by David Brenneman
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:14-20.
"Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy" - From Open the Eyes of My Heart by Michael W. Smith. (c) 2001.
There's much more than meets the eye for those who are truly saved in Christ Jesus. There's that seeing of things as they really are and not as the world has described them to be with their closed eyes to all that's spiritual. The Bible tells us that those who are not saved cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned.
Essentially put, unless a person is saved they're never going to know what being saved is about.
It's interesting that in our world we are replete with video's and testimonies of what blind people see and their perception of reality.
It's also been the butt of many jokes.
We who are saved begin the process of growing in Christ by way of the intentional teaching and lessons brought forth from the Spirit of God. This is a non-optional occurrence. This isn't different for anyone who has made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
What differs from person to person is the methods used and what our particular spiritual gifts that we were given are meant to be used for in growing up in Christ as well as ministering to other Believers and to convey the same message of the Gospel to the as yet unbelieving.
Many people disqualify themselves based on what they think they see as potential in their lives for serving God. They have a list longer than what Moses had for reasons why they will fail at the ministry that the Spirit wants to do through them.
The best thing you can do in every situation is to quit evaluating your potential in Christ and trust the NEW work being done in your life in Christ. It's new, of course you're not going to fully get it! Nobody entering basic training knows exactly what the drill instructor's wishes and desires are for them. There's a significant learning curve.
We read of David’s reasons for not using King Saul's armor. Yet in a similar fashion people take off the whole armor of God because of how it's making them feel. Do yourself a favor. Get used to that armor because the life you will save will be more than your own.
We only get used to new clothing by wearing them n breaking them in. I can remember as a kid some new clothes chafing me.
We need to see things through God's perspective. We can't trust ours because our finite understanding isn't up to the task. Some of the greatest geniuses this world has ever known are in Hell all because intelligence as great as theirs was proving the Word of God true...the unsaved mind cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually appraised, discerned, figured out.
For those in Christ...we learn how we learn as we go in this life with the Spirit of God. We will never all be Billy Graham's, Charles Stanley's, John MacArthur's. Read what Paul says on the physiology of the body of Christ. The Spirit sets each one in the body of Christ Jesus as He sees fit. He is the one who assigns feet, fingers, arms, legs, and every other part...except the head. The head is Christ.
Don't start out by looking at your talents and seeing from that what you can do for Jesus. Your spiritual gift isn't in your talents. If my talents were up to the task I would have been a world class published author. My ability to write and write well in these posts is only because the Spirit makes things work here that aren't working outside of this forum. I have probably 30 to 40 books started that I struggle to finish. If I looked at my ability to be published as a measuring point, I would have to conclude that I have failed at writing. Yet this blog, as written with the Spirit's direction, has been in over 127 countries and been seen over 1.4 million times online. That's an achievement that can only be attributed to the work of God in me. My only contribution is a business card that points people to the website and word of mouth. God points people to the blog.
You, my Dear Reader, have great potential in your walk with Jesus to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than you on your own are capable of.
It begins with throwing aside the excuses and declaring to Jesus "here am I, send me!" even without knowing what that looks like. The Spirit will then train you in your gift in order that the Lord Jesus Christ will be magnified. That's what we are here for. To share the gospel news, be who we are meant to be in Christ Jesus. Let our works so be seen by mankind that they glorify our Father in Heaven.
So what you can't memorize Scripture. God can still use you. 11 guys stayed in the boat. 1 got out. God still had a plan and purpose for the other's. They weren't failures because they didn't step out too.
You are to do your best as unto the Lord. If things are hindering you, pray as I have been lately. Pray that Jesus busts down the walls and kicks in the doors of any area of my heart that He's not got full control of. Be assured that keeping those places in your heart from Him won't help. He already knows what's behind each door.
Pray for your heart to align with what Jesus has in mind for you to be doing. Then stop fighting the changes that will come. In Christ you were given a gift, maybe more, from the Spirit of God. One day you will stand before Jesus to give an account of your use of it, them.
Will you stand there in shame because you went and buried it until He came to ask you about it, or will you show Him what happened when you used what you were given?
Open your spiritual eyes, learn how to use them from the Spirit. Be all who Jesus wants you to be for Him.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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