From My Utmost for His Highest

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I! Send me’ —Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6, for me, is like 9/11 or the Space Shuttle Challenger.  Not that it marked a tragedy like those, but that I still remember where I was when I heard about it the first time.

It was on a recording of a Tim Keller sermon—if you’re curious, I’ll find out which one.  It was a lady reading these verses of Isaiah 6. I’d tuned out the Scripture like we often do.  I mean, I wanted to listen—I was listening to a recorded sermon, after all.  But sometimes, I just glaze over.

What pulled me out of my daze was . . .

   From My Utmost for His Highest

I can be kind of ditzy.  I’ve bought things, paid for them and then walked out of the store without them.  Especially with leftovers.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left really great leftovers sitting, boxed up and ready to go, on the table in the restaurant.

That’s what Chambers is talking about here.  “The only sign that a person is saved is that he has received something from Jesus Christ.  . . .  [The majority of Christians’] eyes are open, but they have received nothing.”

The something and nothing that Chambers is addressing here is . . .

   From My Utmost for His Highest

So I'm sitting in Herod's Temple, just taking a minute and minding my own business when Jesus walks up. This happened to me. Today.

And truth be told, although I never expected it, it happened exactly like I would have imagined it.  I wasn't having a bad day, but I wasn't feeling particularly holy, either.  I was worried how I was going to keep a 2 year old going through a nap and a nine year old engaged.  If I wasn't checking emails, I was probably thinking about the emails I should be checking.

And then, all at once, from the corner, Jesus walks directly toward me.  

Now the rush of Christmas and being on the road and aggressively attempted relaxation have all conspired to restrict the disciplines that help keep me straight - Scripture, prayer, listening - but surely I've got enough left in the tank to TALK TO JESUS, don't I?

     From My Utmost for His Highest

. . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . . —1 Peter 4:13

In a Friday morning Men's group at PRUMC, Ken Boa led us for about a thousand years on this fourth chapter of 1 Peter. It's been immensely interesting, but this whole section of 1 Peter 4:12-19 is really special.

Peter says don't be surprised at the "fiery ordeal" that's coming. Be excited that you can suffer with Christ. Now don't go chasing evil or creating your own suffering, but lean on God---as you are reduced, lift up this name. He says that these trials will start with us, but don't fret, they'll be much worse for non-believers and hopefully that additional pressure will bring others to Christ.

He was talking about the coming Roman persecution, but doesn't God still send "fiery ordeals" upon us today? I know that we all would say yes, He does. To deny that would be to either not be aware of your fellow man or to diminish the sovereign power of God.

     From My Utmost for His Highest

Do you not know that . . . you are not your own? —1 Corinthians 6:19

In today’s lesson, I’m trying to get my mind around “God divides the private life of His saints, and makes it a highway for the world on one hand and for Himself on the other.” Is that a highway where the things of the world roll out and He rolls in? Is it a highway where He and the world enter and leave freely? I’m not sure, but I’ve seen both in my life.

For the former, I’m not sure I’d call it a freeway (there’s a traffic jam more often than I’d like), but I can see Christ moving things of this world out of my life and moving other things in. Things I cared deeply about before, are no longer of consequence (and I try to keep them that way), while other things that I felt privately that I’d deal with later, or not at all, or just didn’t register, now have a much greater urgency—like the poor, non-believers, my connection to God.