A sister shared a painting she had done this week , following an impression the Lord had given her. It depicted a broken church building and out of that severed building, a healthy tree had grown, reaching out to the world, far bigger than the broken building.
Jesus, the Tree of Life, cannot be contained of man in a building made by hands, of brick and mortar. In the picture, Jesus left the building! The people of God, the Body of Christ, you and I, are His temple…..Our sins are forgiven because of Calvary, transformed for eternity, indwelt by Deity! We are THE HOUSE OF GOD and Jesus Christ lives in me! Does He visit in measure because I am more involved in having my way than God’s way, my agenda and interests more than God’s? I may justify all the “good” things I do, but is my good, God’s plan for me?
The good is the enemy of the best……God’s best.
Scripture declares that the Lord Jesus must have preeminence in my life. When I entered into salvation, I came under a new government, God’s! Self rule was exchanged for God’s …….but self will try to re-establish it’s rule daily and needs surrendering whenever the flesh life tries to depose God’s government of my life. We follow the pattern Jesus demonstrated for us……”……nevertheless, not my will but thine be done”, Luke 22:42.
This period of lockdown has been beneficial for many in the Body of Christ. God has used it to get our attention refocused on the preeminence He demands and deserves. Colossians 1: 18, (speaking of Jesus), “And he is the head of the body, the church, ……that in all things he might have the preeminence”.
Why has the Church in our country been so weak and impotent? The blockages in our lives need to be removed in order that the Holy Spirit can flow freely and the Indwelling Christ may dwell comfortably and have a Voice to the world. Jesus Christ is returning for His Bride, a Bride without spot or wrinkle! In the natural, a bride prepares herself to look her best on her wedding day. As we are the Bride of Christ, we too, must prepare. “The bride must make herself ready”.
The Holy Spirit searches our hearts. He sifts and separates, highlighting the stones in our fields that need to be removed, in order that He may flow more freely through us. Do I recognise my need of total dependency on Him for everything in my life? My acquired knowledge and past experience should not be my dependency. Scripture declares: Proverbs 3: 6 “In ALL your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths”.
The following words of scripture should be my daily prayer : “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer”, Psalm 19:14. A Christ ruled heart, His strength for daily tasks and an ever present awareness of His position as Redeemer, (that is only one of His names). God’s desire for us is to be in constant fellowship with Him. Jesus, our Pattern man, demonstrated this position for us. He only spoke the words His Father gave Him, He only ever did the works His Father directed Him to do. He declared that of Himself , He could do nothing, and yet He did everything by the power of His Father working through Him. Jesus gave the full credit for all He did to His Father. All the fullness of God flowed through Him. There were no blockages because there was no self rule. He lived in a constant state of surrender to His Father’s will.
Humility is key to surrender. Jesus depicted the servant King and yet spoke with the power and authority of heaven. Many in the kingdom seek recognition for themselves and the praise of men. This is not God’s agenda for us. Our priority should always be to please God first, not men. Jesus declared to His disciples that He was among them as one that served, (Luke 22:27). He encouraged them to follow His example of servant-hood and not seek position or elevate themselves. It is God’s prerogative to exalt a person to a position when He has tried him in the fires of life and deemed him fit to be trusted to bear such to His glory. The glory was always safe in the hands of His Son because Jesus refused to take the credit for anything that was done by the power of God through Him……”the Father in me, He doeth the works”, was His constant utterance. This is the position of recognition that God is working to bring us to: no self glory and an abhorrence of the praise of men because it makes God jealous.
It can take a lifetime to come to the lifestyle of humbling under the mighty hand of God. If we do not learn that humility is key to remove any spiritual blockages, then we will limp our way through life. “Judgement must begin at the house of God”. We are the house. It is the little foxes that spoil the vine. God is re-building His House in you and me in this New Day. We must forget our old ways of operating just because we can and always have. Remember…the new wine will not fit the old bottles. The Lord Jesus is preparing in each of us a new wine skin. Only a surrendered life will hold the new. The new can only be held in a vessel where He has preeminence.
“In HIM we live, and move, and have our being….Acts 17:28
Bill Wilson said these words: “If you want to go places you’ve never been before, you must start doing things you’ve never done before”.
Change is God’s current agenda. Will I make my choice to embrace His daily challenges, recognising that His will is for my highest good but ultimately for His glory. My utmost for His highest! This is God’s new day……on the way to “that light that shines more and more until that perfect day”. Hallelujah! It’s coming! Today, harden not your heart, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…..”
