As one who is generally a reserved and private person, I sometimes need to hear a message like the one found in today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.
Let us
consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together . . . —Hebrews 10:24-25
We
are all capable of being spiritually lazy saints. We want to stay off the rough
roads of life, and our primary objective is to secure a peaceful retreat from
the world. The ideas put forth in these verses from Hebrews 10 are those of
stirring up one another and of keeping ourselves together. Both of these
require initiative— our willingness to take the first step toward
Christ-realization, not the initiative toward self-realization. To live a
distant, withdrawn, and secluded life is diametrically opposed to spirituality
as Jesus Christ taught it.
The
true test of our spirituality occurs when we come up against injustice,
degradation, ingratitude, and turmoil, all of which have the tendency to make
us spiritually lazy. While being tested, we want to use prayer and Bible
reading for the purpose of finding a quiet retreat. We use God only for the
sake of getting peace and joy. We seek only our enjoyment of Jesus Christ, not
a true realization of Him. This is the first step in the wrong direction. All
these things we are seeking are simply effects, and yet we try to make them
causes.
“Yes, I think it is
right,” Peter said, “. . . to stir you up by reminding you . . .” (2 Peter 1:13).
It is a most disturbing thing to be hit squarely in the stomach by someone
being used of God to stir us up— someone who is full of spiritual activity.
Simple active work and spiritual activity are not the same thing. Active work
can actually be the counterfeit of spiritual activity. The real danger in
spiritual laziness is that we do not want to be stirred up— all we want to hear
about is a spiritual retirement from the world. Yet Jesus Christ never
encourages the idea of retirement— He says, “Go and tell My brethren . . .” (Matthew 28:10) The God of the Bible desires for local church congregations to meet together regularly so that we can continually stir each other up to right thinking and acting, AND to the commitment to our own Ministry of Reconciliation ( Corinthians 5:18-19)! There are NOT to be separate "Christian" communes that are isolated from the world and never mingle! We REQUIRE the intimate fellowship with like-minded believers that happens at church, and THEN go out as a flaming missile into the world "seeking and saving" the lost (Luke 19:10)! AMEN! Here is some inspiration for you! Hillsong's "Children of the Light". THAT is who we are! Let's spread it around! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
