One of the things i do each day is read from Oswald Chambers’ devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. This was the devotion today. It spoke profoundly to me, so i thought i would share it with you, as well.

262011
Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart . . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man . . . —Matthew 15:18-20

Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from our Lord, we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.” We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own “innocent ignorance”? If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me.

The only thing that truly provides protection is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.

I don’t often just read the Bible during study. There’s too much conversation going on for simple reading. I’m too busy praying to God and preaching to myself to just scan over the words. I’m not super-spiritual; reading Scripture’s just not a quiet endeavor. You read it, and the words dig their way down deep. […]

I originally wrote this last summer, as I was trying to figure out what to write today this is what came to mind… I don’t remember where I saw this video first, but…It’s AMAZING! Watch the whole video, you won’t … Continue reading →

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2Timothy 4:11- Bring Mark with you , for he is useful to me in the ministry.I came across this verse in my devotions this morning. Let me give you some food for thought regarding this verse.1. Mark had been cast aside from Paul for forsaking him at a …

Giving advice always seems such a tenuous task, balanced between two equally foreboding chasms: impersonal aphorisms that do little to instruct and a fruitless attempt to reach into your future based upon our past. After all, you already have the best book of instruction on all matters, a book you know well. What more could […]