"We are apt to imagine that Jesus Christ constrains us, and we obey Him, He will lead us to real success. We must never put our dreams of success as God's purposes for us. His purpose may be exactly the opposite, We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal. He is not. The question is getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call the process, God calls the end.
What is my dream of God's purpose? His purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God. God is not working towards a particular finish; His end is the process - that I see Him walking on the waves, no shore in sight, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that is is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God.
God's training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future. We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience, we get wrong when we think of the afterward. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end.
God's end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present; if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
I think I understand that; but it seems a bit confusing, too.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit confusing to me as well Linda - but I think the point is that we look for "purpose" instead of looking to God. Look to God, obey Him, and our purpose will by default be worked out.
ReplyDeleteOswald Chambers has always been confusing to me too, LOL. From experience I would say, after obedience - grace. We usually want the grace to be obedient, but I've found that after struggling to forgive or lay down my life, I have to yield first, then the grace flowed.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - I think that is it. I have read Chambers' a number of times through years as a devotional, and I understand him a smidgeon more every time. He is very intent on the Christian choosing to act in the now to be obedient to Christ and letting God work through that obedience to accomplish His purposes.
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