I have been reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot entitled, "A Chance to Die, the Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael". On page 50, I came across a paragraph written by Bishop Handley Moule which really stood out to me...

"To be like Christ. To displace self from the inner throne, and to enthrone Him; to make not the slightest compromise with the smallest sin. We aim at nothing less than to walk with God all day long, to abide every hour in Christ and He and His Word in us, to love God with all the heart and our neighbor as ourselves....It is possible to cast every care on Him daily, and to be at peace amidst pressure, to see the will of God in everything, to put away ALL bitterness and clamor and evil speaking, daily and hourly. It is possible by unreserved resort to divine power under divine conditions to become strongest through and through at our weakest point." -Bishop Handley Moule 

We must look up to Jesus, for He is all we really need!

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Psalm 121

Speaking of Christ..."For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;"
Colossians 1:19

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."
Colossians 2:6&7

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"
2 Corinthians 4:17

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."
Psalm 119:71

In anguish of heart, my weary soul doth hope;
To be rooted deep "in Christ", what 'ere my trial be
In crushing grief I find, that nothing I possess
But hope that's found "in Christ", where all fullness richly dwells.
My hands cling to nothing; no expectations there be
But in God alone I hope, and trust fervently.
When the earth doth fall beneath me, and nothing there I see
Mine eyes look up to Jesus; who holds me what'ere be.
-R. B. S.

Knit Together...

"That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Colossians 2:2,3

Knit together by the Master,
Our hearts are woven in love;
Each thread working together,
To hold the others in place.
And each and every strand,
Though small as it may be,
Holds tightly to the others,
That unbroken they may be.
-R. B. S

This was taken from the devotional book, "A Daily Talk For The Upward Walk" by B.H. Clendennen and Z.E.

    "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..." (James 1:1)

    "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ..." (Jude 1)

    ~ Thus boldly and proudly wrote James and Jude in an age when labour and service was a badge of inferiority and shame.
    A fine fellow was placed on a slave block in an Egyptian slave market.  His master was selling him.  Men were bidding for him.  A passing Englishman stopped, looked, listened, and began to bid.  The slave saw him and knew that the Englishman was a world traveler.  He thought that if the Englishman bought him, he would be taken from Egypt, from friends and loved ones, and that he would never see them anymore.  So he cursed the Englishman, raving and swearing, and tugging at his chain that he might reach and crush him.  But the Englishman, unmoved, at last outbid all others, and the slave was sold to him.  He paid the price, received the papers that made the slave his property, and then handed them to the black man.  "Take these papers; you are free," he said, "I bought you that I might give you your freedom."  The slave looked at his deliverer and his ravings ceased.  Tears flooded his eyes; as, falling at the Englishman's feet and embracing his knees he cried, "O sir, let me be your slave forever.  Take me to the ends of the earth.  Let me serve you till I die!"  Love had won his heart, and now love constrained him, and he felt there could be no joy like serving such a master.  This is also the true freedom and service of the Christian ...To the sinner, the yoke looks intolerable; the burden looks unbearable.  But to those who have entered into the secret of the Master, His yoke is the badge of freedom, and His burden gives wings to the soul.  This is Holiness.  It is wholeness of consecration and devotion.  It is singleness of eye.  It is perfect love which casts out fear.  The love slave does not fear the Master, for he joys in the Master's will.  "Not my will, but Thine be done;"  "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him," says the slave of love.  -S.L. Brengle

God's will for me! May that be done,

God's will, -whate'er it be!

His will and wisdom cannot err;

His will is best for me.

God's will for me! I welcome it,

Whatever it may mean

Of discipline, of chastenings,

Of testings sore and keen.

God's will for me! No more or less,

And nothing else beside,

In all my life, without, within,

That He be glorified.

O precious, precious will of God!

O blessed resting-place!

High mount of vision where my soul

Can always see His face!

- T.O. Chisholm

Have a Blessed New Year!

Another year has passed away- I pause to meditate.

'Tis well to think of lessons learned and inventory take.

The sorrows seemed too hard to bear, but all have worked for good.

Each pain has left a bit of gain, as Father meant it should.

I find myself more patient, more trustful and more still,

More deeply rooted in my God, more yielded to His will.

I face the coming New Year with a settled peace within,

As another year of service for my Master I begin.

As signs about me witness that His coming draweth nigh,

I hopefully anticipate that meeting in the sky.

O Lord, may every lesson learned bear fruit in other lives,

Help me to overcome each plot that Satan may devise.

May victory crown the New Year with accomplishments for Thee.

And may you live unhindered your blessed life through me.

-L.T. Halsey-

Unknown

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and

great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up,

and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Luke 21:27-28

God's ways are so much higher than our ways!  We mustn't try to understand God's leading, but only obey Him.  We must continually be seeking to be in the will of God no matter what it may look like, no matter what it costs.  Men and women all throughout the Bible testify to this.  They were obedient unto the heavenly vision.  God often causes things to happen in life to remind you that you can't figure everything out, and shouldn't try to.  It's all in His hands.  Oh how wretchedly miserable we are without Him.  How worthless we are without Jesus!  The Bible says "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD." Pro 21:30  In Him is everything.  Without Him we can do nothing.

Give up!

    Oh my dear soul, won't you just give up?  Give up to reputation and success, give up to self effort, to personal thoughts, worries, strugglings to make things work?  Indeed believers must strive to enter in, and "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life", but there are times when without even realizing it, you're fighting a battle that is not yours, but the Lord's. 
    There was a man of God one time who gave a testimony of giving up.  One night, he was alone in a hotel room, and at that time was facing one of the darkest storms of his life.  He had become weary, frustrated, and on top of all that, was sick in his body.  As he prayed and cried out to God in the midst of his situation, he finally said, "Lord I give up...I can't go on like this anymore...I'm tired of fighting."  After making that statement, he felt the Lord speak to his heart something like this, "You're giving up...that is just what I have been waiting for you to do!" 
    Peace only comes when we surrender everything over to God.  Moses told the children of Israel, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD."   In 2 Chronicles 20:15, Jahaziel told king Jehoshaphat and all Judah "...the battle is not yours, but God's."  The same applies for all born again believers who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and are living holy, set apart for Him. 
   To "give up", could also be interpreted, "To die".  Jesus gave up His life for us.  In all four of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) when Jesus died on the cross it says, "he gave up the ghost", or "yielded up the ghost". 
    When anyone dies, in order to pass from their natural life into their eternal life (whether to Heaven or Hell), they must first give up their natural life.  The same is true in the Spiritual.  Paul said, "I die daily".  Every day we must give up, crucify, and "..put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."  Ephesians 4:22-24  You see, when we "give up", Christ can live in and through us in the most beautiful way.  Only then can we have the peace and joy that only comes from a life that is comepletely given over to Jesus...and He WILL fight our battles for us if we stay bowed at the foot of His cross.  "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
    Give up everything but one thing...Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." That "one thing" is your part, and it is most important. Give up everything else and press toward that mark, "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!"
    Are you tired of fighting on your own?  Does God seem distant?  If so, then perhaps He is standing back, letting you struggle, just waiting for you to give up your carnal efforts.  Give up and let Jesus take over.
 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25