Good Things Gone Bad

Check out the Sept. 17 "My Utmost" by Oswald Chambers: http://www.myutmost.org/09/0917.html

This one has some eye opening statements, such as the following: “Temptation is a suggested short cut to the realization of the highest at which I aim - not towards what I understand as evil, but towards what I understand as good.”

Wow, think about that. It’s very true, and very convicting. Think of this: that good thing that you know God has in store for you today or tomorrow…be on guard! Do not take a shortcut around God’s way to it! I guess that’s why it’s important to “take every thought captive.” (2 Cor 10:5)

I don’t mean to ruin anyone’s day with this…I think it’s empowering. I’m using it less to say, “well, I thought that was a good thing” and more to say “ah ha, this is a good thing, but I will not pursue it haphazardly…I will watch for the shortcut and deny myself of it…I will pursue the good thing the Good way.” These good things include food, shelter, friendship, purpose, servitude, physical fitness, knowledge, rest, occasional entertainment, each kind of love, and everything else. But don’t we feel temptation and sometimes fall when pursuing these good things? Not that any of them were bad of themselves, and in fact they were blessing from God, but we did not pursue them God’s way, or as O.C. puts it, “realization of the highest at which I aim.” The highest at which I aim is more than that at which I am aiming—the highest realization of that thing is equally the road to the destination as much as the destination—otherwise, we did not in fact arrive at that place we set out toward, as our minds comprehended the blessing as a snapshot, some static representation of what we righteously desire, instead of correctly perceiving that it was actually something alive, requiring the Creator’s breath to be meaningful and not just a shadow of what we once set out toward without Him.

Let’s say God has revealed to you that He wants to give you some rest soon. Is receiving that rest the extent of the blessing? You could then say, “ok, I’m cancelling everything and just resting today.” Nevermind that you told a friend you would do something for them, you have a presentation due the next day, and your kids are expecting you at their ballgame. Perhaps if we had full faith in God’s promise, we wouldn’t take the matter into our own hands and miss the highest realization of the blessing, in this case rest. Otherwise, if we have strayed spiritually while pursuing the good thing God planned for us, where is our rest? If we have separated from God even slightly, our physical rest is offset by spiritual unrest. God had planned both: resting in Him and His presence paired up with physical rest for a truly recharging experience. Similar examples could be applied to our God given purpose, God given friendships, pursuit of knowledge of God and His Word, the 4 loves that He has planned for us, and just about any other blessing.

I think this realization can actually be a confidence builder because we are better equipped to destroy temptation head-on, though it certainly is convicting. What do you think?