"How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms
because we belong to Christ." Ephesians 1:3...."If God so clothe the
grass of the field...shall He not much more clothe you?" Matthew
6:30......"He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is
found, far as the curse is found." Issac Watts
Are
we living in God's "much more" today? What does that mean anyway? We
speak and preach much about the "abundant life" but how do we define
that life? Is it about receiving blessings, or is it about the blessing
of receiving the Person? Everyone wants much more. What do we want much
more of? If the Father has truly blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in Christ, why do we spend so much time pleading with Him for
help, for needs to be met? If He's given the much more why do our lives
so often look like we're living in the much less?
In my prayer journal, I have written, "We must focus on the Source, not the lack. On the Person, not the outcome." I don't remember the circumstances of writing that, but I do know that its true. Much of our problem in prayer comes from our focus on the lack, the need, the impossibility, and not our Source. We become obsessed with the outcome we seek. A friend calls this "results centered prayer." Our eyes are upon what we want, not upon Him who we must have. The resulting unrest in our spirit proves the words of Oswald Chambers; "We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the'much more' of our heavenly Father." Though we pray, we talk "at" Him far more than to Him. The rest of God is very far from us, as is His abundant life. His much more. We miss it because though we may consciously be living "around Him" we're not, in our moment by moment experience, really living in Him. We're living by our strength, understanding and sight, not His. E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The word 'atheism' is to be applied not only to those who reject the idea of God, but also to those who live without vital contact with Him."
Paul exhorts in his letter to the Ephesians in 5:18, to "let the Holy Spirit fill and control you." The Greek language translates to "be being filled." They are to allow themselves to be continually made full. How do we live such a life? Chambers again gives wonderful teaching on this. He speaks of our consecration, something I think we fail to really comprehend the meaning of. He writes, "Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing. We cannot consecrate once and for all. Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?" Do we live moment by moment surrendered to Him, and so able and open to receive the constant infillings of His Spirit He so wishes us to have? He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. If we're not experiencing this, it is not because of His reluctance to give, but of our failure, even refusal to receive. His much more has been given. It's on us if we're living on much less.
I love the words to Issac Watts' gorgeous hymn "Joy To The World." His blessing, grace, healing, deliverance, forgiveness....His much more, go as far as the curse of sin is found. And then it goes further. Much further, and much more. Are we living in that today? Are you? Am I?
Blessings,
Pastor O
In my prayer journal, I have written, "We must focus on the Source, not the lack. On the Person, not the outcome." I don't remember the circumstances of writing that, but I do know that its true. Much of our problem in prayer comes from our focus on the lack, the need, the impossibility, and not our Source. We become obsessed with the outcome we seek. A friend calls this "results centered prayer." Our eyes are upon what we want, not upon Him who we must have. The resulting unrest in our spirit proves the words of Oswald Chambers; "We have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the'much more' of our heavenly Father." Though we pray, we talk "at" Him far more than to Him. The rest of God is very far from us, as is His abundant life. His much more. We miss it because though we may consciously be living "around Him" we're not, in our moment by moment experience, really living in Him. We're living by our strength, understanding and sight, not His. E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The word 'atheism' is to be applied not only to those who reject the idea of God, but also to those who live without vital contact with Him."
Paul exhorts in his letter to the Ephesians in 5:18, to "let the Holy Spirit fill and control you." The Greek language translates to "be being filled." They are to allow themselves to be continually made full. How do we live such a life? Chambers again gives wonderful teaching on this. He speaks of our consecration, something I think we fail to really comprehend the meaning of. He writes, "Consecration means the continual separating of myself to one particular thing. We cannot consecrate once and for all. Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?" Do we live moment by moment surrendered to Him, and so able and open to receive the constant infillings of His Spirit He so wishes us to have? He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. If we're not experiencing this, it is not because of His reluctance to give, but of our failure, even refusal to receive. His much more has been given. It's on us if we're living on much less.
I love the words to Issac Watts' gorgeous hymn "Joy To The World." His blessing, grace, healing, deliverance, forgiveness....His much more, go as far as the curse of sin is found. And then it goes further. Much further, and much more. Are we living in that today? Are you? Am I?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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