CONTROL: (we are) Christ's Own, Now (may we) Totally TRUST/RELY On the Lord
As we begin our New Year of 2017, though I won't say for you, I know with me I go through a period of reflection and pondering what new positive habits I should consider, along with what old negative habits I should discard.
Then the inner-battle begins with regards to who's really in CONTROL?
We'll get to that in a moment. During my readings today, this Concept of CONTROL kept popping up. Interestingly, Oswald Chambers Devotional ("My Utmost For His Highest") provided Insights from The Holy Spirit that I hadn't considered.....So....bear with me for a moment....
When our Lord Jesus Called Simon Peter (and Andrew), He Said to them....{Matthew 4:19 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)}...."Follow ME, And I Will Make you Fishers of men.” The WORD says Peter and Andrew essentially dropped everything and Followed Jesus. Oswald Chamber makes the point that Peter and Andrew's decision, at this juncture, was a compulsion driven by their old-self, drawn To God's LIGHT and LIVING WORD Reflected Through our Lord Jesus.
However, like us, we will come to a point where we reach the 'end-of-our-old-self's-rope' and in essence, like Peter, we will deny our Lord Jesus and His Lordship over us. Likewise, as with Peter, I know, when I reached that point, I did stray away due to being ashamed, and I would say, convinced by the old-self's murmurs, HE Couldn't Want or LOVE me anymore for I had denied HIM. BUT in reality this was all more a matter of CONTROL....the old-self desperately wants to remain in CONTROL!
Praise God, though - For our Lord Jesus, Especially Since HE Knows What It IS to be Fully Human, HE Can Say to us, from HIS Ultimate Position of Understanding.....{John 14:26-27 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)}...."But The Helper, The Holy Spirit, Whom The Father Will Send In MY Name, HE Will Teach you ALL Things And Bring To your Remembrance ALL That I Have Said To you. PEACE I Leave With you; MY PEACE I Give To you. NOT as the world gives Do I Give To you. Let NOT your Hearts be troubled, Neither let them be afraid."
Our Lord Jesus Completely Knew and Understood that we, like Peter, would fall away. That our old-selves would struggle with CONTROL. He knew that we would finally come to the point that we'd begin to GRASP that on our own.....we can't do IT. Thus HIS Promise To HIS disciples (and to us) just prior to HIS Returning to The Father.....{Acts 1:8 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)}...." BUT you Will Receive POWER When The Holy Spirit Has Come Upon you, And you Will Be MY Witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Thus, once we've gotten it that, indeed, our old-self is NOT in CONTROL, like Peter we can Hear and Understand.....{John 21:18-19 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)}...."And Jesus Said, 'Truly, Truly, I Say to you, When you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, BUT When you are old, you will stretch out your hands, And Another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.' This he said to show by what kind of death Peter was to Glorify God. And After Saying This HE Said to him, 'Follow ME.'”
The ONLY Way Peter (and we) can accomplish John 21:18-19 is via His Holy Spirit's Power and Presence within us.
So.....long way around it, BUT, BLUF - my Primary Resolution for 2017 is to Pray Once More that His Holy Spirit, little-by-little, Continue His Transformation Work Within me, Knowing that He's In CONTROL......Here....we....GO.....
My PJP2 Prelude Prayer for us today would be to Share His Holy Spirit's Inspired WORD as Paul Records in Colossians 3:12-17 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Put On Then, As God's chosen ones, Holy And Beloved, Compassionate Hearts, Kindness, Humility, Meekness, And Patience, Bearing With one another And, IF one has a complaint against another, Forgiving each other; AS The Lord Has Forgiven you, SO you Also Must Forgive. And Above ALL These PUT ON LOVE, Which Binds Everything Together In Perfect Harmony. And Let The PEACE Of Christ RULE In your Hearts, To Which Indeed you Were Called In One Body. And Be Thankful. Let The WORD Of Christ Dwell In you Richly, Teaching And Admonishing one another In ALL Wisdom, Singing Psalms And Hymns And Spiritual Songs, With Thankfulness In your Hearts To God. And Whatever you Do, In Word Or Deed, DO Everything In The Name Of The Lord Jesus, Giving Thanks To God The Father THROUGH Him.".....
O Lord Jesus, In Your Holy Name we Lift Up our Prayers....Amen and Amen....jaj
No comments:
Post a Comment