Category: Spiritual

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Repentance: As Examined by Oswald Chambers

Because a man has altered his life does not necessarily mean that he has repented. A man may have lived an evil life and suddenly stopped being bad, not because he has repented, but because he is like an exhausted volcano. The fact that he has become good is no sign of his having become a Christian. The bedrock of Christianity is repentance. Baffled to Fight Better, 83 L

A man has the power to harden himself against one of God’s greatest gift’s. If in order to dissolve a piece of ice, you take a hammer and smash it up, you simply break it into so many smaller pieces of ice; but put the ice out in the sunshine and it quickly disappears. That is just the difference between man’s handling of wrong and God’s. Man’s handling may cause it to crumble , but it is still only so much crumbled-up wrong, whereas when God handles it, it becomes repentance, and the man turns to God and his life becomes a sacrament of experimental repentance. Baffled to Fight Better, 85 L

Never mistake remorse for repentance; remorse simply puts a man in hell while he is on earth; it carries no remedial quality with it at all, nothing that betters a man.  Conformed to His Image 348 R

Remorse is never repentance; remorse is the rebellion of man’s own pride which will not agree with God’s judgement on sin, but rather, accuses God because he has made His laws too stern and holy.  Our Portrait in Genesis 962 L

The prevailing attitude to-day is the healthy-minded attitude that treats remorse as a disease of the nerves and sin as mere intellectual nuisance – “Do things; don’t give way to absurd self-examination.” Jesus Christ stands for the unhindered facing of God, and such a facing will always bring a man to the evangelical attitude – “Just as I am.” Beware of bracing yourself up to be cheerful when you should be broken up into repentance.  Notes on Jeremiah, 1393 R

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Consider these words, lest we be further deceived in the lateness of the hour…

Genesis 9:1-17 The Message Bible

[1-4] God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature— birds, animals, fish— will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You’re responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it— don’t eat that.

[5] “But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

[6-7] Whoever sheds human blood, by humans let his blood be shed, Because God made humans in his image reflecting God’s very nature. You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce, lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!”

[8-11] Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: “I’m setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you-birds, farm animals, wild animals-that came out of the ship with you. I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.”

[12-16] God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.”

[17] And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I’ve set up between me and everything living on the Earth.” …

These 17 verses cover the ocean front today for many of our cultures misconceptions read and heard as official proclamations, perhaps even science. Our hearts are saddened when God’s sacred profound symbols such as the rainbow, are repurposed as possibly profane cultural religiosity whims. Consider how man’s lustful desire for sex has trivialized God’s plan for marriage and sanctity of life.

“Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue” (Psalm 120:2).

“One of the hardest things on earth to bear is deception, especially when it comes from friends. We do not need the grace of God to stand the deception or slander of an enemy; human pride will stand that; but to be wounded in the house of our friends takes us unaware.” Oswald Chambers The Highest Good – The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 527 L

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JUSTICE as defined by Oswald Chambers

Perhaps Examining Definitional Boundaries Today Has Merit Considering ….

The thing that makes us whimper is that we will look for justice. If you look for justice in your Christian work you will soon put yourself in a bandage and give way to self-pity and discouragement. Never look for justice, but rather, never cease to give it; and never allow anyone or anything you meet with to sour your relationship to men through Jesus Christ. Rather, “Love … as I have loved you.” Approved Unto God, 16 R

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is never to look for justice but never cease to give it. We waste our time merely looking for justice, when it is our responsibility to see that we always give justice to others. “If you are My disciple,” Jesus says, “people won’t play fair; but never mind that; see that you play fair.” The Highest Good – The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 527 R

One of the great stirring truths of the Bible is that the man who looks for justice from others is a fool … Never waste your time looking for justice; if you do you will soon put yourself in bandages and give way to self-pity. Rather, it is our business to see that no one suffers from OUR injustice. Shade of His Hand, 1205 R

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Belated Birthday Bunny Burrow Blooper = “What is Truth?”

Birthday Letter to my dear sister Verla Louise Erb Hochstetler:

Dear Sis!

On the day of, available only for your reading by email, I was stricken by seeing Dec 17 in print as if I were Rip Van Winkle awakening from a 20 year nap when I opened the devotional Utmost upon arising this morning, after I had read your email from cousin Linda describing Arlene’s condition amidst the severity of your MN weather conditions.

Surely not again this year, I thought to myself, after forgetting your birthday last year! What’s the deal with me anyway? That indeed is simply the malfunctioning of my mind and its inability to distinguish timely facts from trivial personal self centered fiction, a sad commentary indeed. But definitely a more frequently  observed reality as is continually documented by my loving but frustrated wife of soon 49 years, who is still waiting for me to really wake up and smell her  roses, some in full bloom, others still budding.

I’ll not deny it. I am consumed. By much that are trivial pursuits, even for the guy with 3-4 3×5 cards stapled together clipped to a pen in my shirt pocket. I tried getting organized on my phone but it just never took for this old-schooler that hunts and pecks his messages likely infuriating my three sons who deftly type so swiftly and accurately with their thumbs. Not likely to happen with me anymore! Actually my techie adventure went on life support or hospice care when my eldest son Ben became my “techie advisor” as a young teen replacing both me and Bob Geiser, my Lotus programmer. Fleetingly and addictively during those simpler times, I never once realizing the magnitude of the all encompassing facets of the “descending (not necessarily an ascending) revolution that in 4 decades would devolve into today’s globalist narrative and agenda where by “2030 we would indeed own nothing and be happy,” presumably as we all are rehabbed into mindless robots while being “matrix-ingly pilled.”

In summary Sis, Alexander Graham Bell’s 1844 quote “What hath God wrought?” comes to mind after being the first message sent via his newly invented telegraph, and may I add, is still yet illuminating for us slow learners, the “wrought” part! For example, a few years later on the night of August 28, 1859 after two successive solar storms struck, numerous telegraph operators were able to operate without batteries for two hours. Fires even started in telegraph offices because of the Carrington Event (solar flare) caused by a major electro magnetic pulse (EMF). Google Carrington Event for details.

Understand the uniqueness of this telegraph message from the perspective as this, was I believe the first time in history man was able to communicate from two locations in real time. That was the humble beginning of the digital age which has now progressed with AI ( Artificial Intelligence) to unimaginable levels, one rather insignificant example being producing  political and entertainment clones digitally that we viewers are unable to determine which is the real deal. Actually, such “science” launches a whole new dimension for Pilate’s question when pondering the fate of Jesus – “What is truth?” Regrettably, most earthlings, even some Christ-Follower’s, are still dodging that bullet having never recognized the question was even asked of them.

This media ignored extreme vulnerability from EMF’s today for our culture’s global electronic connectedness from today’s observable and either anticipated “maturing” of our solar system or by such as the globalist’s manipulations or intentional war, indeed elevates the above mentioned AG Bell’s quote and his prolific file of quotes, and especially so with what is now known in 2022 about EMF’s, to be a very interesting read for truth oriented inquiring minds in both “rubber on the road theological circles” or even the largely ignored, at least unguarded scientific reviews.

So Sis, what a bunny trail your birthday did elicit from your warped brother’s mind today! I do hope you’ll be spared many similar onslaughts from other friends and family today. Hopefully they’ll all be the  more traditional encouragements and congratulations.

Happy 71st Birthday Sis! You are an amazing woman. Indeed a tribute to your mother’s perspective of life. God Bless.

Your brother merlin     

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“Individuality” Explained for We Independent Self-Willed Isolationists Obstructing God’s Desire for Us to be “Truth – Tellers in Community.”

  Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” Matthew 16:24
Prompted by Oswald Chamber’s Dec 11 reading from My Utmost For His Highest and tweaked by merlin.

Consider that our ‘Individuality’ is the hard outer layer surrounding our inner spiritual life that too often shoves others aside, separating and isolating people. We see it as the primary characteristic of a child, and rightly so. If and when we confuse individuality with the spiritual life, we remain isolated. This shell of individuality is God’s created natural covering designed to protect the spiritual life. But to flourish spiritually, our individuality must be yielded to God so that our spiritual life may be brought forth into fellowship with Him.

Stated Premise: Individuality counterfeits spirituality, just as lust counterfeits love.

Understand God designed human nature for Himself, but individuality corrupts that human nature for its own purposes. The characteristics of individuality are independence and self–will. We will hinder our spiritual growth more than any other way by continually asserting our individuality. For example, if you say, “I can’t believe,” it is because your individuality is blocking the way; individuality can never believe.

But our spirit cannot help believing. I suggest you watch yourself closely when the Spirit of God is at work in you. He pushes you to the limits of your individuality where a choice must be made. The choice is either to say, “I will not surrender,” OR “to simply surrender,” thereby breaking the hard shell of individuality, which then allows the spiritual life to emerge.

The Holy Spirit narrows it down every time to one thing (see Matthew 5:23–24). It is your individuality that refuses to “be reconciled to your brother” ( Matthew 5:24). God wants to bring you into union with Himself, but unless you are willing to give up your right to yourself, He cannot. “…let him deny himself…”— deny his independent right to himself. Then the real life–the spiritual life–is allowed the opportunity to grow.
Consider this WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS:
The truth is we Christ-Followers (CF’s) have nothing to fear and nothing to overcome because He is all in all and we are more than conquerors through Him. HOWEVER, the recognition of this truth is not flattering to the CF’s sense of heroics, BUT, it is amazingly glorifying to the work of Christ.
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Finally I Get It!


I have read this devotional for years and just this morning, the blinders came off for this Dec 10 reading… and I wasn’t even aware they needed to. God is so good to me! If needed, I pray the same for you.

The Offering of the Natural

Dec 10 My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers  

It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. Galatians 4:22

Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed. (Got it? Understood?)

Therefore, Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis 21:8–14). Perhaps some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice…” ( Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and being willing to pay whatever it may cost.

If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us and will produce continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves physically, morally, or mentally. We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn’t taught to be disciplined when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don’t, you will ruin your entire personal life for God. God is not actively involved with our natural life as
long as we continue to pamper and gratify it. BUT, once we are willing to put it out in the desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the natural (see Genesis 21:15–19).  
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We should always choose our books as God chooses our friends, just a bit beyond us, so that we have to do our level best to keep up with them.
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“Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.”

More pertinent timely quotes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer February 4 1906 – April 9, 1945

“Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

“Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.”

“May we be enabled to say ‘No’ to sin and ‘Yes’ to the sinner.”

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”

“Seek God, not happiness – this is the fundamental rule of all meditation. If you seek God alone, you will gain happiness: that is the promise.”

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust us great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?”

“One act of obedience is worth a hundred sermons.”

“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.”

The community of the saints is not an ‘ideal’ community consisting of perfect and sinless men and women, where there is no need of further repentance. NO, it is a community which proves that it is worthy of the gospel of forgiveness by constantly and sincerely proclaiming God’s forgiveness.”

Gleamed from crosswalk.com Emily Maust Woods, Crosswalk Contributor 03/04/21

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The Law of Opposition (not optional… consider gravity!)

To him who overcomes… Revelation 2:7 My Utmost For His Highest Dec 4

Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life.

Health is the balance between the physical parts of my body and all the things and forces surrounding me. To maintain good health I must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external. Everything outside my physical life is designed to cause my death. The very elements that sustain me while I am alive work to decay and disintegrate my body once it is dead. If I have enough inner strength to fight, I help to produce the balance needed for health.

The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a strong and active mental life, I have to fight. This struggle produces the mental balance called thought.

Morally it is the same. Anything that does not strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome, thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life. But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is also the same. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). This means that anything which is not spiritual leads to my downfall. Jesus went on to say, “…but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness. Then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Our holiness is visibly exemplified by our truth-telling and living in loving community as Jesus taught from the Sermon on the Mount insuring balance between my nature and the law of God as expressed by the life and actions of Jesus Christ. (italicized words were added by merlin)

Click the following link to see Jamie Winship’s YouTube interview “Getting Unstuck” from our continuing struggles in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of our lives by truth-telling in community.

https://youtu.be/BqjtDh_IJ8o
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The Frivolity of Personal Perfection….

Christian Perfection Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect… Philippians 3:12 My Utmost For His Highest Dec 2

It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum.

If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you?

What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life.

When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done.

I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase, but rather, He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.
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I’d Be Remiss Not To Send This Out …. especially the day before Advent begins!

The Focal Point of Spiritual Power …except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… Galatians 6:14 November 26 My Utmost For His Highest

If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God. Instantly the power of God will be in you. “Look to Me…” (Isaiah 45:22).

Pay attention to the external Source and the internal power will be there. We lose power because we don’t focus on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these. We are to preach “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2 ). The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God’s focal point in your preaching, and even if your listeners seem to pay it no attention, they will never be the same again. If I share my own words, they are of no more importance than your words are to me. But if we share the truth of God with one another, we will encounter it again and again. We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives.

In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings, the focus tends to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on the effects of the Cross. The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption. Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 27-29; 1 Peter 3
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands. The one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be. from Conformed to His Image, 354 L
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