I’ve been hit lately with our total reliance upon the Father. Everything I am, everything I have, owes its existence to the Father. And I am in utter and total reliance upon Him for every part of my life- my dreams, my hopes, my desires. I don’t know if you have ever cried before our Father in your hour of need, but its comforting to know that He is our source of strength. He is our reason for existing, and the reason we continue to exist. Truly a humbling thought.
But why does my sinful heart keep deceiving me into thinking that I can do things in my own strength without total reliance upon the Father? Why do I keep thinking that I’m so great?
In his book simply called Humility, Andrew Murray says: ‘Man’s chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present himself as an empty vessel in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.’
‘Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of man. It is the root of every virtue.’
I must admit, the times when I feel most content and joyous is when I have felt like I have been an instrument in the hands of the Creator. And when I’m proud within myself, I feel most discontent. Is the secret of contentment? Is this what Paul means when he says ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me?’ I think Murray is onto something there!
I’ll leave you with some verses I’ve been reflecting on lately which describe the fact of our total dependence upon God for our existence.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
Psalm 104:27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
Nehemiah 9:6 "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Lord, make me your empty vessel…(quite a scarey prayer when you think about it!)
But why does my sinful heart keep deceiving me into thinking that I can do things in my own strength without total reliance upon the Father? Why do I keep thinking that I’m so great?
In his book simply called Humility, Andrew Murray says: ‘Man’s chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now and through all eternity, is to present himself as an empty vessel in which God can dwell and manifest His power and goodness.’
‘Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of man. It is the root of every virtue.’
I must admit, the times when I feel most content and joyous is when I have felt like I have been an instrument in the hands of the Creator. And when I’m proud within myself, I feel most discontent. Is the secret of contentment? Is this what Paul means when he says ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me?’ I think Murray is onto something there!
I’ll leave you with some verses I’ve been reflecting on lately which describe the fact of our total dependence upon God for our existence.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
Psalm 104:27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
Nehemiah 9:6 "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Revelation 4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
Lord, make me your empty vessel…(quite a scarey prayer when you think about it!)
1 comment:
I love that image . . . the gold underneath the muck.
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