The End
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 2 Timothy 1:9 NASB
Sometimes Oswald Chambers just nails it. In his commentary of July 28, he pounds the point home with a 16 penny nail.
We must never put our dreams of success as God’s purpose for us; His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What we call he process, God calls the end.
God’s training is for now, not presently. His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future. We have nothing to do with the afterwards of obedience . . . obedience is the end.[1]
The purpose of God for you and me is whatever He puts before us right now! The purpose of God for you and me is what we are going to do now, in this moment of confrontation, in this opportunity for obedience. That’s it! That’s all! What we do now is the fulcrum of the universe. The choice we make now will re-engineer the future. This moment is the only moment of divine interaction in your life. Make it count!
Chambers admonishes us about our human penchant to project, especially those of us who have inculcated Western ideas about goals. We do ourselves a great disservice when our focus is fixed on some future objective. In Hebrew thought, this is close to folly. Why? Because the future is unchartered, pliable, changing. What you and I do now alters what happens next. Obedience or disobedience recasts tomorrow, and the day after and the day after. There is some truth in the aphorism, “The future is what you make it.” The caveat is that you and I are making the future in the choices we make right now, not tomorrow.
Paul instructs Timothy that God calls us for His purposes, not ours. Please don’t imagine that you know what He is doing. The Greek phrase, idian prothesin, indicates that God is using us to put forth, to show His faithfulness and His plans. None of us have the insight or capacity to know all that this means. So God gives us a daily playbook. “Do this now and it will fit.” Our part in God’s purpose is similar to the Hebrew idea of prophecy. After it’s over you will know what it was all about. But don’t try to guess beforehand. That isn’t in your cards. Play the hand you have been dealt today. The end game isn’t what you think—and it doesn’t really matter, does it? He knows what He is doing. What does it matter if you don’t?
Topical Index: purpose, goal, idian prothesin, 2 Timothy 1:9
[1] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 28
I used to believe that I had to get myself up to some starting line – some point where, mysteriously, things made sense and were ‘fair’ – before I could ‘do right’. It was obvious to me that, no matter how hard I was trying where I was at, my wheels just kept spinning me backwards and downwards for reasons beyond my control and it was all so unfair and – and – and -. I still had to learn what was my own strength, and how ineffective it was in its own right.
In society today, where the human is exalted; especially, I think, in this country, where we are the scions of people who experienced progress supposedly by pulling up on their bootstraps, we are indoctrinated on all sides with the thought that we have to make all the first moves, and initiate all the actions. The future is, supposedly, ‘up to us’. Why, working their way to heaven worked for our forbears, and it should be good enough for us; but look where we are at! Paul said he could do NOTHING. Such a scary starting point for us to have so much cultural nonsense to unlearn!
THE WATER WALKER
Oswald Chamber’s theme in his July 28th offering,
is our complete faith and certainty of God having control
over every moment of our lives. Especially NOW!
God’s purpose for us is for NOW, To totally depend on Him NOW.
Chambers adds when His disciples saw Jesus “walking on the sea”,
it was to assure them that everything was all right because they
saw “Him walking on the sea”.
That sure helps my walk on dry land. Moment by moment.
I like to differ here. I am here because I chose to be. I can never say it is because God willed it. I can rather claim because he permitted it. As for playing the hand.. Paul and all were transformed zeroed by His hand. It is only when I am nothing that God purpose can be manifested. This we agree on. Paul went to kill big bang he became the apostle. Timothy believed and worked after Paul taught him… A big difference. For those empowered it is easier to stand and do than for those taught.
As for Yeshau back to the question. What did he have to suffer so that he could learn obedience and why if he was divine and sent for a purpose…
We can deduct and debate but the records are to vague to pinpoint. And Skip this is what I read a lot in the discussions we are trying to pinpoint what is left unrevealed… In assuming we may have the right or more correct answer we are actually not playing our hand correct we are protecting it.
Doing something because we feel obliged is not faith it is guilt driven. If faith be the result of hearing and doing then work in Christ cannot be faith but rather this more empowered calling.
Shema to be prepared when prepared we become clay in His hands. What happens there after is a new creature… I am stilling learning to have faith… I cannot say what will I hopefully be modelled into Adam or Eve…
Not because of Torah or love but because of His purpose. I may even just remain a faithful believer and never the worker in Christ.
Fool and lazybones look at the ants and become wise. They toil and gather without leadership only with a purpose…
Seeker, what I think I am hearing you say is that there is a two-step process, or perhaps you could say it is a two-person process, in that we choose (our part) and God empowers (His part). I agree. There is the yoke; the blending of the human will with the divine one. Sin is where I have been deceived into thinking that I am lined up with love, when actually I am not. In the fruiting of that choice the truth is revealed. If the choice is cursed (no good fruit), instead of blessed (empowered) I can learn not to make that choice again. Even the heathen can – by this process of the curses and the blessings – be enabled to learn about love, so that the whole world is without excuse.
Even bad choices require a power from beyond us to implement. Look at Hitler. Surely he has not been the only one who desired to accomplish what he did, by any means. There are little impotent Hitlers running around us on the streets all the time, but because they are impotent, we just laugh at them, or ignore them. God permits, and in that permission lies the empowerment, even for that evil. Where did the power to do evil come from? God permitted it to be taken from the good already in the world. It was not only Hitler that succeeded, you know. There were a whole lot of people willing to hand over their power for good to him to use for bad because they were in agreement. Even evil has to have the power of community, I would think. The way I read it, this is the confederacy of evil that Isaiah 8:12 warns us to avoid.
About God’s purpose. Skip says His purpose is whatever is in front of us. When we go to choose, we have to make choices about what is in front of us. What He wills, or allows, is the entire spectrum of those choices. No matter what we choose, then, will still be within His will, which is to say, He will still be able to use our choice to accomplish His bigger pattern. In other words, we can alter the pattern, but we cannot change it to a different pattern. The way I see it right now, if I make a poor choice, I am not negating His will, but I am negating myself and all that is around me OUT of that will, and bringing those curses down around me and mine. My choices are not about changing His will, then; my choices are about changing where I am at in that will. This is where I am currently at in my struggle to understand the (to me, anyway) incomprehensible, which is that ability of the universe to contain both free wills: His and mine.
I, of course, reserve the right to be wrong today tomorrow! Still learning.
His Name is Immanuel (or Emmanuel). He is [always and forever] “with us..” – right here and right now. Wherever “here” is and whenever “now” is. He is the God of the “now-here.” What did David declare? “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from Your Presence!” Or even better, what did our Savior say? — “I AM with you always, even to the end of the age..”
Laurita “We choose (our part) and God empowers (His part)” Let us reflect. The truth is that our choice does not matter. When God calls my choices become nothing.
My great grand father Adolf… (Joking) The man wanted to attend art classes at university and was denied the opportunity and then he surrendered and we know the shocking outcome. Evil finds route where the good is left void…
A slight difference in understanding than Skip. God’s purpose starts were my choices become nullified not where I have fulfilled them. I must agree that it does seem that the explanation provided by Skip does fit 80% of the role players in the OT but not in the NT here it only is concerned with about 20% individuals involved… The different in covenant read the prophetic teaching in the OT. no man will teach God will do it self… Does this require human interface? No, yet we promote the necessity of human interface – making the creation greater than the Creator…
Yeshua taught be meek and humble, I do not read he taught be wise enough to make the right choice of how you will respond. Remember when we submit unto God He leads us – a promise to all… Important difference he does not empower because of submission. When he empowers not even our submission is required as then we become new in action, thought and purpose (way truth and life – worker in Yeshau in short). [THE WORD TOOK ON FLESH] {Not flesh accepted the word}
So Yes let us learn to place in perspective. By understanding the original context we will discover more and only through more discussions (stay in Jerusalem in the temple of Solomon and study to show approved) will we find guidance to make the right decisions. Not workers in the body but doers of the will…
Skips blog on Ego eimi was very informative, read it and maybe he could revisit it in the near future…
But Seeker, God never forces, or, nullifies, without my consent. Yes, when I humble myself and consent to His will, my will gets subsumed, but he never MAKES me do that. So much of the modern church teaches that people will someday be FORCED to ‘do right’ against their will. I guess that could come out of the teaching that, somehow, after death, people will magically be transformed into somebody they don’t recognize by virtue of the fact that, even though they spent their whole life in unrepentant sin, God will MAKE them into obedient creatures fit for the Kingdom – by grace of course. “Jesus does it all” MEANS that God can force His way because I never had to choose it, but I don’t think that humility and submission mean that my yetzer got snowplowed! It just means that my will agreed with His.
Even when the unrepentant get nullified along with their sin in the lake of fire, God is just choosing to agree with their choice of death. Free choice means what it means. He never overrides. If you are sitting around waiting for that (which, however, I think I can tell you are very much NOT!) you will wait forever. When God empowers, it is because a vessel has become willing for Him to empty and fill them. There is not a record one of a prophet forced to prophesy. They all freely consented. Some of them even hit the “I do not agree” button later. I cannot empty myself, but my part is to choose for Him to. Then He can fill me and empower me.
Nature abhors a vacuum. What God empties of its nothing naturally fills with His something, but I don’t think He ever, not even once, did that emptying stuff in somebody’s sleep or while they were screaming in protest. Dante’s Hell was pulled straight out of pagan thought, but the picture of force painted there has pervaded most of Christianity today, I fear. In the end, nobody: not the devil, and certainly not God, ‘made’ me do it. I am a free agent up until my last particle is consumed, either in that lake of fire, or in the baptism of fire. The difference being that, in the lake I choose annihilation, but in the baptism I continue to choose to continue to stay freely in yoke. The new creature in that yoke still chooses. All down through eternity they will still choose. They just (because of the gift of life that they CHOSE) get to stick around to enjoy what happens next. We can choose to die – as we must also choose to live – but God never forces anybody to live or die – in hell, or anywhere else. What else is a free will for?
Laurita- yes we are free agents. This makes us believers or non believers. No I do not proclaim redemption after death for as tree falls so shall it stay.
I choose to respond use specific words etc. That is all true. I accept the word, do the word and YHVH makes His abode in me. My choice because I desire to.
And he descended took captives captive and gave them gifts… No voluntary choice here.
Here is the question. I choose to attend a teaching five minutes into the teaching I realise this is a false message. Choice 1 stand up and separate so that cannot be exsposed to falseness. Choice 2 stand and say sorry but what you are saying is not correct. Choice 3 remain and listen so that I can help others understand better by discussing the sermon in the right context with them. Choice 4 remain listen and do nothing. Choice 5 be a source of reference for the preacher after the sermon.
All would be inline with sound understanding so let us say I stand up and address the audience and teacher. After this many fall away. Others attend further sermons just to leave saying another hour lost.
What I am saying is that out of all the possible right answers we may still do more harm than good. This is not how I serve God.
I hear a lot, research even more then one day when busy with my daily activities. I stop help a stranger which I normally do not, I did not choose to do this I just did it. Is there a difference? Yes. This last option was not voluntary, chosen or even a consideration but was done.
I make knowledgeable and informed choices some result in progress others in regret.
Or do I misunderstand…
Do you mean that you did not feel OBLIGED to help the stranger? I agree with you on that feeling obliged stuff as not being the right motivation. Adam and Eve also “just did” right. They were innocent of the will of God (Torah) working unimpeded through them, because there was nothing in them in opposition to it. Innocence is like that. You may have been innocent of ulterior motives, and so thought that ‘you’ were not choosing to help the person, but in my experience, I have found that when I am already willing to do in general , the Spirit is not impeded in doing specifically. May we all stay already willing. Its so fun when it just flows! May others only see Yeshua in me, and may I also see only Him there, too. Halleluah! (Not there yet!)
Yes and amen to the finely driven nail through the heart of our chalenge as disciples. That is to remain in the present tense=presence =reality =YHWH
‘Nothing in opposition.’ may be the best way to accept it then. Thank you for the time and effort to discuss. God’s ways are easier to accept than to try and explain … this will take me another thousand years to comprehend choices are often uninterrupted patterns of actions. A tacit natural way of being obedient…
Seeker, I think I learn something most every day because of you, and your willingness to embrace engagement. Thank you so much for your comment “choices are often uninterrupted patterns of actions”. Thank you!
Yeshua is the teacher YHVH the master, their words our task to study.