Summoned By Jesus

The following post is a reprint from My Utmost for His Highest daily devotional for today’s date, in its entirety. It speaks for itself, but I would add these thoughts… In the garden there were two trees. Man was told not to eat of one (the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil), which man did and, as a result, have been suffering consequences ever since. The other was the Tree of Life. After the fall, man was removed from the garden and a spiritual barrier was established to prevent man from accessing it. In Revelation 2:7 it says “To him who overcomes… I will grant to eat from the Tree of Life.” Our devotion, submission, and obedience to Jesus Christ, are all-important in this life. Each of us who carry the name of Christ, should be on a pathway of drawing near to Him and becoming more like Him. This pathway is not about accomplishing but about submitting. It’s not about doing, it’s about being.

The Law of Opposition

To him who overcomes… REVELATION 2:7

Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life.

Health is the balance between the physical parts of my body and all the things and forces surrounding me. To maintain good health I must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external. Everything outside my physical life is designed to cause my death. The very elements that sustain me while I am alive work to decay and disintegrate my body once it is dead. If I have enough inner strength to fight, I help to produce the balance needed for health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a strong and active mental life, I have to fight. This struggle produces the mental balance called thought.

Morally it is the same. Anything that does not strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome, thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life. But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.

And spiritually it is also the same. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). This means that anything which is not spiritual leads to my downfall. Jesus went on to say, “…but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness. Then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.

Holiness is the balance between my nature and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ.