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Purposed

eph. 1:9

As the birds began to chirp and the familiar sounds of the Amazon filled the early morning air, I knelt down in prayer. The sickness once again kindly reminded me of my physical weakness. However, the inner man was renewed and strengthened as my faithful Saviour gently took me by the hand and led me out into the depths of His never ending grace. After a season of prayer and worship I often read the scriptures as the Lord illuminate’s truth and burns it’s meaning deep into my soul.

Leaning over and placing my elbows on the wooden cot with my Bible laying open before me. The words from John 21:18-25 became alive and real, finding a tender place in my heart. The more I read about the conversation between the Lord and Peter, the more difficult it became to see the page through the tears. Such simple instructions the Lord gave Peter that day, “Follow Me.”

In John 1:43, as the Lord speaks some of the very first words in his earthly ministry to Phillip, He

states the same simple, yet profound command, “Follow Me.” As simple as it may seem those instructions have been some of the most difficult to fulfill.

According to Mark 8:34, there are some prerequisites to Follow after C h r i s t . T h e L o r d s a i d , “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” First, let us notice the beginning phrase as Jesus, our Lord speaks, “Whosoever will come after me.” The Lord has given an invitation and now the decision lies in the lap of the hearers. However, the choice to come and follow hinges on whether the hearer will deny himself. To take sides with God against yourself is an exemplified meaning of Biblical repentance. In responding to God’s calling repentance is a sure must in order to follow Christ, there is no other way.

Secondly, we can see in following Christ an understanding is made that your life is no longer your own. Oh the peace and joy that comes from sweet surrender!

After-all Christ has your best interest at heart. The joy of the submitted christian’s life is beyond description. History is riddled with men and women of faith that God used mightily. They were just ordinary people in whom God chose to show grace. Paul said it like this, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.”

I can learn from and admire God’s faithfulness in the lives of such men of faith and surrender like David Brainerd, Jim Elliot, E. M. Bounds, and John Bunyan.

Yet while I reflect upon their lives I must remember those were their stories that God wrote with their lives. For me to mimic their life would spell failure and a life waisted. We are to follow Christ.

Looking back to Mark 8:34, the Cross we are to carry is specific. The Scripture states, “and take up his cross, and follow me.” Please dear reader realize that God has a wonderful story to write using your life. It is the cross that God has g i v e n y o u . A t t e m p t i n g t o accomplish anything outside of

FOLLOW ME

“His cry not Forward, but Follow”

- William Guthrie “...he saith unto him,

Follow me.” John 21:19

I !d not give my life to m"sions, I gave my Life to Ch#$.

what God has specifically laid aside for you will be a waisted life. It doesn’t matter how noble or how daring it may seem for it would utterly defy God’s authority over your life.

F u r t h e r m o r e i t w o u l d d e m o n s t r a t e a n discontented heart toward God Almighty. Who are we to tell a Holy God how to write our life story? To get down where the rubber meets the road, let me ask, why do you desire to seek a life like those men of old, those heros of the faith? Is it to bring honor the King or is it so that one day you desire your life story to be put in some book for thousands to read about what all you’ve accomplished? Brethren, if we are not careful the root and hidden motive that lays deep in one’s being will be geared around self exaltation.

Let us ask the Lord to reveal our hidden inner motives. Let us learn that the lives of those

ancient heros demonstrated that they were simply following Christ and it was Christ who was doing the impossible as they followed. Our desire should be to genuinely and whole-heartedly follow Christ, ill-regard of what others are thinking or saying. If He leads us into the wilds of an overseas mission field or if He directs us to an area of service with no recognition, let us know our fulfillment is in Christ and in Him alone.

Oh, What sheer joy there is in serving God. I stood to my feet that morning in Brazil and God’s never failing Word spoke clarity and truth to the depths of my heart and soul as He whispered, “Follow Me my son, Follow Me.” Let’s stop trying to figure it all out and lay aside the will to force our life story, but let us rest and trust God with each chapter as we simply “Follow” Him.

Jesus said in Luke 19:46, “It is written, My House is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

Looks like Church is what you make of it.

HE LEADETH MEHe leadeth me, O blessed thought!O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!Whate’er I do, where’er I beStill ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,By His own hand He leadeth me;His faithful follower I would be,For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,By waters still, over troubled sea,Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,Nor ever murmur nor repine;Content, whatever lot I see,Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done,When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

At the mid-week service, on the 26th of March, 1862, Joseph H. Gilmore set out to give the people an exposition of the Twenty-third Psalm, which he had given before on three or four occasions, but this time he did not get further than the words “He Leadeth Me.” Those words took hold of him as they had never done before, and he saw them in a significance and wonderous beauty of which he had never dreamed.It was the darkest hour of the Civil War. He did not refer to that fact, he didn’t think he did, but it may subconsciously have led him to realize that God’s leadership is the one significant fact in human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or whither we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us. After the service Mr. Gilmore penned the words to the great Hymn of old, entitled “He Leadeth Me.”My own heart is helped by these words of sweet melody, He Leadeth Me. The fact and the assurance that comes along with knowing God Himself is well able to lead our life. I don’t know where God is

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leading your life, nor do I know what God is leading you to do or to overcome, but I do know when it is God doing the leading, you can trust Him. May God continue to lead us in this new year deeper into the fullness of His never ending grace and may our hearts be led into the maturity and love of Christ.

“...He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for HIS name’s sake.”

-Psalms 23:3

S e e k i n g a f t e r G o d f u l l y y i e l d e d a n d s u b m i t t e d w i l l e n s u r e a l i f e w i t h n o r e g r e t s .

D o y o u h a t e s i n . . . ? W h a t a b o u t y o u r o w n . . . ? ?

faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the one who is leading. - Chambers

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”I T h e s s a l o n i a n s 5 : 2 4

My heart has been overwhelmed and mine eyes have overflowed with tears of joy simply because of the sheer Faithfulness of our Saviour.

The indescribable joy one receives when there is no human way to explain it, only God and His Faithfulness. It is a very humbling experience to realize and know God is using your life as a channel for His grace.

I am reminded of what Paul proclaimed as he prayed for the Ephesian believers. The scripture says in Eph. 1:9, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” God takes pleasure to show and reveal His plans, what He has already purposed, for our lives. Paul knew something of God’s purpose for his life; look in v. 1 of the same chapter the Bible says, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..” He knew it wasn’t of himself but of God. He knew God had called him out of darkness on the Damascus Road and it was also God who was performing the work through his yielded life.

God the Father purposed Salvation and Christ provided Himself as the means for Salvation. While the Holy Spirit of God is in a Christian’s life to perform that which the Father has purposed for their life; the very reason for their Salvation. Seeking after God fully yielded and submitted will ensure a life with no regrets.

I can assure you that you can find a great rest and an even greater confidence in your Saviour to do what He has purposed to do with a yielded life.

One Life yielded to God at all cost is worth thousands only

touched by God.

- Oswald Chambers

“Set your affection on things above,...” -Paul, Colossians 3:2

Affection without action is like Rachel, beautiful but barren. -John Trapp; Genesis 29:17&31

Christian service is not our work; loyalty to Jesus is our work.

- O. Chambers