An external religion, with its rules and forms, has taken the place of an inward experience with Christ. The saints of old - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Enoch and Job - knew and experienced God inwardly in a personal and vital way. For Christ to truly reign within you everything must be submitted to Him without reservation. There are many who oppose such a total surrender to this reign.
Many pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," but have no intention o giving up their own ways, nor allowing the cross to deal with their most deeply held desires. God wants to take each one of us, although we naturally resist it, through a desert time of experiencing the cross. He does not want to make it hard on us for no reason, but only so that we might enter the quiet rest of the promised land with Him.
Many refuse His call, choosing what they think to be an easier path by "going back to Egypt". They are really only going back to slavery of their own desires. You see, most people would rather suffer anything than to allow themselves to be dethroned in the kingdom of their own heart.
It is a common idea that Jesus Christ will come again one day and reign over the entire earth. But we should ask, "Who speeds His return by giving up to His reign everything within them, here and now?"
The Lord gave you no strict rituals to follow. He teaches you to "enter into your closet," that is, to quiet yourself, open your heart, and without many words, to touch your Lord who is within you.
The Sabbath is not just a day of outward rest, but the continual rest that you are privileged to enjoy when you are in union with God. How I wish that all Christians would know this deep, restful union with God: to live in God and have God live in them!
Does external faith come from the heart? What is the difference between external (head knowledge) faith, and a heart-felt faith that comes from within?
Funny how you had a similar idea to what the Lord's been telling me this morning, though from a slightly different slant.
ReplyDeleteDriving into work this morning I heard an older contemporary Christian song, "No Matter What." The key line in the chorus is, "I know that you can find a way to keep me from the pain, but if not, I'll trust you no matter what." (Emphasis is mine.)
The next song was Tenth Avenue North's "You Are More." The chorus goes:
You are more than the choices that you've made
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes
You are more than the problems you create
You've been remade.
The third thing spoken to me dealt with how I had planned today to go being completely changed late yesterday. The original plan had me stressed, but having to reorganize things, including at work, stressed me out even more. Isn't that how God works sometimes, though?
I'll probably have a full blog post later today ... or not, as the Lord wills.
Yes it is! I think, perhaps, the hardest thing for us is to trust that He work things "perfectly" for each of us, and "whatever will be, will be." I will enjoy your full blog post if you get it done today.
ReplyDeleteOr, in other words, stop worrying! I say that with a smile but we all know how hard it is to stop worrying and trust in Him to handle things. Yet, after learning to do this, it does become easier after awhile.
ReplyDelete