Posted in: gospel
Oswald Chambers wrote:
Total Surrender
Mark 10:28 says, “Peter began to say to Him, ‘See we have left all and followed You’ ”
Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s.” (v. 29). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being made right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all.
We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ‘This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.
That was from my friend Mike.
Posted in: gospel
Dirt. Seed. Rain. Sun. Growth.
Man or not - dirt is. seeds drop. rain falls. sun shines. and LIFE emerges.
It is raining outside today. As I look at the grass, it seems greener. God’s process for growth has existed since the start of time. In Matthew, Jesus uses the story of a seed to describe how God changes, forms, grows a spiritual human heart.
Heart=Dirt. Seed=Bible. Rain/Sun=Environment. God=Gardener.
How willing are we to trust the Gardener? Do we allow the Gardener the permission to work in our heart?
How receptive are we to the seed? How do we invite the teaching of the Bible into our heart?
How hard do we try and control what only God can do?
God, as a Father who loves us, and a Gardener who can create life out of a dark, dirty heart - break through the hardness of my heart. Push the truth and teachings of the Bible deep within my heart so that as the sun shines and even when the rains and storms come - LIFE/Growth will emerge out of me. I want you to be the Gardener - taking dirt and bringing it to life.