First things first . . .

Obedience to the Ten Commandments is impossible unless the first one is obeyed . . .

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2–3)

Lest I think I’ve never had other gods, I only need to look in the mirror.

In the New Testament, Jesus said that I cannot obey and produce the goodness of God unless I first believe and abide in Him.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1–5)

Jesus later describes abiding as equivalent to obedience.

Then the Apostle Paul writes that I cannot do that either unless I am first yielded to God . . . 

"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." (Romans 6:13)

This makes sense. A child cannot obey his mother unless he is willing. He could go through the motions, but if he is ‘standing up on the inside’ any ‘sitting down’ he might do is not genuine obedience. I am the same. Obedience to God is not a surface activity, but starts first in the heart.

As Tozer writes, Peter was of little use to God until he was delivered from his whimsical, temperamental and impulsive nature, his former self. When he was filled with the Holy Spirit and received a divine vision, he began to suffer for Jesus’ sake. His life was first yielded to the will of God and then he became useful in building the kingdom of God.

I too must first recognize and acknowledge the true character of my self-life and consent to its destruction. Christ was crucified and I was crucified with Him. My role is to live in that truth.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The old nature (which is my dead sinful self) will attempt to rise and rule, but I am never to let this god take the place of the Lord God. That old self will even try to produce fruit without abiding in Christ and apart from His righteousness. However, it is crucified and totally dead to the life of God, completely useless. This truth must always be the foundation for my life and my obedience.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, thank You for Your life in me. I cannot put You first without You being here, nor can I obey You unless I am yielded to You and trusting in Your righteousness. This Christian life is not about anything or anyone else but You.

Joyful loss of life

Before Jesus went to the cross He prayed to His Father with requests for His disciples, those at the time and those who would follow Him later . . . .

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:22–23)

Chambers uses these verses to sum up his thoughts on personality vs. individually and how unity among believers and Christ is a union of personality that cannot happen if we cling to our individuality.

First he describes personality as those qualities that make me distinct from everyone else. While I might assume I know my personality, it is like an island or an iceberg with hidden depths that only my Creator knows and understands.

Chambers also defines personality as the characteristic of a spiritual person. When I walk in the Spirit with God’s power and direction in my life, I am still ‘me’ but in relationship with God, I am yielded and united to Him.

In contrast, Chambers says the main characteristic of the natural person is individuality. This means that when I am not following God but my own ways and in my own strength, I’ve taken God’s place as director of my life and have fallen into sin. That is, I can walk with God as spiritual or walk away from God and live as I once did — as a ‘natural’ or sinful person who does not know God.

From these definitions and the above passage from Jesus’ prayer in John 17, Chambers says that oneness is about giving up my rights to myself so that God can make of me the full person that He intended.

That is, unity with God sets free my personality and because of that freedom, I am being transformed. I don’t cling to ‘me’ and can grow to maturity rather than being stifled and in bondage to sin. My personality is still ‘me’ but I am becoming more like Jesus. However, this process cannot happen without yielding my old life, my natural individuality. This helps me better understand verses like these:

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:24)

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The individuality dies so the personality can be made alive in Christ.

These thoughts also explain unity. Biblical unity is not that every Christian has the same understanding and beliefs about everything. Instead, our unity is in the fact that Christ by His Spirit lives in us and is transforming each of us into His likeness. As this happens, I do not lose my personality, but I do lose my sinful tendency to insist on my own rights and be my own boss. Rather, I am becoming like Him in attitude and nature, yet retaining the qualities that make ‘me’ a distinct personality from other Christians.

The natural person does not know the things of God and if a Christian reverts to that natural individuality, that relationship with God is hindered. This ‘self-reliance” must be confessed, put off, yielded to God and taken to the Cross to die. Resisting that process may allow my individuality to remain, but then my personality is stifled.

Yielding to Jesus and rejecting individuality is “losing my life for His sake” yet He saves my personality and makes it like His own. That is the death that produces life, abundant life in rich fellowship with Him and with others that are experiencing the same marvelous transformation!

Breaking the bondage of rules

My father sometimes said of a person, “He’s a can’t man.” He referred to that person’s excuse-making for doing undesirable work. Thinking about it, it sounds like a good description for Christians or religious people that are tangled up in rule-keeping. They say, “Oh, I can’t do that” about anything that doesn’t fit their personal creed.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple . . . . So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27, 33)

I can think of dozens of examples. Jesus points to three. The first one is relationships that interfere with my relationship with Him. “I can’t go to church while my relatives are here — they might be offended.” I can’t talk about my faith with my family because they might not be interested.”

These are mild excuses whereas in many parts of the world, Christians might keep their faith a secret because their family is apt to murder them if they know they love Jesus.

That brings up the second one, bearing our own cross. In those days, this was not about putting up with an uncomfortable situation, as the expression is used today. Jesus leads into from the first example: disciples are to hate our own life because bearing a cross refers to dying and death.

With news reports of persecution and death for Christians, I’ve often wondered what I would do if someone pointed a gun at me and told me to renounce Christ or die. We have a young couple in our church who fled from a country in the Middle East to escape that kind of persecution. Being able to say yes to Jesus can be a life-threatening declaration.

The third example is yielding control of everything. God seems to go easy on many of us, or at least asks for submission on one thing at a time. He does not always remove each thing completely as they are yielded to Him. Often He asks that we stop holding on so tightly. God knows what I need, but He also knows where there is greed or a strong sense of “this is mine.”

Again, all of this is related to our personal set of rules. Some religious people believe that God wants them healthy, wealthy, and happy all the time. They reject all choices and circumstances that threaten any of these categories, even if Jesus is using them for His purposes. Their ‘rule’ of how faith should work does not include loss of personal comfort.

Some believe that certain activities are totally forbidden. This is not as common as it used to be, yet the rules for the “Sabbath” became rules for Sunday. Adults tell me that when they were children, they could not change from their best outfits, play, or enjoy a game after church on Sunday. Into adulthood, those ‘rules’ still interfere with living in the freedom of being a disciple.

I can say ‘freedom’ for I’ve realized that faith means trusting God with all of life. If He asks me to give away a possession, I know I can — because if I need it, He will supply another one. I can trust Him with my relationships — after all, who else can I trust? I cannot control what other people think or do. Only God can protect me from harm.

I can also trust God with my life. Again, who else has ultimate control of life? I make mistakes. Doctors make mistakes. Only God is in charge of even the next breath that I take.

Being a disciple is freedom from that inner pressure of always wanting my own way, and the messiness of trying to manipulate life so I can have it how I want it. It is also trusting Him to make better choices than I would. I might not like them at times, but considering the alternative of stumbling through life without Him, I’d rather be a disciple.

Chambers finishes his thoughts with this (paraphrased): People pour themselves into creeds, and God has to blast them out of their list of rules and prejudices before they can become devoted to Jesus Christ.

I can add that the sooner I yield, the shorter and less painful the blast!

Losing to Win

One news channel focused all day on the incredible devastation in Calgary, Canmore, High River and surrounding areas. Most of High River is under water. Some were rescued from flood waters with helicopters and boats. I received word about 6:30 pm last night that my family is safe. 

As I wrote those words, my sister called. They were taken from their home (with her husband’s dialysis equipment) in a large front-end loader to a fire truck. The truck took them to a boat and the boat took them to a jeep and then to higher ground. Their house already had a foot and a half of water in the basement, but they were rescued. Today, they are saying…

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:7)

Today’s devotional reading focuses on the significance of God being the God of Jacob. His experience is our experience. He was a sinner, even a schemer from the get-go, but God had other plans. In great patience, He worked in this man’s life until that well-known wrestling match when God met with him and crippled him. With strong crying and tears he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26). 

This is easily misinterpreted, as if Jacob wrestled with God and overcame him. However, this voice was choked with sorrow. Jacob was beaten and crippled. His stubborn heart finally went down beneath the pressure of God’s mysterious power. Yet this man won when he was beaten. Jacob triumphed when he yielded. God never left him alone until by crippling him, He broke his resistance and changed him forever.

I’ve been conscious of my weakness, of the evil within that baffles, beats, and spoils me. I’ve fought with God and know that we only win that battle by losing it.

I would not be shocked if many caught in this horrendous flood went through that experience. The God that controls life and breath, the wind and the rain, not only wrestles with their resistance, but this “God of Jacob” deeply intends that He also becomes their refuge.

Jacob’s pillow was a hard, unsympathetic stone. Sometimes God uses tough situations to get our attention. In Jacob’s case, God opened the heavens so that His hosts taught this man that the One who is with him is more than anything that came against him.

God also puts His hands on our lives. He may defeat and wound us, but the wounding is only for a deeper healing. May all that are under His hand this week find that He also is their stronghold, their salvation.

My sister said they are with friends in a large farmhouse. Four other families are there too. Their hostess has a table that seats twenty and could not understand why people kept bringing them food all last week, but she now is feeding a host. The hand of God provided before the need arose!

God’s people know how the God of Jacob wrestles and wins. We also know that in the winning, we lose — and yet by the losing we win for in yielding to Him, He becomes our fortress and our strength. By His grace, we learn to trust Him because He never gives up until we do.