by G. D. Watson
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
Indeed, Mike.
It is hard for me to see some great pastors turning from what some might think is small truths in the Gospel, thus turning from Christ, Himself. It breaks my heart to read about Ligonier Ministries. We must hold them accountable but also be in faithful prayer for them. I believe they are children of God and that God will work His will in their lives which might be painful for them. You are so right that the only One we can truly depend upon is Christ. I am glad to know that God will never leave us without a leader to guide us here on earth. I think He has always provided some even if they are few and far between. I thank God for you and your ministry and your faithfulness to Him.
Sarah,
I have to come to believe that the number one reason ministers compromise is the incredible demands on them from every direction to move in the direction or not go in a direction that may displease someone. You are right that we must trust only Christ. That is what these compromising men are not doing. The cost is high to not compromise to those who are not abiding in Christ. However, when we are truely abiding in Christ then all we care about is God’s glory not ours. Thanks for the encouragement Sarah!
You are right, Mike! It is the true word in Jesus Christ that should be preached whether it’s a pastor or a friend in deed who is asking about how to obtain salvation. There should be no compromise on the Bible. The Bible was put forth to follow, not to compromise it.
Amen Sherry!
They will turn away their ears from the truth; they will grow weary of the old plain gospel of Christ…Churches today are turning the gospel into what ever people want to hear to get saved instead of the true gospel and folks are going around thinking they are on the way to Heaven. The true Gospel is plain and simple to God’s Elect. God wants us to present it exactly like it is presented in the Bible.
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Cristina
What a crucial reminder in the postmodern chaos of our day!
May our eyes never look away from the cross…and may we never be tempted to preach beyond the gospel of Jesus Christ: He died, was buried, then rose from the dead. Why? That is the good news we have to share…
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:16
Cristiana and Jessica,
Profound isn’t it? It as profound as it is simple. Let’s pray for a return to this preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. It will turn the world upside-down.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff