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.
Mike, THANK YOU!!! for linking to Bob’s article. I read it a few years ago at CIC and yelled out “yes!”. Oh my, pietism is everywhere, in all sorts of stripes, one big one being (as Bob mentioned) the PD movement that claims there are “world class” Christians vs the rest of us hoi polloi. And of course the mysticism of old is resurfacing as “contemplative prayer”, etc. There truly is nothing new under the sun.
The verses from Galatians 3:2-3 and Colossians 2:16-23 really address the heart of the issue of pietism – it is a false practice of trying to perfect oneself in the flesh with self made religion, which as you mentioned sounds “almost” biblical, but isn’t (aka, pietism has the appearance of wisdom, but has no value).
Great post!
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You are very welcome Carolyn. Yes, when I read it this morning, I knew I had to use Bob’s post as it sets the foundation so well for what we have been discussing here. As you said, Pietism as the appearance of wisdom, but has no value.
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Pie and tea! I love pie and tea!!! Just had homemade strawberry rhubarb pie yesterday, but no tea…
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🙂 Mickey 🙂
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Oh Mickey! Let me guess, you grew the rhubard in you own garden! [and for the record you spelled rhubarb correctly:-] If you remember from previous comments we share the PA roots. My grandmother grew the most amazing rhubarb and it is a most cherished childhood memory.
The affliction of pietism is severe and so subtlety destructive that it may be the most understated attacks of the enemy.
I have fallen prey to this beast, that oh so gently puffs up ones own spiritual significance. I should never think of myself as having some inside track to God. If we are all called by GRACE according to His purposes then my particular piece in God’s puzzle is no more or less significant than that of my brethren. May God grant me the faith and grace to always keep this in perspective and allow me to long suffer with struggles of the children of God.
In the immeasurable long suffering of Christ, charisse
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I had an acquaintance in my previous church who was raised in a Mennonite culture. He described himself as a post-modern Christian and could not see how it was a contradiction in terms, using his upbringing for his perspective. If the Lord does not open our eyes, we will be deceived by what our eyes of flesh perceive and be unwilling or unable to see the Truth.
I will take deep-dish blackberry (or dewberry) pie with coffee, please.
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Hmmmm, my mother, before she went to live in an assisted living center in Norman, Oklahoma, made what my late Dad called “The best Apricot Cobbler in the Universe.” I would make the 5.5 hour trip right now for a couple of bowls of that with some vanilla ice cream on top, with some of my own freshly ground coffee. 🙂
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