For Thought and Meditation - Tuesday, November 15

[Pine Baron]

Good morning all. Well today's message kind of hit me a little hard. I need to be more careful. Have a safe and blessed day.

“What Is That to You?”
By Oswald Chambers

Peter…said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?" Jesus said to him, "…what is that to you? You follow Me." —John 21:21-22

One of the hardest lessons to learn comes from our stubborn refusal to refrain from interfering in other people’s lives. It takes a long time to realize the danger of being an amateur providence, that is, interfering with God’s plan for others. You see someone suffering and say, “He will not suffer, and I will make sure that he doesn’t.” You put your hand right in front of God’s permissive will to stop it, and then God says, “What is that to you?” Is there stagnation in your spiritual life? Don’t allow it to continue, but get into God’s presence and find out the reason for it. You will possibly find it is because you have been interfering in the life of another— proposing things you had no right to propose, or advising when you had no right to advise. When you do have to give advice to another person, God will advise through you with the direct understanding of His Spirit. Your part is to maintain the right relationship with God so that His discernment can come through you continually for the purpose of blessing someone else.

Most of us live only within the level of consciousness— consciously serving and consciously devoted to God. This shows immaturity and the fact that we’re not yet living the real Christian life. Maturity is produced in the life of a child of God on the unconscious level, until we become so totally surrendered to God that we are not even aware of being used by Him. When we are consciously aware of being used as broken bread and poured-out wine, we have yet another level to reach— a level where all awareness of ourselves and of what God is doing through us is completely eliminated. A saint is never consciously a saint— a saint is consciously dependent on God.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession.
from Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 1465 R

[square butte]

Lots to think about there - Appreciate the morning Scripture and word - God Bless

[USMC87]

Amen, a great message today!

[dverna]

Interesting passage and interpretation. Is it God's plan that alcoholics drink themselves to death, or drug addicts kill themselves? If we 'advise' are we interfering with God's plan.

If a 12 year old boy wants to be a girl, are we to "interfer"? What if the boy is 18?

When do we know "God will advise through you with the direct understanding of His Spirit"?