Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Gathering in Christ




1 Samuel 3:15
So Samuel lay down until morning and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.

God never speaks to us in startling ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand, and we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him with “a strong hand” -- that is, by the pressure of circumstances.  Nothing touches our lives but it is God Himself speaking.  Do we discern His hand or [do we think it] only mere occurrence?

Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance.  Every time circumstances press, say, “Speak Lord,” and make time to listen.  Chastening is more than a means of discipline; it is meant to get me to the place of saying, “Speak, Lord.” 

Recall the time when God did speak to you. Have you forgotten what he said?  Was it Luke 11:13 [about not striving] or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23 [about Him sanctifying His own]? As we listen, our ears get acute and, like Jesus, we shall hear God all the time.

Shall I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? That is where the dilemma of obedience come sin. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences -- I must shield “Eli” -- the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli; he had to decide that for himself. God’s call to you may hurt your “Eli,” but if you try to prevent the suffering in another life, it will prove an obstruction between your soul and God.

Excerpts from Oswald Chambers
Daily Devotional Bible, Reading 120 (4/30)
From My Utmost for His Highest

This photograph is from a Facebook page called Live Life in Color.

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