God and God Alone

God and God Alone

"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31

I had a text message from a friend this week and I was commending him on the growth I have seen in his life. He made an interesting statement -- "It's all about focus, focus, focus." I quickly reminded him that he had it all wrong -- it isn't about focus -- it's about God and God alone. When He is the center of our lives -- then we are able to focus on all the right things.

Listen to what Dr. Glynn Evans says about this in his devotional book, DAILY WITH THE KING (Moody Press):

I will make YOU the basis of my trust, Lord. I will accept Your demolition of my security, even thought it is painful. When I was a young Christian I thought everything was God -- and. It was God -- and blessing; God -- and power; God -- and fruitfulness. Now I see everything is just God -- and nothing.

Now I fully understand why God tested Abraham's faith by telling him to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). God gives, but He also takes away. He must take away. God will not have me trusting ANYTHING other than HIMSELF, not even a good, lovely thing like Isaac. God gives me vibrant health, then He takes it away and leaves me weak and clinging. Why? To show me where my ultimate trust should be. No sooner do I find something in which I can boast than God takes away the object of my boasting. Not bad things, but good things.

Sermons, books, and articles tell me constantly that the Christian life is the greatest, the most exciting, the most rewarding life available. But they miss the point! They tell me God ADDS so much to me. As a result, my Christian life can become shambles through false expectancy. What really happens is that God TAKES AWAY so much. He continually removes from my life everything that would make me earthbound, self-dependent, or experience-centered.

Why were so many of the Corinthian Christians "weak ... sickly ... and dead (1 Corinthians 11:30)? Because a THING had come between them and God. God will tolerate no "thing" between Himself and me -- even so dear a thing as my "Isaac." But He will take nothing away without adding the larger dimension of HIMSELF to take its place. Once I have given my dearest to Him, I will hear Him say, "Now I will REALLY bless you." (See Genesis 22:17)

What in your life, brother, is more dear to you than God and God alone? Are you willing to surrender that to HIM today? Think about it. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

DIGGING DEEPER: Proverbs 16; Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11

DIG THIS QUOTE: You have trusted Him in a few things, and He has not failed you. Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do for you exceeding abundantly above all that you could ever have asked or thought, not according to your power or capacity, but according to His own mighty power, that will work in you all the good pleasure of His most blessed will. You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of it? Hannah Whitall Smith

DETERMINED DIGGING -- Level 1: Deut. 31:8 Level 2 -- Psalm 1