“Reestablishing Vital Communication…” ((DTFD, June 12))

(from “Daily Thoughts for Disciples” by Oswald Chambers, June 12th entry)

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“That they may be one just as We are one.” — John 17:22

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The conception which Jesus Christ had of a society was that men and women might be one with Him as He was one with the Father.

The full-orbed meaning of the term personality in its fundamental aspect is a being created by God who has lived on this earth and formed his or her character. The majority of us are not personalities as yet; we are beginning to be, and our value to God in His kingdom depends on the development and growth of our personalities.

There is a difference between being saved and sanctified by the sheer sovereign grace of God and choosing to be the choice ones, not for heaven, but down here. The average view of Christianity, that we only need to have faith and we are saved, is a stumbling block.

How many of us care anything about being witnesses to Jesus Christ? How many of us are willing to spend every ounce of energy we have, every bit of mental, moral, and spiritual life for Jesus Christ? That is the meaning of a worker in God’s sense. God has left us on earth, what for? To be saved and sanctified? No, to be at it for Him…

My life as a worker is the way I say “Thank You” to God for His unspeakable salvation.

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Taken from Daily Thoughts for Disciples, © 1976, 1994 by Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd., and used by permission of Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids MI 49501. All rights reserved.

[[Some words Chambers uses are not used often today — click [here] to look up difficult words.]]

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Brief commentary:
“Being saved” isn’t something to be viewed like life insurance, vaccinations or Thompson’s Water Seal — it’s not something that a person “takes care of”, then walks away thinking “Glad I got that squared away.” Salvation is NOT a Ronco Rotisserie oven — “set it and forget it”.

It’s a relationship as intimate — more so, truth be told — than that between a husband and wife. Husbands, it’s coming up on Father’s Day, but do you think that even on “your day”, you could get away with completely ignoring your wife from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep and not have any “consequences”? Not likely.

Yet this is how many people approach their Christian lives: “get right with God” then go back to doing your own thing, just maybe without as many cuss words and perhaps a beer or two less when you go out for “happy hour”.

Taking this course of thought regarding “getting right with God” is delusional. It’s not something you “walk from”, but something you “walk in”. Revisiting the marriage parallel, it’s possible to go a long stretch of the day without being in communication with each other (sorry, newlyweds, if this shocks you). It’s even possible — such as in the case of working opposing shifts — where a day could go by without any personal contact whatsoever except for the few hours when your sleep schedules might overlap.

But when such is the case, a longing builds inside; the longer the absence, the stronger the longing. At some point, you’ll feel like you’ll burst from your skin if you don’t talk or see your spouse at once. Why do we expect any less from our relationship with God?

Any time you’ve been “out of communication” with Him, if your love is there, you’ll desire to take the time to talk to Him. As wonderful a practice as “grace” is, it should NOT be the only time during the day when you talk to Him — you should have time, on your own, when you engage in dialogue with Him. Not monologue, where you talk and talk and then “hang up” before you hear a reply, but dialogue, where both parties have opportunity to talk. If anything, you should “budget” to spend more time listening than talking.

Why does it even matter?

Well, the more you communicate with Him, the more like Him you’ll find yourself becoming. His desires will become your desires; His loves will become your loves. Then you’ll go about whatever business you have that day and be able to see more clearly the opportunities to minister and serve as He has placed. “That you might walk in the good deeds that He has ordained beforehand for you to walk in.”

If you don’t have any recent information regarding what your spouse wants you to do, what’s the natural inclination? For most people, it’s “hey, if s/he didn’t say s/he wants anything, that must mean I’m off the hook and am free to do as I please.” It’s no different in spiritual matters; most who have been out of communication with their Bridegroom walk through daily life with the assumption “I’m free to do as I please since God hasn’t interrupted me to tell me He wants me to do something different.”

Brothers and sisters, if you’re in that place today, it’d be the best thing you could do to re-establish that line of vital communication before you do anything else. Who knows what blessings you’re walking past simply because you never took the time to find out about them?