Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: No one becomes a person of God by accident. No one becomes a person of God overnight. We become children of God in a moment
[through faith in Christ Jesus]; we become people of God over a period of time.
A casual commitment to Christ will not make you godly or Christlike. No one becomes a person of God except by a deliberate set of the soul. You cannot earn nearness to Christ, but there is a price to pay. (Google image, The power of a praying wife).
1. Maintain a supreme commitment to Jesus. It costs priority commitment to Jesus. He must become your Alpha and Omega, your supreme desire. It costs the giving of your time to Him, lavish self-giving, the setting of yourself apart for Jesus. It costs flaming love for Jesus, sacrificial devotion to Him, and unabashed expressions of your love to Him.
There must be determined, unwavering seeking to please Jesus above all else, a "Jesus first" attitude of your soul. There must be a waiting in His presence, not merely a willingness, but actual quality time alone with Jesus.
He must be your supreme joy, your transcendent passion, your uneclipsed glory as you share His undisturbed and unbroken communion, bask in His presence, and delight in His love.
Then with unveiled face you will reflect the glory of Jesus and be constantly transfigured (the actual Greek word) into His likeness from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). This is what Paul calls pursuing godliness (1 Tim. 6:11).
It requires continuing effort, eagerness, persistence, and inflexibility in the pursuit. Regardless of what else needs to be sacrificed, with Paul you must say, "This one thing I do."
2. Train yourself to be godly. Paul contrasts physical training with spiritual training (1 Tim. 4:7. The Greek word Paul uses is the root for our word "gymnasium." It implies disciplined, regular, strenuous exercise.
Just as an Olympic athlete training for the event of his life sacrifices all else and disciplines himself early and late to toughen and train his body, so you are to spend your energies and your hours, as far as possible, investing your time and making whatever sacrifice is required to be more truly a person of God.
And what is the purpose of your making this holy training, this spiritual discipline your supreme priority? It is to know Jesus, become one in spirit with Jesus, and identify with Jesus so that you are transfigured into His likeness (2 Cor. 3:18).
Your supreme priority is not what you do for Jesus, but to be like Him. Then all you so passionately do for Him will flow out of this deepest of all commitments. To make this possible two more steps are required:
3. Saturate your soul in the Word. Feed on the God's Word, drink in God's Word, bathe your soul in God's Word. Read it—read all of it. Read it over and over and over until it penetrates the fiber of your spiritual being.
You cannot be a person of God without being a person of the Word. If you are an authority on anything, be an authority on God's Word. If you spend time with any reading, read God's Word. Store it in your heart. Think on it, meditate on it, memorize it, dream of it. Apply it in your heart and life. Spend major time each day with the Word.
4. Give Jesus your prayer time. Prayer is the greatest, most eternally beneficial way you can invest your time. Prayer is the most Christlike activity you can engage in, for He today lives to intercede. Prayer is the greatest, most lasting, most rewarding investment you can make while alive on earth. Prayer is the most precious gift you can give to Jesus.
To become a person of God we must spend much time with Jesus. The more you love Him, the more you will want to spend time with Him. A weak prayer life always testifies to a weak love of Jesus. You cannot have a merely nominal or casual prayer life when you are passionately devoted to the Lord.
The more you are with Him, the more you will think and speak like Him, respond and resemble Him. You will be a person of God.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Comment added in brackets]
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.
Ablaze for God
#94 The Cost of Being a Person of God
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 280- 283) ZondervanPublishingHouse
Father, with our child-like faith, we are invited to commit our lives to Jesus, giving Him time to help us learn to love Him unabashedly, with a sacrificial devotion.
The cost is to lavish self-giving of ourselves in sacrificial expressions of our love to Him throughout our days, making Him the all-important setting of our souls.
We see this requires continuing effort, eagerness, persistence, and inflexibility in the pursuit, regardless of what else needs to be sacrificed.
We are to spend major time each day reading Your Word, meditating and memorizing it, soaking it into our spirits and hearts, and applying it to our lives.
Help us see that our giving our time each day to prayer is the greatest, most eternally beneficial way we can invest our time here on earth.
In order to become a "person of God," we simply must put You and Your Word foremost in our lives. Help us be determined to follow through with this commitment.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
The cost is to lavish self-giving of ourselves in sacrificial expressions of our love to Him throughout our days, making Him the all-important setting of our souls.
We see this requires continuing effort, eagerness, persistence, and inflexibility in the pursuit, regardless of what else needs to be sacrificed.
We are to spend major time each day reading Your Word, meditating and memorizing it, soaking it into our spirits and hearts, and applying it to our lives.
Help us see that our giving our time each day to prayer is the greatest, most eternally beneficial way we can invest our time here on earth.
In order to become a "person of God," we simply must put You and Your Word foremost in our lives. Help us be determined to follow through with this commitment.
We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
My name; Therefore they shall know in that day
that I am He who speaks: 'Behold, it is I.' "
Prov. 15:23, 28, 33 (NKJV) "A man has joy by the
answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due
season, how good it is! (v. 28)The heart of the righteous
studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked
pours forth evil. (v. 33) The fear of the LORD is the
instruction of wisdom. And before honor is humility."
Today's challenge- Serve Jesus for Who He is, and become aware of His great Love for you.
Today's quote-
~ Max Lucado- Don’t see your struggle as an interruption to life but as preparation for life. No one said the road would be easy or painless. But God will use this mess for something good. This trouble you are in isn’t punishment, it’s training. It is the normal experience of children. God is doing what’s best for us, training us to live God’s holy best!
Today's sermon spotlight-
SEPTEMBER 23, 2018
Jesus, Sign at the Bottom
Speaker: Eric Trelease (Missionary back home from Turkey)
Listen
Upcoming posts-
Like Jesus
27th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes
#95 The Person of God and Holy Integrity
30th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#96 Integrity in Word
11/1-Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Take Down the Goliaths
11/3rd- Saturday's post by Max Lucado
Mark Bevis:
"I stood along the sidewalk with those holding signs and shouting words of encouragement.
I once had the opportunity to be in New York City during the New York City Marathon. Bystanders watched as someone they knew ran by. Their words of encouragement were helpful and appreciated, but that’s as far as their assistance could go."
Upcoming posts-
Like Jesus
27th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes
#95 The Person of God and Holy Integrity
30th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#96 Integrity in Word
11/1-Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Take Down the Goliaths
11/3rd- Saturday's post by Max Lucado
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage.
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