5 replies to this topic

[Ginger]

July 12
________________________________________
I wrote to you out of great sorrow and anguish of heart – along with many tears – not to make you sad but to let you know how much love I have for you. (2 Corinthians 2:4 ISV)

There is nothing that is precious to the Lord, and which He would make the property of His people, but there will be suffering for it. It will only become their property – in that sense – as they suffer for it, and then woe betide who criticizes that! If you are detached from a thing, if you are detached from a testimony, from a work of God, you can do all the criticizing you like. You have no inward heart-relationship to it, and so you pass your judgments upon it. But if you are in it and you have suffered, if it has been a costly thing where you are concerned, then you are seeing more than all the failings, more than all those faults. The people who can criticize like that and judge and point out faults are the people who have not suffered.

On the other side, we may know all the terms, all the phraseology, all the doctrine, all the truth, and it may be just objective, something we have heard; we have lived in the midst of it, it is familiar to us. But what the Lord will do if that is to become ours is to take us into travail over the matter. He will relate that thing to our hearts in a deep, inward way, so that none of us will be able to say, "I know all about that, I have heard all about that, I could tell you all that you could tell me about that." The Lord would so work in a costly, deep and painful way in relation to that, to make it ours through travail, that we are brought into a new position. We are not spectators, looking on, criticizing; we are on the inside, looking out, defending. We are jealous over it. Suffering is a great purifying thing. It destroys selfishness. It destroys that self-interest that is the cause of so much of the trouble. It makes us in a disinterested way jealous for what is of God. Yes, suffering purifies, and suffering makes this deep, inward link. It gives an extra feature to things. That extra feature where we cannot just be occupied with faults and be people of a criticizing attitude, the extra feature with a love which covers a multitude of sins. We have suffered together. When we suffer together, what a lot we get over!

By T. Austin-Sparks from: Austin-Sparks.Net - The Eternal Reward of Labour and Suffering



Austin-Sparks.Net - The Eternal Reward of Labour and Suf...
Reading: Numbers 27:1-7; Joshua 15:13-19, Romans 8:17. I have just one thought that I want to pass to you here. It relates to inheritance.

View on www.austin-sparks.net
Preview by Yahoo


 

[ADVRider]

From T Austin-Sparks writings, I gather the man had many a wrestling bout and many furnace experiences. He writes to the deep places of the heart, not the surface.

[chipped china]

That was good, thanks for sharing. 

 

"It makes us in a disinterested way jealous for what is of God." Actually, I have had to deal with a very interested jealousy over seeing other people with a better spiritual life. Especially those who are surrendered most of the time and know and use their gifts. I've actually had to ask God for forgiveness and thank Him for what He has given me. It's definitely made me grow.  I still find it painful when I can not share the loving intimacies God has bestowed on me. I have thought if only I could explain or show it better they would believe or understand the liberty we have been given. I don't mean in outright unforgiven sin, I mean in not being perfect. A love that draws you to Him. I'm learning the revelations and intimacies are His to give and if I happen to be a vessel for Him to use then Glory be to Him.

 

I've often thought if more people could experience how much God loves us, we would certainly have more faith and be spared much criticism, the giving and receiving. And so for the topic of suffering, I've had my share and what I've learned is in the lessening of my selfish needs the more peace and love I have to give. 

[Ginger]

Dear Betsy,

What you share can be very profound and sometimes I have to truly think on it and pray.  I do understand about feeling like someone has a better grasp or sometimes think that a person may believe that they shared something that is right on target... So methinks each of us who share and have the courage to post ... at times it does take courage to post, at least from my 'perspective'.... and at times well.... I'll let that go to "God KNOWS"...

 

Girl, ya got me ta thinking on is when a need is a selfish need... seems the key word is need.... and well... if you have a need it may be just so personalized that God KNOWS it isn't selfish and same with me or anyone else.... Seems that a person who is actually being selfish doesn't say anything to indicate how much that they want to love God or how much He loves us....

 

Excuse me if my words are all out of kilter.... praying for our hearts to be pure and kind even to ourselves .... God knows what I mean and don't truly know how to express it any differently.

 

God bless ya right real good in every way and to Him all glory and honor and praise.

 

Love and prayers,

Ginger

[chipped china]

Girlfriend, now you got me thinking. ha 

Sometimes it is a fine balance between our own needs and other's needs. Sometimes it isn't a true need but a desire. 

I have a saying: It isn't really giving unless it hurts a little, otherwise it's just getting rid of something you don't need or desire.

There is also a definite line between when it hurts to give and when you decide you will give it without resentment.

I also find myself looking for balance between the giving and taking when dealing with loved ones and friends. Sometimes when I feel it's getting more one sided either way I can feel guilty or resentful so I have to give them both to the Lord. Most of the time I feel so grateful for what He has given me I can come back to peace. If the resentment rears it's ugly head again I keep giving it back to God until it's gone. If I feel guilty I will confess it to the person and let them know I'm grateful (most of the time).

If I'm throwing pearls to swine, mostly I'm sad for them and will back off. The question I ask now is: has there ever been a time that God didn't fill my needs? No! AMAZING!!!! I haven't always had my desires filled but it's gone on to show me that I didn't need them. 

[Ginger]

well you have me thinking about the verse that says something about 'our heart's desires'... may we delight in the Lord.... now going to e-Sword and begin with Delight thyself in the Lord....