The Emphasis of Sanctity

"To be like Christ. To displace self from the inner throne, and to throne Him; to make not the slightest compromise with the smallest sin. We aim at nothing less than to walk with God all day long, to abide every hour in Christ and He and His words in us, to love God with all the heart and our neighbor as ourselves...It is possible to cast every care on Him daily, and to be at peace amidst pressure, to see the will of God in everything, to put away all bitterness and clamor and evil speaking, daily and hourly. It is possible, by unreserved resort, to divine power under divine conditions to become strongest through and through at our weakest point."

~The "creed" of the Keswick Convention, where
Amy Carmichael was first called to foreign missions

A Table in the Wilderness

"[Israel] spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?” Psalm 78:19-20

This verse is recounting some of the events that took place in the book of Exodus. But circumstances like this one have occurred over and over again, especially in my own life. The following quote is from a man I know nothing about, but what he says seems to be truth. He says: "To live is to encounter silent seasons of the soul, When every prayer will seem to go unanswered - As we face events beyond our understanding or control. Yet in the quiet darkness, Christ is working. His silence in the shadows doesn't mean he doesn't care; A part of faith is trusting without reason, Believing, when he can't be seen or heard, that he's still there...So when answers fail to come, don't be discouraged. Keep leaning on his steadfast love and trusting in his will, For knowing "why" won't really make a difference - But growing close and knowing Jesus will." ~B. J. Hoff

There are indeed seasons of the soul; some feel like a well-watered soul and abundance in growth, while others feel like parched desert and isolation. The parched desert of isolation is where Israel had found themselves. But rather than seeking to learn from God, they blamed him and grumbled. How often do I do that? How prevalent is the mindset that God is holding me at arms length or with-holding some good thing from me? Thoughts like these do not serve a Christian well. Instead, they turn into self pity and drive a soul farther into the desert. I am writing this more to myself than to anyone else; do not criticise the workings of an infinite God, a perfect maker, supreme designer, and the orchestrator of all history. "Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face." Can the God of the universe spread for me a table in the wilderness and provide my soul with bread and meat? Yes, in the wilderness, and even in the presence of my enemies. Ephesians 3:20, Psalm 23:5 Seasons are short, especially in light of eternity. Why grumble about what is received from the hand of a loving and purposeful God?

For My Sake

The other day I was looking for some encouragement and opened my Bible to John 17. I was reminded of a message that Nathan Rages preached on verse 19. Jesus prays: "For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also might be sanctified in the truth." The point of the message was that when we think of the word sanctify, we think of being made holy or more like Christ. So how could Jesus, who was perfect, sanctify himself? The meaning of the word in this context is to be set apart for something. So what Jesus was really saying is that he set himself apart. For what purpose? "That they themselves also might be sanctified in the truth." In other words he did it that we might be saved. He did it "for our sakes." As his second point, Nathan said each thing that Christ did or went through, he did for our sakes. Because of this verse I can say that Christ was born to dwell on earth for my sake; he lived a perfectly sinless life for my sake; he spoke parables and sermons for my sake; he endured hardship for my sake; he resisted temptation for my sake; he gave himself up for my sake; he faced death on a cross for my sake; and he rose again to reign in heaven for my sake. All of this so that I might also be sanctified--set apart, but also made holy and more like Christ.

You can listen to Nathan's message by clicking here: http://www.hwymchapel.org/html/sermons.html