My Utmost for His Highest - May 30th - Yes--But . . . !

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. - Luke 9:61

    Supposing God tells you to do something which is an enormous test to your common sense, what are you going to do? Hang back? If you get into the habit of doing a thing in the physical domain, you will do it every time until you break the habit determinedly; and the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will get up to what Jesus Christ wants, and every time you will turn back when it comes to the point, until you abandon resolutely. "Yes, but--supposing I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?" "Yes, I will obey God if He will let me use my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark." Jesus Christ demands of the man who trusts Him the same reckless sporting spirit that the natural man exhibits. If a man is going to do anything worth while, there are times when he has to risk everything on his leap, and in the spiritual domain Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold by common sense and leap into what He says, and immediately you do, you find that what He says fits on as solidly as common sense. At the bar of common sense Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad; but bring them to the bar of faith, and you begin to find with awestruck spirit that they are the words of God. Trust entirely in God, and when He brings you to the venture, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis, only one out of a crowd is daring enough to bank his faith in the character of God.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition.

My thoughts

Interesting devotion which speaks of a common sentiment among us all - I will follow you Lord, but... as long as it make sense to my common sense I will follow Him but to venture out in the dark, well, that is something I'm not willing to do. Yet, Jesus demands this reckless way, defying common sense and forging ahead. That is the truth - even in evangelism, once we feel like we are properly prepared, then we will set out. We trust in ourselves even when we say we are following God rather than putting our faith in the character of God. 

Ezekiel 8

Message: Ezekiel is carried away by the Son of Man to see the abominations done by the chosen Israelite's.

Time: Ezekiel, before the elders of Judah, in his house.

What the Lord is Saying: Ezekiel saw a form of man before him, a vision of God, and the Son of Man took Ezekiel up with him to look to the north and see (an image of jealousy) the abominations being committed by the people of Israel. Ezekiel saw all the idols that the people had been worshiping. Before him were the leaders committing evil, women weeping for Tammuz (this signified that paganism had deeply affected the women of Israel), men with their backs to the temple worshiping the sun (this was obviously another pagan ritual to honor the sun with their backs to the temple). And there was also the idea that they think it is a big deal, but it is not.

Problem: People willfully reject the Lord, choosing anything else to worship.

Promise: God will be honored.