A MIRROR
"But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the
right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56).
Stephen represents what a true Christian is supposed to be: one who is full of
the Holy Ghost with eyes fixed on the Man in glory. He is one who mirrors that
glory in such a way that all who see it will be amazed and filled with wonder.
He is one with a steady gaze fixed on Christ, always looking up to him, fully
occupied with a glorified Savior.
Look at the hopeless condition Stephen was in, surrounded by religious madness,
superstition, prejudice, and jealousy. The angry crowd pressed in on him,
wild-eyed and bloodthirsty, and death loomed just ahead of him. What impossible
circumstances! But looking up into heaven, he beheld his Lord in glory, and
suddenly his rejection here on earth meant nothing to him. Now he was above it
all, seeing him who was invisible.
One glimpse of the Lord's glory, one vision of his precious holiness, and
Stephen could no longer be hurt. The stones and the angry cursing were all
harmless to him because of the joy set before him. One glimpse of Christ's
glory places you above all your circumstances. Keeping your eyes on Christ,
consciously reaching out to him every waking hour, provides peace and serenity
as nothing else can.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord"
(2 Corinthians 3:18). Stephen caught the rays of the glorified Man in heaven
and reflected them to a Christ-rejecting society.
How true that we become what we behold. The proper translation should read, "We
all, with open face mirroring the glory, are changed!" The idea is that the
Christian reflects, like a mirror, the glory on which he gazes continually. It
is we who are "in the glass"—a mirror—looking on Christ, the object of our
affection and becoming like him in the process of beholding.
When the enemy comes in like a flood and troubling circumstances get us down,
we need to both amaze and condemn the world around us by our sweet, restful
repose in Christ. Since we see by our spiritual mind, this is accomplished by
keeping our minds stayed on Christ.
- David Wilkerson
Showing posts with label David Wilkerson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Wilkerson. Show all posts
Friday, June 18, 2010
Unrelenting Love of God
THE UNRELENTING LOVE OF GOD
I want to talk with you about the word unrelenting. It means undiminished in
intensity or effort—unyielding, uncompromising, incapable of being changed or
persuaded by arguments. To be unrelenting is to stick to a determined course.
What a marvelous description of the love of God. Our Lord's love is absolutely
unrelenting. Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners
and saints. David, the Psalmist, expressed it this way: "Thou has beset me
behind and before…. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I
flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make
my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Psalm 139:5, 7–8).
David is speaking of the great highs and lows we face in life. He's saying,
"There are times when I'm so blessed, I feel lifted with joy. At other times, I
feel like I'm living in hell, condemned and unworthy. But no matter where I am,
Lord—no matter how blessed I feel, or how low my condition is—you're there.
I can't get away from your unrelenting love. And I can't chase it away. You
never accept my arguments about how unworthy I am. Even when I'm
disobedient—sinning against your truth, taking your grace for granted—you
never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!"
We need to consider the testimony of the apostle Paul. As we read of Paul's
life, we see a man bent on destroying God's church. Paul was like a madman in
his hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against
everyone who followed Jesus. He sought the high priest's authorization to hunt
down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison.
After he was converted, Paul testified that even during those hate-filled
years—while he was full of prejudice, blindly slaughtering Christ's
disciples—God loved him. The apostle wrote, "God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He
said, in essence, "Even though I wasn't conscious of it, God was pursuing me.
He kept coming after me in love, until that day when he literally knocked me
off my high horse. That was the unrelenting love of God."
Through the years, Paul became increasingly convinced that God would love him
fervently to the end, through all his highs and lows. He stated, "I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39). He was declaring, "Now that I'm
God's, nothing can separate me from his love. No devil, no demon, no
principality, no man, no angel—nothing can stop God from loving me."
-David Wilkerson
I want to talk with you about the word unrelenting. It means undiminished in
intensity or effort—unyielding, uncompromising, incapable of being changed or
persuaded by arguments. To be unrelenting is to stick to a determined course.
What a marvelous description of the love of God. Our Lord's love is absolutely
unrelenting. Nothing can hinder or diminish his loving pursuit of both sinners
and saints. David, the Psalmist, expressed it this way: "Thou has beset me
behind and before…. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I
flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make
my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Psalm 139:5, 7–8).
David is speaking of the great highs and lows we face in life. He's saying,
"There are times when I'm so blessed, I feel lifted with joy. At other times, I
feel like I'm living in hell, condemned and unworthy. But no matter where I am,
Lord—no matter how blessed I feel, or how low my condition is—you're there.
I can't get away from your unrelenting love. And I can't chase it away. You
never accept my arguments about how unworthy I am. Even when I'm
disobedient—sinning against your truth, taking your grace for granted—you
never stop loving me. Your love for me is relentless!"
We need to consider the testimony of the apostle Paul. As we read of Paul's
life, we see a man bent on destroying God's church. Paul was like a madman in
his hatred for Christians. He breathed out threats of slaughter against
everyone who followed Jesus. He sought the high priest's authorization to hunt
down believers so he could charge into their homes and drag them off to prison.
After he was converted, Paul testified that even during those hate-filled
years—while he was full of prejudice, blindly slaughtering Christ's
disciples—God loved him. The apostle wrote, "God commendeth his love toward
us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He
said, in essence, "Even though I wasn't conscious of it, God was pursuing me.
He kept coming after me in love, until that day when he literally knocked me
off my high horse. That was the unrelenting love of God."
Through the years, Paul became increasingly convinced that God would love him
fervently to the end, through all his highs and lows. He stated, "I am
persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38–39). He was declaring, "Now that I'm
God's, nothing can separate me from his love. No devil, no demon, no
principality, no man, no angel—nothing can stop God from loving me."
-David Wilkerson
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Matthew 11:28
David Wilkerson Today
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010
GOD’S PROMISED REST
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered
into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his"
(Hebrews 4:9-10).
You may wonder, "What does it mean to enter this promised rest? What should it
look like in my life?" I pray that God will remove the scales from our eyes and
allow us to grasp this. Simply put, entering into his promised rest means fully
trusting that Christ has done all the work of salvation for you. You're to rest
in his saving grace, by faith alone.
This is what Jesus means when he urges, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). It means the end of
all your fleshly striving, all your human efforts to obtain peace. And it means
relying totally on Jesus' work for you.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood. It takes place in the spiritual
realm. The Old Testament makes this crystal clear. Time after time, Israel made
empty, futile promises to God: "We want to serve you, Lord. We'll do whatever
you command us." But history proves they had neither the heart nor the ability
to follow through on their word. God had to strip them of all faith in
themselves. Everything we need is to come from our precious Lord's presence.
Paul states, "In him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). This
speaks of uninterrupted fellowship. Through the victory of the cross, our Lord
has made himself available to us every hour of the day or night. We have to
make a decision: "I want Christ in my life. I want to be set free from all
flesh. So I'm going to move forward, into his presence and claim my possession.
I want Jesus to be my all, my only source of satisfaction."
David wilkerson
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Liberated Life
The LIBERATED LIFE
-David Wilkerson.
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy:
"And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised... This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21).
Jesus was telling the whole world, "My mission on earth is to liberate every bruised life." To liberate means to set free from all bondage; to release from all slavery; to do away with everything that oppresses. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, "I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free."
Paul also preached that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1)
Paul preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace - life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression - life in the presence of a loving, gentle Savior who cares about all our needs.
This may sound too good to be true but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children - but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it!
-David Wilkerson.
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy:
"And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised... This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21).
Jesus was telling the whole world, "My mission on earth is to liberate every bruised life." To liberate means to set free from all bondage; to release from all slavery; to do away with everything that oppresses. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, "I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free."
Paul also preached that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1)
Paul preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace - life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression - life in the presence of a loving, gentle Savior who cares about all our needs.
This may sound too good to be true but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children - but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Peace & Safety
There is one thing I dread above all others and that is that I would drift away from Christ. I shudder at the notion that I would become slothful, spiritually neglectful, caught up in prayerlessness, and go for days without seeking God’s Word. In my travels around the world I have witnessed a “spiritual tsunami” of evil drifting. Entire denominations have been caught up in the waves of this tsunami, leaving in their wake the ruins of apathy. The Bible warns clearly that it’s possible for devoted believers to drift from Christ.
A Christian who goes after “peace and safety at any cost” and merely hangs onto salvation pays a high spiritual price. So, how can we guard against drifting from Christ and neglecting “so great a salvation”? Paul tells us how: “Give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).
God isn’t interested in our being able to “speed read” through His Word. Reading many chapters a day or trying to get through the Bible quickly may give us a good feeling of accomplishment. But what’s more important is that we “hear” what we read with spiritual ears, and meditate on it so that it’s “heard” in our hearts.
Staying steadfast in God’s Word was no small matter for Paul. He lovingly warns, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1). He also says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Paul isn’t suggesting to these believers that they’re reprobates. Rather, he’s urging them, “As lovers of Christ, test yourself. Take a spiritual inventory. You know enough about your walk with Jesus to know you’re loved by him, that he hasn’t turned from you, that you are redeemed. But ask yourself: How is your communion with Christ? Are you guarding it with all diligence? Are you leaning on him in your hard times?”
Perhaps you realize, “I see a bit of drifting in my life, a tendency to slumber. I know I’m praying less and less. My walk with the Lord isn’t as it should be.”
“We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14).
-David Wilkerson
A Christian who goes after “peace and safety at any cost” and merely hangs onto salvation pays a high spiritual price. So, how can we guard against drifting from Christ and neglecting “so great a salvation”? Paul tells us how: “Give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1).
God isn’t interested in our being able to “speed read” through His Word. Reading many chapters a day or trying to get through the Bible quickly may give us a good feeling of accomplishment. But what’s more important is that we “hear” what we read with spiritual ears, and meditate on it so that it’s “heard” in our hearts.
Staying steadfast in God’s Word was no small matter for Paul. He lovingly warns, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Hebrews 2:1). He also says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Paul isn’t suggesting to these believers that they’re reprobates. Rather, he’s urging them, “As lovers of Christ, test yourself. Take a spiritual inventory. You know enough about your walk with Jesus to know you’re loved by him, that he hasn’t turned from you, that you are redeemed. But ask yourself: How is your communion with Christ? Are you guarding it with all diligence? Are you leaning on him in your hard times?”
Perhaps you realize, “I see a bit of drifting in my life, a tendency to slumber. I know I’m praying less and less. My walk with the Lord isn’t as it should be.”
“We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14).
-David Wilkerson
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