prayer as essential to life as blood and breathing

This is an excerpt from this past Friday's (5/26) My Utmost for His Highest devotion:

"If we think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts, we think rightly. The blood flows ceaselessly; we are not conscious of it, but it is always going on. We are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect joint with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an excercise, it is the life" (speaking about 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

trusting in God trumps self-interest

So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left" (Genesis 13:8-9).

In today's My Utmost For His Highest devotion, Chambers comments on the passage above, saying, "God sometimes allows you to go into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will joyfully waive your right and leave God to choose for you. This is the discipline by means of which the natural is transformed into the spiritual by obedience to the voice of God."

Try an excercise: insert "trust" where Chambers has written "faith."

***

Did you know that, biblically speaking, the word used for faith is the same as the word for trust? I just heard someone speak on this topic. He was reminding us how a lot of the original meaning of the word faith has been lost (in the whole, fruitless "faith v. reason" Enlightenment thinking). And so the word faith has been corrupted. But trust has not. So this means that you can also substitute "trust" where Jesus talks about "faith" and anywhere Paul talks about faith and, that passage in Hebrews 11? Yeah, it works there too (That's one of the major examples our speaker used. His name was Andrew Olsen from New Missions Systems International).

What happens when you make this change in thinking? You begin to notice that faith is not just an indefinable quality. For example (and this example is again, thanks to Mr. Olsen), if I told you that you don't have enough faith, it would be a lot like telling you that you're too short. You can't do anything about it other than feel guilty.

But if I told you that you don't trust God enough. Ah! Trusting is something I can do. It might not be easy, but I can let go, I can put my hands up in surrender, I can let someone else take control. Not saying this is going to be easy, but when you think about it, it's not impossible like willing myself to grow taller.

***

And now I think I will reflect more on Abram (and later Abraham), "the man of trust" (Gal. 3:9).

thoughts on (and connections to) today's "My Utmost for His Highest" devotion

"God is not concerned about our plans; He does not say--Do you want to go through this bereavment; this upset? He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, nobler men and women; or they are making us more captious and fault-finding, more insistent upon our own way. The things that happen either make us fiends, or they make us saints; it depends entirely upon the relationship we are in to God" (from My Utmost for His Highest, May 22).

This reminds me of something Harold Best says in his book, Unceasing Worship (for publication info, please click on the link to the book). He begins by saying, basically, that "nobody does not worship," that we are--all of us--pouring ourselves out to, or bowing down and serving, some thing or some one, and that Christian worship is redeemed worship, redeemed outpouring. But then he goes on to say that what we pour ourselves into is what is shaping us: "Everyone is growing up toward some measure of fullness, whether of righteousness or evil" (18). And that is what reminds me of the above quote from MUFHH. "The things that happen [I would also add 'and how we respond to them'] either make us fiends, or they make us saints."

This also reminds me of something C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters: "The safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

***

Interestingly enough, today's Scripture from MUFHH is John 17:21. Jesus is praying to the Father and asking for the disciples to be one as He and the Father are one. Chambers seems to interpret this as each of us individually identifying with Christ in His suffering (see the full text of today's devotion here) or giving up our "independence" to trust in God and follow Jesus. And these things need to be done. But what about giving up our independence not only to depend on God, but also to live together as God's people, doing God's work?

What is Jesus saying about the community and close fellowship that we are to have and share and treasure together as believers? Chambers thoughts concerning the will of God and personal holiness (quoted above) still make sense, even when applied to the People of God living together in unity, the body of Christ growing up into Him who is the Head (Ephesians 4:15).

seek what first?

To see the full text of today's MUFHH devotion, click here. But here's today's Scripture and a short quote from the devotion:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

"Immediately we look at these words of Jesus, we find them the most revolutionary statement human ears ever listened to. 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God'" (Oswald Chambers, MUFHH, May 21st).

I grew up in church. One of the songs we sang--in something called "Junior Church" (if you grew up in the church, did your church have one of these?)--was Seek Ye First. Basically, the song was Matthew 6:33 put to a melody (which is, by the way, a great way to memorize Scripture. A guest speaker at the Campus House recently mentioned that there was a fuzzy line between reading aloud and singing the Bible in the early church.).

I mention this song, and Junior Church, because you can sing something and get into the music and forget about what you're actually singing sometimes. That is, if you're like me, you can forget about the lyrics. I'm glad that this is not true for everyone. I've asked people, informally studying this, and I get mixed responses. Some people are lyrics people and some people are music people and others are both. But myself, being a music person, sang "Seek ye-ee first/the-uh ki-ingdom of God..." at a tenderly young age without bothering to think too much about what I was singing.

But, when Chambers calls this phrase revolutionary, it immediately gets my attention. I can recognize that he's right and I repent for singing this so many years without wrestling with Jesus' words.

Chambers says that, upon hearing Jesus' words to seek first His kingdom, even the most spiritually-minded of us argue: "But I must live; I must make so much money; I must..." fill in the blank.

What am I "seeking first"?

hmmm...

Okay, in one of my first posts concerning MUFHH I mentioned being consistently inspired through reading it.

However, I should also mention that many times I find myself disagreeing with what Chambers says, or at least questioning his writing. Take a passage from today's devotion and I'll show you what I mean:

"There are certain things we must not pray about--moods for instance. Moods never go by praying, moods go by kicking. A mood nearly always has its seat in the physical condition, not in the moral."

Hold it right there! Pause. Time out.

Of course, I may not be understanding this right, but (if he's saying what I think he's saying) I think he's saying two things that I disagree with...

1. that we should not pray for God to change a mood. Should it be conquered by...our own will power?...strength? I like the thought, "...moods go by kicking." That sounds pretty sweet, but I'm not sure I agree with Chambers on this one. However, I would agree that if we pray for God to change a certain mood (let's say anxious or worried), we need to be willing to respond to the Spirit's work in us to change this mood. When I was young I would pout from time to time. Usually pouting includes acting a certain way--say, angry or sad--for much longer than you really are. It never failed, usually my mom would try to get me to break a smile (tickling was usually effective when I was tempted to pout). So, I'm saying that's similar to praying about a feeling: God has the power to move us from one mood to another. But are we resistant to His prompting? And if we are, then I think that's where it requires the strength that can only come from God to kick that mood.
2. that only moral conditions should be prayed about (implied from the end of the quote?). I don't have anything more to say on this one. Suffice it to say, again, that I disagree.

***

The Scripture for today is from Luke 21:19. I'm pretty sure this is the Scripture quoted by the bass player in the movie, That Thing You Do: "In your patience possess ye your souls." (Or, reading it from the NIV: "By standing firm you will gain life." This passage deserves further study.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

The title of this post is Romans 8:35. This is also the Scripture text of the day in My Utmost for His Highest (a.k.a. MUFHH after today's entry): "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

Chambers begins by commenting, "God does not keep a man [or woman] immune from trouble; He says--"I will be with him in trouble."

Whatever we are facing, nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul is convinced of this (see Romans 8:28-39 for context). Why? There are at least two foundational reasons that strike me this morning.

1. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) And so God's love for us is not affected by what we have to offer or our current emotional state or anything else, because it depends on what He has already accomplished through Jesus.
2. His continual presence with us.

concerning "careful unreasonableness"

I enjoy the titles for each of the daily devotions in My Utmost for His Highest (see posts below for the current purpose of this blog). Having read the short Oswald Chambers bio available here, I wonder if these titles were his own work or that of his wife? Whatever the case, the titles are usually very creative and even provocative at times. The title for today's bio is no exception: "Careful Unreasonableness."

The Scripture text for today is Matthew 6:26, 28 (though it is, as usual, very helpful to read more of the surrounding context). This is from the "Sermon on the Mount." Jesus is teaching His disciples not to worry about what they will eat or drink or about what they will wear, or even to worry about tomorrow. He gives the birds and flowers as examples. Chambers takes up this theme:

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they simply are!," he writes. He goes on, "So often we mar God's designed influence through us by our self-conscious efforts to be consistent and useful."

He's using the Matthew 6 passage to talk about spiritual growth. I confess that I've tended to apply this too shallowly to my own life. "These are great things to remember to keep from worrying or getting anxious," I would think to myself. "Must be good teaching, though it doesn't seem very practical not to worry... "

But praise God that His word penetrates deeper than that (see Hebrews 4:12-13)! Chambers reminds me that worry and anxiety are really spiritual conditions (What isn't spiritual? That is, what happens in my life that doesn't affect me spiritually? What decisions or choices can I make that don't ultimately have an affect on my spiritual condition one way or the other?). And Jesus teaches me to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."

By "all these things" it seems like He's speaking of the things that I don't usually think of as spiritual, food and clothes for example. But Gluttony has ruined more than one soul and Vanity is a poor god.

Kingdom seeking and righteous living should be first, Jesus says. Father will provide the rest.

"Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Phil. 2:12-14).

turning our backs on glory

"On the Mount of Ascension the Transfiguration is completed. If Jesus had gone to heaven from the Mount of Transfiguration, He would have gone alone; He would have been nothing more to us than a glorious Figure. But He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mount to identify Himself with fallen humanity" (quotes will be taken from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest unless otherwise noted).

See the link in the post below to read the full text of My Utmost for His Highest from May 17.

"He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mount to identify Himself with fallen humanity." This line struck me hard this morning. It's always like that, a particular line or phrase, a connection that I've never made before.

I am reminded that, "...being in very nature God, [Jesus] did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" (Philippians 2:6, NIV). And we see that ("through eyes of faith") on the Mount of Transfiguration with Chambers' help.

Sit with Peter and James and John and see Jesus on this mountain top. The Sons of Thunder awestruck by the lightning glory of the Son of God and Son of Man. Sit with them and hear the voice of the Father: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!"

See Jesus in all His glory, and all the glory of the presence of God in the cloud and smoke that surrounded them. As if the fabric that separates earth from heaven has grown thin and a window is now open revealing the holiness of Jesus' nature and the truth of His relationship to the Father.

And just as quickly as it begins, it's over. The disciples are left in a posture of humility, facedown on the ground. But it is Jesus who will continue to show them the very meaning of humility. He touches them. "Get up. Don't be afraid," He says. And, with that, "He turned His back on the glory, and came down from the mount to identify Himself with fallen humanity," as Chambers reminded me this morning.

Jesus "...made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:7-11, NIV).

Of course, that same attitude, that willingness to turn my back on glory and become servant of all should characterize my thoughts, words, and actions as Jesus' disciple. The "glory" that I turn my back on might be different from the glory you are called to leave behind, but the attitude is the same, and the attitude is Christ Jesus' attitude. We find the meaning of humility by attempting to imitate Him.


p.s. If you aren't familiar with what happened on the "Mount of Transfiguration" (and that's okay, but I think there are few other more mysterious and intriguing passages, even on a purely literary level) check out Mark 9:2-13, Matthew 17:1-13, Luke 9:28-36. Also, you could click here to listen to a sermon I delivered in January for further teaching on the Transfiguration.

Oswald Chambers bio, read My Utmost for His Highest online

you can read My Utmost for His Highest (at no cost) here. you can also view an interesting bio of Oswald Chambers here.

journaling through "My Utmost for His Highest"

for now, this blog is going to be more of an online journal. my rationale:

1. i've been reading through Oswald--that's a great name isn't it?--Chambers' now classic work, My Utmost for His Highest. i don't know how long i've known about this book. probably ever since i was, proverbially speaking, "knee high to a grasshopper." but, for some reason, i resisted reading it until this past january. i am consistently inspired by it, and so i wanted to write down some thoughts as inspiration comes. i want to be able to remember what i've read from day to day. i find that writing about something (and this experience might be true of yourself as well?) is a great way to come to a deeper understanding of it.
2. my hope is that, if anyone reads these posts, they might be directed to Chambers' book or--even better--to the biblical texts from which his devotions arise.