August 17th My Upmost for His Highest- Oswald Chambers…”Our Lord knows perfectly that when once His word is heard, it will bear fruit sooner or later. The terrible thing is that some of us prevent it bearing fruit in actual life.” Ouch.
In today’s devotional Oswald leads us to the rich young ruler who leaves sorrowful after being told a hard word- sell all you have and follow Me. The young man left sad and Jesus didn’t follow…He didn’t argue, plead or threaten…He simply let Him go. Christ trusted His Word to do its work in him.
The above quote struck me, ok, it stomped me on the toes. It reminded me of Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from the heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
God has a lot of faith in His Word. Do I? Do I believe that His Word is working in me and in the people I love? Am I cooperating with His Word or working against it…in me and in others? Am I getting in the way!? OUCH!
How do we “prevent it bearing fruit in actual life”? Well, like the rich young ruler, I wonder if MY plans don’t get in the way. I wonder if the box that I have constructed which I think the God of the Universe should fit in, in how and why He does what He does gets in the way. Faith in ME gets in the way…as if I have something to offer.
Hummm….Oswald’s simple statement makes me pause and think and then pause again and ask…”Lord, what do YOU see that hinders or prevents Your Word from working in me and in me to others?” I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to stand in the way, sit in the way, do in the way, or any other “in the way” you can think of…of what He is desiring to do in me and in others. He will do what He is going to do and His Word will accomplish what He has set forth for it to do. I need to continually get on His page and ask, submit, agree and respond in faith to Him, trusting Him that He is enough.
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