"If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it."
-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest Feb. 21st reading
"We have to get rid of this notion - 'Am I of any use?' and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time. "
(same source, continuation)
"We have to get rid of this notion - 'Am I of any use?' and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time. "
(same source, continuation)
Oh, that IS what I want.
ReplyDeleteWhat part? Abandonment to God?
ReplyDeleteSometimes your blog posts are what gets me through my day... Whenever I'm feeling like the Scripture doesn't speak to me in the morning, I switch on my computer and see that you have a new post, read it and contemplate it, and then return to the Scriptures... Elizabeth, I do not know you, but your blog helps me every day to closer to God! And once again you have done it for me today... Thank you so much for bringing a thinking, contemplating, caring Christian into the blogosphere!
ReplyDeleteBecause even the "best" and most "fervent" of Christians sometimes get lost in the world out there and find that God isn't speaking to them at all, but above their heads. I'm trying these days to read the Bible simply through my heart, switching off my mind and the world around me. It is difficult, especially when you work in academia and have been trained for years to look at everything with scepsis... But I'm getting there. This year will be the year of More Jesus for me. I'm not there yet - but then again, it is only February!
Thanks, Josefina! I actually feel a little guilty because I don't always practice what I write about, so you have given me a challenge.
ReplyDeleteI pray that you would find believers around you as you finish one chapter of life and begin another. Other "thinkers" like you who also are seeking the Lord. Having an analytical mind isn't always bad. :) In Bible times, people often asked questions as well. The important thing, I think, is to keep the lines of communication open with God.