Do You Really Love Him? (and others)

Do You Really Love Him? (and others)

"She has done a good work for Me" ( Mark 14:6).

If what we call love doesn't take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may being us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.

Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I'm not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things - things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him.

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal  holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. "...but perfect love casts out fear..." once we are surrendered to God (1 John 4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, "Am I of any use?" and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

"When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? We all have faith in good principles, in good management, in good common sense, but who amongst us has faith in Jesus Christ? Physical courage is grand, but the man who trusts Jesus Christ in the face of the terrific problems of life is worth a whole crowd of heroes!

~Oswald Chambers~
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Death is a change of company

"I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!" (Philippians 1:23).

A believer's last day is his best day! Death is a change of company. In this world, the godliest man must live with the wicked, and converse with the wicked, etc. This is a part of their misery; it is their hell on this side of Heaven! This worked upon the heart of David: "Woe to me that I dwell in Meschech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!" (Psalm 120:5).

I have read of a godly woman, who, being near death, cried out, "O Lord, do not let me go to hell where the wicked are, for You know that I never loved their company while in this life!"

"Oh, that I had in the desert, a lodging place for travelers - so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people!" (Jere. 9:2).

And this was that which vexed and tore Lot's righteous soul, "Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)." (2 Peter 2:7-8).

Oh, but death is a change of company. A godly man does but change the company of profane people, of vile people, etc. - for the company of God and angels; and the company of weak Christians - for the company of just men made perfect.

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful - but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." (Revelation 21:27).

"Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Revelation 22:15).

~Thomas Brooks~