with God's unlimited patience. The same is true with God’s compassion, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and love.

 

God calls me to relate with others by drawing from the endless well of His Spirit within me.

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the high calling to love, not by girding up my strength and resolve, but by receiving from the abundance of Your love. Please help me Your conduit of love to others.

 

 

5. “If I love my Lord, I have no business being guided by my natural emotions.”

 

I certainly have my preferences. Just like everyone else, I’m drawn to some people more than I am others. And I certainly find some people easier to love than others.

 

But Oswad says I don't get to pick and choose. God isn’t asking me to love others using my natural inclinations. God calls me to be a conduit of His love to everyone He places in my path.

 

Jesus demonstrated an incredible ability to love everyone He met, and He extends that capability to us by His Holy Spirit. May Christ’s compelling to love compel us today.

 

Father, thank You for loving me beyond natural human emotion. Thank You for loving me unconditionally and supernaturally. Please fill me with that kind of love for others.

 

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3.2.24

 

1. “Nothing can cut through to the center of our being except the Word of God.”

 

What an amazing depiction.

 

We all know hurt. Perhaps it's pain from regret, betrayal, foolishness, disobedience, acting in anger, etc. Our heart ache because of what we've done.

 

But the Spirit of God touches us even more deeply. God's Word gets to the very center of our being, deeper than any other experience or emotion. It's the place God has made for Himself, and in that place we resonate with His Holy Spirit.

 

This is why the Word of God is essential. When God speaks His Word to us, He speaks in that inner place. And as we grow in Christ, we’re developing a greater sensitivity to respond.

 

Father, thank You for Your Word to us. Thank You for the way our anatomy can differentiate Your Word, conviction and love from every other thought and feeling. Thank You for that precious place where we commune with You. Please help us become more and more comfortable interfacing with You there.

 

 

2. “When Jesus asked Peter, ‘Do you love Me,’ Peter was awakened to the fact that, at the center of his personal life. he was devoted to Jesus.”

 

This is so amazingly redemptive. Jesus wasn’t chastening Peter, but was helping Peter see Peter’s love for Jesus.

 

Indeed, Peter denied Christ three times, but that didn’t mean Peter didn't love Jesus. It meant Peter fell to temptation in that moment. We have the capacity for both—even simultaneously.

 

Peter was surely in great grief and despondency because he had betrayed his Lord. But Jesus came, not to correct him, but to help him over that impasse. Jesus helped Peter recognize that, indeed, he did love Jesus. And when Jesus pointed it out, Peter's love for Jesus prevailed and overcame his despair and humiliation.

 

Praise Jesus for revealing our hearts to ourselves.

 

Lord Jesus, I’m often tempted to throw in the towel when I foolishly disobey or betray You. Thank You for calling me out of my darkness and into Your marvelous Light again and again. I feel I do love You, Lord Jesus. May that love only grow and grow as You nurture it. Thank You.

 

 

3. “‘Lord you know all things.’ Our Lord's questions always reveal the true me to myself.”

 

Indeed, Jesus knows all things. We can be thankful He does. And, we can be thankful He helps us know ourselves.

 

We assume we know ourselves well. But there is plenty of bias and deception going on in our soul. Thank God for His loving Truth as He reveals things to us about ourselves.

 

Thankfully He never does so to humiliate or punish. Instead, He’s bringing things to the surface to skim them off and refine us. We’re always better because Jesus has revealed our hearts.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your X-ray vision. Thank You for knowing me better than I know myself. I welcome Your examinations. And I welcome Your continuing work to sanctify me and make me more like You.

 

 

4. “On rare occasions, God will back us into a corner where He will hurt us with His piercing questions.”

 

I can trust God if He must use pain to get my attention.

 

I've asked God time and again to break my legs if it would keep me from wrecking my marriage, reputation, eternity, etc. I welcome His pain as He must to save me from myself.

 

It takes a great deal of love to ask piercing and personal questions, because we know the pain it inflicts on the other. It's why we often sidestep and bite our tongue.

 

But God doesn’t take the easy road. He steps in to hurt and heal with surgical precision and loving care. He’s bringing about the very best in our lives. Thank You, Lord.

 

Father, do as You must to get my attention. I know You mean no harm, but only my well-being. Please do what only You can do to help me recognize my need for You. Thank You for making me more and more dependent upon You.

 

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3.1.24

 

1. “True love never simply declares itself. It’s confessed in everything we do, not merely by our words.”

 

This is a powerful statement.

 

It's a simple matter to speak the words, “I love you.” In fact, we can even do so as a means of getting our way with another person.

 

It's another thing altogether to declare and confess our love with everything we think, say and do. Those things are powerful evidence of our love for another. And certainly of our love for Jesus.

 

It's important that we frame our God-walk in terms of our love for God. Our goal is not to simply believe and receive, but to reciprocate God's love in every aspect of our lives.

 

Lord Jesus, we want to move from believing in Your to loving You. Not simply speaking the words, but confessing and declaring our love for Your with our lives. Thank You for doing the same for us every day, and certainly in the cross of Jesus our Lord.

 

 

2. “Experiencing the ‘hurt’ of Jesus’ question: ‘Do you love Me?’”

 

Surely we can imagine the pain Peter felt when Jesus asked Peter if Peter loved Him. Just a few days earlier Peter had humiliated himself by denying Christ three times—even after Jesus had predicted Peter would do so!

 

I hate feeling like a schmuck.

 

After Jesus “hurt” Peter with His question, “Do you love Me,” surely Peter lived, walked and ministered differently for the rest of his life. He couldn’t undo the past, but he could walk in the assurance that Jesus’ love for him would never run dry. And with the determination that Jesus would never have to ask that question again.

 

I feel that pain every time I deny, disobey and doubt Jesus, and when I’ve ignored Him, questioned His motives or failed to share Him with others. The pain I experience isn’t God’s punishment. Instead, it’s my own heart recognizing I don't love Jesus to the degree I might.

 

Thank God, Jesus loves me even when I don't fully love Him.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the hurt of Your question. It's a gentle excruciation, and an unforgettable reminder of what’s truly important. May my desire to love You as You love me be my greatest motivation.

 

 

3. “The Word of God inflicts hurt on us more than sin ever could, because sin dulls our senses.”

 

This is so insightful.

 

Indeed, sin dulls my God-sensitivities. In fact, I’m choosing to ignore conviction of the Holy Spirit if I choose to live in my sin. Lord, have mercy.

 

All the while, the Word of God, which is “sharper than any two edged sword,” continues to quietly stir and unsettle my soul. It's God's kind and ongoing reminder that I’m compromising what I could have. God will forever evade my attempt to avoid His conviction, and continue to persistently, consistently and lovingly woo me towards repentance.

 

Father, thank You for the “hurt” of Your Word when I’m disobedient. Thank You for the holy discomfort in my soul that draws me back to You. Once again I return to Your gracious embrace.

 

 

4. “When God speaks to us, the pain is so intense that no deception can remain.”

 

I find it unsettling that I can be so deceived. “The heart is deceptive above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Not only am I a scoundrel and can deceive others, but I am quite deceivable.

 

The Bible calls the wicked one, “the deceiver” (Revelation 12:9). I may feel incapable of being deceived, but that notion in and of itself is a deception.

 

Thankfully, the Word of God brings God's Light, conviction and grace. It exposes deceptions, both the ways in which I may be deceived, and my efforts to deceive others.

 

In the presence of Jesus, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The conviction of the Holy Spirit comes upon me in an undeniable way, and convinces me of the truth about God, myself and others, It graciously permits me to detect where I've been deceived, and offers me grace to be forgiven and redeemed.

 

Thank God for the “pain” of having my deceptions revealed.

 

Lord Jesus, I fancy myself as wise and not easily deceived. Yet I realize my heart is quite deceivable and fully capable of deceiving others. Lord, please have mercy. May Your Word continually root out deceit and set me free.