Worship Invitation

Come to Me

“Jamie Grace” was the first thought that came to my head upon waking Sunday morning, followed by the name of her song entitled “Come to Me.”  I had been thinking of a song the previous morning, and had gotten up fully intending to not just write the title down, but to go ahead and type it straightaway into my daily PC journal.  (I did remember my Easter lesson!)  However, after turning the computer on, I became distracted looking at the devotionals online and then couldn’t remember the song.  I repented of not writing the title down immediately upon waking (trying again to do things my way without even realizing it!), asking the LORD to please restore to my remembrance what it was.  In His mercy, I believed that He had answered my prayer with restoration, so I thankfully just reached over, got a pen along with something to write on, and wrote down the song title.

Come to Me

Turning over to go back to sleep, my eyes fell on the words I had written, and they became rhema to my spirit as an invitation: Come to Me!  (… as though God was making His appeal through those words – 2 Corinthians 5:20)

I had not really planned to go to church that morning, wrestling in my mind and my heart about some things, and circumstances appearing the night before as if my attendance would be prohibited.  But I had been asking for guidance, and it looked as if this was God’s faithful answer.  Things fell into place such that not only was I being invited, but also the way was being made for me to go, and I was able to go to the early gathering for the first time.

Sitting in church, thanking God for His gracious invitation and provision such that I would be there, I sensed the instruction of His loving, gentle rebuke:  It didn’t matter what I thought or felt about some things; what mattered was where He would have me worship Him.  [… and later, by extension, how]

So a couple of days later, in hearing of how God, in His great mercy, had seen fit to encourage someone through something He had led me to do / say, I was so humbled, and gratefully pondered the way (Romans 8:28-30) He truly works all things together for the good of all of us us (as I was likewise encouraged by the report of God's goodness - Hebrews 10:25!) … all glory and praise be unto His Name!  How Great is Our God!!!

Jude 1:24-25 (KJV)

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

… and my journey with Him continues …

Devotional thoughts - Mountains, High Places

Thinking about today’s My Utmost for His Highest:

Can You Come Down From the Mountain?

While you have the light, believe in the light . . . —John 12:36

We all have moments when we feel better than ever before, and we say, “I feel fit for anything; if only I could always be like this!” We are not meant to be. Those moments are moments of insight which we have to live up to even when we do not feel like it. Many of us are no good for the everyday world when we are not on the mountaintop. Yet we must bring our everyday life up to the standard revealed to us on the mountaintop when we were there.

Never allow a feeling that was awakened in you on the mountaintop to evaporate. Don’t place yourself on the shelf by thinking, “How great to be in such a wonderful state of mind!” Act immediately— do something, even if your only reason to act is that you would rather not. If, during a prayer meeting, God shows you something to do, don’t say, “I’ll do it”— just do it! Pick yourself up by the back of the neck and shake off your fleshly laziness. Laziness can always be seen in our cravings for a mountaintop experience; all we talk about is our planning for our time on the mountain. We must learn to live in the ordinary “gray” day according to what we saw on the mountain.

Don’t give up because you have been blocked and confused once— go after it again. Burn your bridges behind you, and stand committed to God by an act of your own will. Never change your decisions, but be sure to make your decisions in the light of what you saw and learned on the mountain.

The website (www.utmost.org) also features a quote by the author from one of his books (shown as “Wisdom from Oswald Chambers”) which, at the moment I was reading the devotional, said:

Civilization is based on principles which imply that the passing moment is permanent. The only permanent thing is God, and if I put anything else as permanent, I become atheistic. I must build only on God (John 14:6). The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 L

Both the devotional and the quote make me think of this Scriptural event:

Matthew 17 :1-21 (KJV)

 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

² And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

³ And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

⁴ Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

⁵ While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

⁶ And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

⁷ And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

⁸ And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

⁹ And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

¹⁰ And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

¹¹ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

¹² But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

¹³ Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

¹⁴ And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

¹⁵ Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

¹⁶ And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

¹⁸ And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

¹⁹ Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

²⁰ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

²¹ Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The devotional piece also makes me think of the book, Hind’s Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard, where the last two chapters are entitled “High Places” and “Return to the Valley.”  One internet description of the book referenced, “Lessons learned on the slopes of the high places…”  And this reminds me of:

Psalm 18:31-33

³¹ For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

³² It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

³³ He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

 

... and my journey with Him continues ...