1st Part of the Journey - Holiness

This week in my study of the Word and reading, I was taken on a journey which I will be sharing over the next few posts. It is interesting when I pick up and read different devotionals and weekly writings such as My Utmost For His Highest (MUfHH) by Oswald Chambers (http://utmost.org/) or by T. Austin Sparks (http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/openwindows/003303.html) sometimes I will read a couple of days and not be “moved” and other times the words leap off the page at me. I was impacted this week by a few writings.

First part of the journey:

I was reading MufHH from July 23^rd (I was doing some catch up on ones I had not read) and his writing on Sanctification moved me.

His referrence was - But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us . . . sanctification . . .—1 Corinthians 1:30

“The mystery of sanctification – perfect qualities of Jesus Christ are imparted as a gift to me, . . . instantly . . . nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.

- Sanctification is “Christ in you” Col. 1:27

- Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul.

- Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy— it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me.

- Sanctification is an impartation not and imitation"

Let this be included in our thoughts this week as we live our life in the now. How can we let His holiness permeate our every NOW?

The Hope of the Glory of God, NT Wright

As I was studying through Romans, I read a commentary by N.T. Wright on Romans 5:1-2. I became excited about the 'hope of the glory of God' and all He has provided us through His Son and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Read and celebrate Him as I did. Amen.

 

Romans 5:1-2 (NIV), Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of glory of God. 

N.T. Wright writes on Romans 5:2,

“ . . . celebrate our access into the very presence of God himself. We have 'the right to approach': this is the language of the Temple, where certain people get to come near to where God is. 'Grace' here is almost a shorthand for the presence and power of God himself. As a result of being justified by faith, we are, in the old phrase, 'in a state of grace', a status, a position where we are surrounded by God's love and generosity, invited to breathe it in as our native air. As we do so, we realize that this is what we were made for; that this is what truly human existence ought to be like; and that it is the beginning of something so big, so massive, so unimaginably beautiful and powerful, that we almost burst as we think of it. When we stand there in God's own presence, not trembling but deeply grateful, and begin to inhale his goodness, his wisdom, his power and his joy, we sense that we are being invited to go all the way, to become the true reflections-of-God, the true image-bearers, that we were made to be. Paul puts it like this: 'we celebrate the hope of the glory of God'.”

N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone, Romans: Part One p. 83

Dwell on these things

Would anyone like to expound on what this passage and this example reveal to us and are they similar?

 

Phil 4:8-9

8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

 

From Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Study Notes on Gal. 5:22

My wife and I used to live on a beautiful wooded lot. The largest tree on the property was a stately red oak that was over 100 years old. In the fall, most of the other trees would shed their leaves and remain bare through the winter months. But that red oak tree would usually retain most of its leaves through the winter. When the spring came, the sap flowing through that tree would cause buds to develop, and in the process the buds would push the old dead leaves off the branches. Similarly, the life of the Spirit normally expels the old dead habits of the flesh as the new life within grows stronger. Rather than trying to remove all of our former sinful practices ourselves, we should cultivate the spiritual life, and the Holy Spirit will deal with them. This phenomenon has been called "the expulsive power of a positive affection."

 

Grace and Peace

 

Obsession

My Lord, I will be obsessed with You.  My want for everyone.

 

Quote from AW Tozer:

You become like that which obsesses you, which occupies you. Is that not true? You see what people are occupied with, and you can see their character changing by their obsessions. They are becoming like the thing which is obsessing them; they are changing; they are becoming different. Something has got a grip on them; they can never think about anything else, talk about anything else; and it is changing their character. Now Paul said, "For me to live is Christ – being occupied with Him." It is the wrong word to use, but nevertheless it would be a good thing if He became our "obsession," our continuous occupation. As we steadfastly fix our gaze upon Him, the Spirit changes us into the same image.

By T. Austin-Sparks from: Men Whose Eyes Have Seen The King - Chapter 4

The Crucified Life - AW Tozer

As we contemplate Him, His death and resurrection, I was moved by this passage from Tozer.  Read, consider and lift your hands in praise of the life He has given us.  Amen.

Christ’s triumph over death, the foundation and fountain of our faith, was everything to the early enraptured believers. Christ’s rising from the dead was first an amazing thing, then it became a joyful wonder, and then a radiance of conviction supported by many infallible proofs, witnessed to by the Holy Ghost. This became to the first Christians the reason for everything. The battle cry of those early Christians was “He is risen,” and it became to them outright courage. In the first 200 years, hundreds of thousands of Christians died as martyrs. To those early Christians, Easter was not a holiday or even a holy day. It was not a day at all. It was an accomplished fact that lived with them all year long and became the reason for their daily conduct. “He lives,” they said, “and we live. He was triumphant, and in Him we are triumphant. He is with us and leads us and we follow.” They turned their faces toward an altogether new life because Christ was raised from the dead. They did not celebrate His rising from the dead and then go back to their everyday lives and wait for another year to pull them up from out of the mire . They lived by the fact that Christ had risen from the dead and they had risen with Him. “If ye then be risen with Christ . . .” That word “if” is not an “if” of uncertainty. The force of the word is “since ye are then risen with Christ.”

Tozer, A. W. (2011-09-09). The Crucified Life: How To Live Out A Deeper Christian Experience (Kindle Locations 396-407). Gospel Light. Kindle Edition.

Presence - Henri Nouwen

"More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them."
Henri  Nouwen from Gracias

Abide in Christ

Abiding in Christ
Grace Walk by Steve McVey, p 145
"As believers abide in Christ, they can act in confidence that the Holy Spirit will guide every thought and deed. Christians need to give as much (my input, more) credit to God's ability to lead us as they give to the ability of Satan to mislead. Grace tasks the responsibility of knowing the will of God off of us and places it on Him.  . . .  Under law, one must find the will of God! In the grace walk, the will of God is revealed by the Holy Spirit to the believer, whose only responsibility is to rest in Him."

My questions are: 
1)  Do I believe these words above? 
2)  What does 'resting in Him' mean and what does it look like in practical terms?
3)  Is my confidence in Him more than my confidence in the evil one or my own fleshly desires?
4)  What am I going to do with His will once it is revealed to me and how important is it to do something?

Grace and Peace