The essence of salvation is denying self instead of affirming self. Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God
In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby, et al, describes:
God-Centered Life:
- Places confidence in God
- Depends on God and His ability and provision
- Focuses on God and His activity
- Is humble before God
- Denies self
- Seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
- Seeks God's perspective in every circumstance
- Chooses holy and godly living
To know and do God's will, you must deny self and return to a God-centered life.
Self-Centered Life:
- Is focused on self
- Is proud of self and self's accomplishments
- Is self-confident
- Depends on self and abilities
- Affirms self
- Seeks to be acceptable to the world and its ways
- Looks at circumstances from a human perspective
- Chooses selfish and ordinary living
Looking at the latter list and thinking of it from my own experience, I would add:
- Is ashamed of self and self's failures
- Is self-critical
- Degrades self
- Seeks to be acceptable to everyone, especially God and other believers
- Chooses self-pity and isolation
As I went through this week's study for Experiencing God, which we just started this is my 3rd time through), and especially the above section on a self-centered life vs. a God-centered life, I realized that I spend far too much time focused on my feelings and thoughts and abilities. I believe that I need to set my heart and mind on God, His promises, His words, His abilities, His thoughts, and His feelings. Rather than worrying about how I am doing (am I failing or succeeding); or about how others perceive me (am I good or bad), I need to be more focused on God's goodness and His righteousness.
It reminded me of the verse, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." I always struggled with "His righteousness." What does it mean to seek His righteousness?
I realized that it is all about God's goodness, justice, mercy, grace, and love! I can leave the judgment of my life to Him. My focus needs to be on Him, on who He is, what He has promised, what He is doing, and what He wants to do in my life.
How freeing to release my life to God! To not worry about how righteous or obedient I am. To just focus on His will and His leading and instruction. I got this picture in my mind of a servant who walks around all self-centered and self-pitying. How can he do anything for his Master when he is so focused on himself. A servant's job is to be focused on his Master's will, his Master's well-being, his Master's concerns.
And so, my testimony is:
I love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress. My Deliverer, my God, my Rock in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
Oh, and I'll add a little something from Oswald Chambers.
If you want to know how real you are, test yourself by these words -- 'Come to me....' In every dimension in which you are not real, you will argue or evade the issue altogether rather than come; you will go through sorrow rather than come; and you will do anything rather than come the last lap of the race of seemingly unspeakable foolishness and say, 'Just as I am, I come.' As long as you have even the least bit of spiritual disrespect, it will always reveal itself in the fact that you are expecting God to tell you to do something very big, and yet all He is telling you to do is to 'Come ....'
Don't worry, just come!!!
Love,
Ev
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