My Utmost for His Highest for Saturday, 22 July 2017 "Sanctification" by Oswald Chambers

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My Utmost for His Highest for Saturday, 22 July 2017 "Sanctification" by Oswald Chambers

This is the will of God, even your sanctification. [1 Thessalonians 4:3]

The Death Side.
In sanctification God has to deal with us on the death side as well as on the life side. Many of us spend so much time in the place of death that we get sepulchral. There is always a battle royal before sanctification, always something that tugs with resentment against the demands of Jesus Christ. Immediately the Spirit of God begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle begins. “If any man come to Me and hate not…his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
The Spirit of God in the process of sanctification will strip me until I am nothing but “myself,” that is the place of death. Am I willing to be “myself,” and nothing more — no friends, no father, no brother, no self-interest, simply ready for death? That is the condition of sanctification. No wonder Jesus said: “I came not to send peace, but a sword.” This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us faint. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus on this point. “But it is so stern,” we say; “He cannot wish me to do that.” Our Lord is stern; and He does wish us to do that.
Am I willing to reduce myself simply to “me,” determinedly to strip myself of all my friends think of me, of all I think of myself, and to hand that simple naked self over to God? Immediately I am, He will sanctify me wholly, and my life will be free from earnestness in connection with every thing but God.
When I pray — “Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,” He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus Christ puts into me: it is Himself in me.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. [The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R]

Bible in One Year: Psalms 31-32; Acts 23:16-35
Psalms 31:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 (1) In you, Adonai, I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

in your justice, save me!

3 (2) Turn your ear toward me,

come quickly to my rescue,

be for me a rock of strength,

a fortress to keep me safe.

4 (3) Since you are my rock and fortress,

lead me and guide me for your name’s sake.

5 (4) Free me from the net they have hidden to catch me,

because you are my strength.

6 (5) Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you will redeem me, Adonai, God of truth.

7 (6) I hate those who serve worthless idols;

as for me, I trust in Adonai.

8 (7) I will rejoice and be glad in your grace,

for you see my affliction,

you know how distressed I am.

9 (8) You did not hand me over to the enemy;

you set my feet where I can move freely.

10 (9) Show me favor, Adonai, for I am in trouble.

My eyes grow dim with anger,

my soul and body as well.

11 (10) For my life is worn out with sorrow

and my years with sighing;

my strength gives out under my guilt,

and my bones are wasting away.

12 (11) I am scorned by all my adversaries,

and even more by my neighbors;

even to acquaintances

I am an object of fear —

when they see me in the street,

they turn away from me.

13 (12) Like a dead man, I have passed from their minds;

I have become like a broken pot.

14 (13) All I hear is whispering,

terror is all around me;

they plot together against me,

scheming to take my life.

15 (14) But I, I trust in you, Adonai;

I say, “You are my God.”

16 (15) My times are in your hand;

rescue me from my enemies’ power,

from those who persecute me.

17 (16) Make your face shine on your servant;

in your grace, save me.

18 (17) Adonai, don’t let me be put to shame,

for I have called on you;

let the wicked be put to shame,

let them be silenced in Sh’ol.

19 (18) May lying lips be struck dumb,

that speak insolently against the righteous

with such pride and contempt.

20 (19) But oh, how great is your goodness,

which you have stored up for those who fear you,

which you do for those who take refuge in you,

before people’s very eyes!

21 (20) In the shelter of your presence

you hide them from human plots,

you conceal them in your shelter,

safe from contentious tongues.

22 (21) Blessed be Adonai!

For he has shown me his amazing grace

when I was in a city under siege.

23 (22) As for me, in my alarm I said,

“I have been cut off from your sight!”

Nevertheless, you heard my pleas

when I cried out to you.

24 (23) Love Adonai, you faithful of his.

Adonai preserves the loyal,

but the proud he repays in full.

25 (24) Be strong, and fill your hearts with courage,

all of you who hope in Adonai.

32:1 (0) By David. A maskil:

(1) How blessed are those whose offense is forgiven,

those whose sin is covered!

2 How blessed those to whom Adonai imputes no guilt,

in whose spirit is no deceit!

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away

because of my groaning all day long;

4 day and night your hand was heavy on me;

the sap in me dried up as in a summer drought. (Selah)

5 When I acknowledged my sin to you,

when I stopped concealing my guilt,

and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai”;

then you, you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Selah)

6 This is what everyone faithful should pray

at a time when you can be found.

Then, when the floodwaters are raging,

they will not reach to him.

7 You are a hiding-place for me,

you will keep me from distress;

you will surround me

with songs of deliverance. (Selah)

8 “I will instruct and teach you

in this way that you are to go;

I will give you counsel;

my eyes will be watching you.”

9 Don’t be like a horse or mule

that has no understanding,

that has to be curbed with bit and bridle,

or else it won’t come near you.

10 Many are the torments of the wicked,

but grace surrounds those who trust in Adonai.

11 Be glad in Adonai; rejoice, you righteous!

Shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Acts 23:16 But the son of Sha’ul’s sister got wind of the planned ambush, and he went into the barracks and told Sha’ul. 17 Sha’ul called one of the officers and said, “Take this man up to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Sha’ul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took him by the hand, led him aside privately and asked, “What is it you have to tell me?” 20 He said, “The Judeans have agreed to ask you tomorrow to bring Sha’ul down to the Sanhedrin on the pretext that they want to investigate his case more thoroughly. 21 But don’t let yourself be talked into it, because more than forty men are lying in wait for him. They have taken an oath neither to eat nor to drink until they kill him; and they are ready now, only waiting for you to give your consent to their request.”

22 The commander let the young man go, cautioning him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.” 23 Then he summoned two of the captains and said, “Get two hundred infantry soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight, and seventy mounted cavalry and two hundred spearmen; 24 also provide replacements for Sha’ul’s horse when it gets tired; and bring him through safely to Felix the governor.” 25 And the commander wrote the following letter:

26 From: Claudius Lysias

To: His Excellency, Governor Felix:

Greetings!

27 This man was seized by the Judeans and was about to be killed by them, when I came on the scene with my troops and rescued him. After learning that he was a Roman citizen, 28 I wanted to understand exactly what they were charging him with; so I brought him down to their “Sanhedrin.”

29 I found that he was charged in connection with questions of their “Torah” but that there was no charge deserving death or prison.

30 But when I was informed of a plot against the man, I immediately sent him to you and also ordered his accusers to state their case against him before you.

31 So the soldiers, following their orders, took Sha’ul during the night and brought him to Antipatris, 32 then returned to the barracks after leaving the cavalry to go on with him. 33 The cavalry took him to Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and handed Sha’ul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. On learning he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a full hearing after your accusers have also arrived,” and ordered him to be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.

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Our Ultimate Refuge
Job and the Problem of Suffering
Honesty, wisdom, and encouragement from the book of Job.
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My Utmost for His Highest © 1927 in the U.K. by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. All rights reserved. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House, which is affiliated with Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Special offers are valid only for orders placed online and may not be combined with any other offers or coupons.

My Utmost for His Highest © 1927 in the U.K. by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. © 1935 by Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc. Copyright renewed 1963 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd. All rights reserved. United States publication rights are held by Discovery House, which is affiliated with Our Daily Bread Ministries. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Special offers are valid only for orders placed online and may not be combined with any other offers or coupons.

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