Monday, July 12, 2010

The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church

Eph 4:13 (NKJV)
(13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;


"Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “. . . that I may know Him. . .” ( Philippians 3:10 ). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?"


Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
July 12

Friday, July 9, 2010

Have Patience

"It's impossible to have patience unless you first have to wait. It's the waiting, which for most of us is difficult and unpleasant, that brings about the virtue of patience. It's an honorable thing to look for ways to wait so you can develop your patience. And what is the highest form of patience? Waiting on the Lord. That's where your patience is at it's highest point."

God is in the Small Stuff by Bruce & Stan

Romans 8:25 "If you look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently."

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Spiritual Ambition

This has been a good devotional for me today.

"It's only natural to have ambitions and to do everything necessary to attain your goals. But should you be ambitious just because it comes naturally? Jesus taught that gaining everything on earth - all things that are supposed to make you happy - will still leave you emotionally bankrupt if you don't have a spiritual relationship with God. God wants you to live with ambition and purpose, but He doesn't want your focus to be self-centered"

"How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" Luke 9:25


God is in the Small Stuff
Bruce & Stan