Oswald Chambers is one of my heroes. Have I ever mentioned that? Because I know I've blogged about him before...
He is SO blog worthy though, and this is why.
I've been wrestling with myself a lot since I moved back to South Dakota. Mostly about how I can live a "normal" life, around "normal" people, but not become "normal" in my relationship with the Lord. I'm humbled to admit that becoming stagnate or mundane - "normal" if you will - in my every day relationship with the Lord is a great fear of mine, and one of the number one reasons I didn't want to move back here. However, I cannot live here under a lie to myself that I must prove otherwise, because I believe the Lord has me here for another reason. Something other than living here for a period of time to come out on the other end victoriously proving myself. I want to live my life here in such a way that other people are affected for good. And turn around to affect the Kingdom of God. That doesn't sound so hard reading it as a write it, but I know that people(being the main thing I hope to affect) can really test and try a person's flesh. So, back to Oswald. Yesterday was an exceptionally tough day within the mind of Elise, and this is what I read:
A Spiritually minded man will never come to you with the demand- "Believe this and that;" but with the demand that you square your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One Whom the Bible reveals. (John 5:39-40) We are called to present liberty of conscience, not liberty of view. If we are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty- the liberty of realizing the dominance of Jesus Christ.
Always keep your life measured by the standards of Jesus. Bow your neck to His yoke alone, and to no other yoke whatever; and be careful to see that you never bind a yoke on others that is not placed by Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us out of the way of thinking that unless everyone sees as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God's view. There is only one liberty, the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.
Don't get impatient, remember how God dealt with you- with patience and with gentleness; but never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples", not "make converts to your opinions".
Good, right? It was SO good for me. Thank you Oswald, I'll take it!
