First, I have to say that 2005 was full of events and happenings I didn't foresee. Funny...as some of the events unfolded, I didn't know then that they were actually for the good. Vice versa, I had no idea that some were unexpectantly worse than I had thought at the time of their unfolding. I do know this: Romans 8:28 says that all things can happen for the good of those who love God. The causal factor here is that one must love God. That's me. The resulting effect is that in all things, He is working for my sake and good benefit. How comforting this is...
The next and second thing, naturally, is that my hopes and expectations for the year 2006 are high. How could they not? They could not only if I had no faith at all and fail to see and learn from the all the events in my life up to this point that reveal the amazing faithfulness of God. That would be both a tragedy and a sad mode of betrayal on my part. But I know that He is good. Too good for me, yet His grace extends His goodness to me. And I'm thankful that I am simply aware of this fact.
Let 2006 come...I can't wait to see what I'll see.
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Friday, December 30, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Faith or Experience?
From "My Utmost for His Highest," by Oswald Chambers:
We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, "I haven’t had this experience or that experience"! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith "in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . ." (1 Corinthians 1:30 ). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!
We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, "I haven’t had this experience or that experience"! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith "in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . ." (
We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a "prayer meeting" Jesus Christ, or a "book" Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.
It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.
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