Not Mine, but Thine, O Lord

We must be, and should remain, a needy, desperate people. God has no use for, and no way to use, anyone who is self-sufficient and well-qualified.

Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard this, He told them, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Revelation 3:17 …you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked

When we understand our sin problem, which is not something we can just wash our hands of, turn our backs on and by our own choice separate ourselves from, we realize we must ask God's forgiveness. He is the one we have sinned against, and only He has the solution to the fact we are facing death -- not just physical death, but spiritual, eternal death, separated from God.

Once we have repented of our personal sins and our inherited, original sin debt, accepting the cleansing and renewing of our nature by the power of Jesus' sacrificial blood offering, and experienced the rebirth of our spirit from death to life in God's power, we aren't finished. We are not ready to walk away and start living our new life on our own, needing nothing and no one.

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.

Rather, we have just been grafted into the Vine which gives us continual access to the life which comes from the Root, the water that comes from the Rock. If we go off on our own, self-contained and independent, we wither like a branch cut off a tree or a fish washed up on a gravel bar. We have been given access to what we need, we have received admission to the banquet hall, but we still need, every day, every step, what comes only from our Source, God.

John 15:4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

To those who have not yet experienced the saving grace of God, it looks like we are complete, at ease, without worries or cares, free from the struggles they are facing. And it is true that God settles His peace, joy, hope, love inside us, but we know that it is not of ourselves. The closer we walk with God, the more clearly others can see God in us, the more transparent we become as we die to our flesh and yield instead to God's Spirit. We must remain desperate to give God the glory and not allow others to attribute His praise and glory to us.

Acts 14
v.10 Paul said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet! ” And he jumped up and started to walk around.
v.11 When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the form of men! ”
v.12 And they started to call Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the main speaker.
v.13 Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gates. He, with the crowds, intended to offer sacrifice.
v.14 The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their robes when they heard this and rushed into the crowd, shouting:
v.15 “Men! Why are you doing these things? We are men also, with the same nature as you, and we are proclaiming good news to you, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.

Press in during your daily time with God, ask for and receive all that God has for you, dwell in His Word, memorize it, meditate on it, speak it back to God in prayer, stand on its promises through the day. Follow the leading and prompting that God's Spirit puts into your heart, learn to recognize His voice and His way of speaking to you, Don't be afraid of making mistakes, rather be afraid of doing nothing wrong by making no attempt to follow and obey Him.

Never allow complacency, satisfaction, or fear keep you from asking God for a closer walk, a deeper understanding, a richer blessing that can be shared with others; but let us always remember from where God brought us, and keep fresh in our hearts the first love that brought us to Him.

Gracious God, the first steps we took with You are still the best steps of our lives, the ones that brought us into Your loving family and under Your guarding and watchful eye. We want to follow You in obedience wherever Your Word and Your Spirit lead us, but we never want to leave the true, pure, simple truth of Your love which rescued us from death and gave us life in You.

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