In the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, in the reading for October 19th, The Unheeded Secret, Oswald Chamber says:
We have to get rid of the plague of the spirit of the religious age in which we live. In Our Lord’s life there was none of the press and rush of tremendous activity that we regard so highly, and the disciple is to be as His Master. The central thing about the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to Himself, not public usefulness to men.
It is not its practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College, its whole strength lies in the fact that here you are put into soak before God. You have no idea of where God is going to engineer your circumstances, no knowledge of what strain is going to be put on you either at home or abroad, and if you waste your time in over-active energies instead of getting into soak on the great fundamental truths of God’s Redemption, you will snap when the strain comes; but if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in God on the unpractical line, you will remain true to Him what ever happens.
Where do I obtain my value—from what I do or from who I am?
Every day, this is a huge struggle for me. My Sark would much rather do and accomplish things than rest quietly before the Lord, enjoying him, soaking in his love for me. Why? Because I am tempted to believe the lie that if I do and accomplish, this will bring me satisfaction. A good day is when I can cross many things off my list; a great day is when I cross them all off.
But is this God’s design? No! He has created me for a relationship with him. The greatest commandment—He couldn’t make it any clearer—is for me to love him, to praise and honor him; revel in his lavish love for me; enjoy the intimacy of having access to him and enjoying his undivided attention as his son.
But here is the scary part that Chambers warns about: if we build our house upon the sand of what we do instead of the rock of who God is and his love for us, in the time of the flood, we will snap. The strain of our circumstances will overwhelm us.
Lord, help me to pursue the Unheeded Secret!
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