Tag: Devotional

“After everything is completed, what is really most important? At what cost will you attempt to maintain your reputation? What price have you paid to remain right? How has your need to express your opinion exhibited the heart of Jesus? Shallow victories come at a high price. Only fools are willing to pay for that kind of success. There is still time to make right all of the things that have masked My reasons for your associations. You can take the posture of Christ. You can lose! It’s OK. You can be wrong! Big deal!

"It really is pleasing in My eyes when you give more than all of the others with no desire to gain anything for yourself. Any other posture for living robs you of the joy that I have intended for you. Give more! Love deeper! When no one else is loving you, you love anyway. I am pleased with that kind of behavior. I can use you to represent Jesus.”

1 John 4:18 NIV

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love.

 

It has taken me a long time to begin to understand about perfect love and what the Lord was saying in the above verse. If you would replace the word “punishment” with the more accurate word “loss” the meaning of the verse rings with clarity and amplifies the spirit of the surrounding verses.

Jesus came to “lose” in the sight of those who couldn’t understand, all so that we could “win.” He had no fear of losing His reputation; therefore, He was able to esteem everyone higher than Himself. He “owned” nothing, so there was no fear of loss in His heart. No one can take what is not owned. He even gave His life away long before Pilate attempted to take it. Whatever Pilate did, therefore, held no fear for Jesus. He could even love Pilate - and those who were cursing Him, and those who drove the nails in His hands; and every one of us who reject His ways - perfectly.

Because Jesus loved perfectly, He could function freely in His Father’s will. In fact, His Father’s will was far more important than His own. He loved His Father so perfectly that His own will meant nothing. When functioning like Jesus means more to us than our need to be right, the need to protect our reputation, or the need to win at the expense of someone else losing, our Lord will be able to use us to represent Him to the world.

Forgive me for my priorities, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Holiness is not something that you set your mind on. It is a step-by-step positioning of your heart for Me to do a mighty work in you. You can never attain holiness in your own strength and determination. It must be accomplished in you by repentance and surrender; otherwise you can claim some part in it. That would be pride. You need to come to Me often. We will talk about the areas of your life of which you need to repent. We will talk of obedience to My Word. We will examine your areas of unforgiveness and anger. I will lead you to repentance. You will suffer the loss of control over your life. It will be painful to your flesh. Each step, however, is a very important step on the road to My accomplishing holiness in you.”

 Hebrews 5:8-9 AMP

8) Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered

9) And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him.

Rom. 6:16 AMP

Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?)

Rom. 6:19 AMP

I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and faculties] as servants to impurity and ever-increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification.

Rom. 6:22 AMP

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.

 

Taken from The Overcoming Life by Jim and Merry Corbett

Jesus Even Learned Through Suffering

 Often, the message conveyed in Heb.5:8 drops to the ground before it impacts our lives.  The plan of Satan is to see that we never really receive the truth that this Scripture imparts. If he can stop us from receiving, he can nullify our effectiveness, or completely destroy our relationship with the Lord because of our misunderstanding of His ways. Here’s a real key:

Through suffering (denial,) obedience is learned (Heb.5:8.) Obedience leads to righteousness (Rom.6:16,) and righteousness leads to holiness (Rom 6:19,) which results in eternal life (Rom. 6:22.)

Most of us spend our lives avoiding suffering of any kind. Our comfort is of primary importance to us. Most of us also wonder why we have little power to obey God. The role that suffering plays never enters our rose-colored picture unless we allow the Holy Spirit to break through the fog that hinders our understanding. How can we progress, if we do not recognize the first step to holiness?

Jesus is holy. His coming from heaven, His life, and the heart position in the way He died show the character of One Who is holy. He asks us to be holy and says that He is holy, giving us the example to follow. Our hope is to become like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Complete Your work in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When was the last time you were so caught up in worship that time had no meaning? How often do you rejoice in My presence? When has honest praise enveloped your entire being to the point that nothing else mattered? Have you ever been so aware of our intimacy that you were dropped to your knees by My power? These postures are your heritage and should be your daily experience! You are designed to be enveloped in My presence. You have been reborn to become intimate with Me.

"To enter into the kind of wealth that is yours will cost you, however. The price is a readjustment of your priorities. I must be first, last, and everything in between in your life. I must never be your second place. You have no idea how much you miss by having other loves. You have no idea how much you will gain by practicing a life of having Me as your first love. Study My Word and see what Jesus has done for you. Ask Me to show you what I have provided for your life. It is foolish to settle for less.”

 Psalm 37:4 NIV

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 150:1-6 AMP

1) Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power!

2) Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness!

3) Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!

4) Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes!

5) Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

6) Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

 

It amazes me how we are willing to settle for scraps in the street when we have been invited to a daily banquet of the presence of our Lord. To know the heart of God, understand our portion in His kingdom, have astounding peace for any and every situation, dwell in our rightful place of intimacy with the Almighty, and be able to pour the wealth of our Lord into anyone and everyone who needs it, only come from one place. They are only available after we make the unalterable decision to give God His rightful place of being truly first in every moment of our lives.

Prioritize my life, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You need to never fear. I have always taken care of those who are called by My Name. I hover over you with a jealous love, one that can never be extinguished. In time, you will understand the fullness and depth of that love. For now, however, I am able to reveal only portions that you can comprehend. Under no circumstances should you think that I have left you. That is impossible for Me to do. I have placed My Spirit within your inner being. I am part of you.

"With that confidence, you can overcome any and every circumstance that comes your way. You can be assured without a doubt that all works together for good, even those things that look bad at the time. One day you will see My love at work in them. One day you will be able to comprehend the fullness of My plan. One day you will understand your part as I reveal why things unfolded as they did. You will see My love at work. For now, you become obedient to My Word. You walk in My precepts. You live the life that I have planned for you. I will be with you every step of the way. I love you.”

Isaiah 38:17 NIV

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Jude 21-23 NIV

21) Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

22) Be merciful to those who doubt;

23) snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupt flesh.

 

Walking in God’s love means something very different to me the longer I study the Word. When I first came to the Lord, His love was all about my freedom, comfort, safety, and pleasure.  His love was a tickly, feely, emotional kind of thing that I used for my benefit and hung onto because of my desperate need for a reminder of my physical safety in Him. Although I do believe that I was allowed to experience that portion of His love to help me through my brokenness, limiting the Lord to that perspective throughout life would condemn me to the milk of His character and His Word.

I believe the strong meat of His Word only comes through an understanding that the love of God has little to do with the safety of my flesh. In fact, my flesh cannot survive the love of God. It is doomed under His Lordship.

My understanding of walking in God’s love certainly includes the uplifting, emotional aspect; but also the confidence and trust that He cares, no matter what circumstances result as I walk in obedience to Him. I can be confident that His love brought me to a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. I am safe forever. In that relationship, however, my part is His purpose and His purpose alone, no matter what that might bring.

Wanting to understand more each day,

Jim Corbett

“In your darkest hour, I am with you. As you walk through the most dangerous place, you are not alone. You need to stop walking in fear. You need to trust Me. You also need to begin to do what I tell you to do for My reasons, not so that you benefit. Your reasoning mind cannot interpret My heart. Step out in faith without consideration of the consequences. Even if you look like a fool, even if it appears as if you have failed, trust Me to determine your success. I am with you because you are Mine. Eternity will be the judge of what is successful and what is a failure, not immediate appearances. Be bold in Me. I am with you.”

Isaiah 43:21 NIV

“the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

8) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

9) “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 10:23 AMP

Oh, Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps.

 

God is calling for the mature bridal heart to be accepted by each of His children. He is bringing to those who will hear a desire to sell out completely, so that the passionate life of Jesus can function through us, exhibiting His character to a dead and dying world.

Whatever you do, don’t allow the enemy, or even your friends, determine whether any move you have made in obedience to God was of God. He is the One to determine success or failure. He is the One to plan your steps. Your response is to be obedient. Outcome is His responsibility.

Love deeply. Walk in His Word, making sure that you are in line with His Word. Seek wise counsel. Then do what you know to be right in your heart. Get up if it looks like you have fallen down. Dust yourself off and prepare for another opportunity to serve your Lord. If you seem to have fallen again, allow the Lord to minister to you. He loves you. This life in Christ is exciting. Go for it!

Hold my heart as I follow You, Lord,

Jim Corbett