I write these usually quite a few in advance. I currently have most of chapter 6 already complete. After the last one though, the Lord caused me to pause and reflect on what the focus was. The last Word of the day ask us to reflect on ever one of His words and heeding that advise I read through it again more carefully. This verse stood out and humbled me and became truly a stumbling block for me this past week. For that I am thankful and I hope He continues to humble and remind me that these are His words we reflect on and not mine. I am thankful for this opportunity to study and proclaim the glory of Christ but my desire through the Spirit is not for my words to be a distraction to His message. I pray I, and we, read and truly understand these words and that it pleases Him to shine the light of knowledge in our hearts to glorify His name.
Jhn 5:31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
- What did you do for salvation?
How real these words spoke here in the gospel of John by Jesus should be for us as well. "For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servant for Jesus sake. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor 4:5-6. If I should preach anything other than Jesus Christ and myself a slave to His mercy I surely would pervert the gospel. Let us not distort His message with the will and rights of man instead let us focus entirely on the will and rights of God. Let our testimony be of Him and Him alone and the great and marvelous things He has done. Let us not pin or proclaim our salvation on anything we have said, did, or believed. Feel good messages about what we have done or need to do only promote man and take glory away from God. Let us instead preach of His sovereignty, holiness, and glory. Speak only of His mercy and grace and look to salvation outside of ourselves, for anything that raises man up in the least must bring God down. And for those who are lost and believe in that kind of God, the words of Martin Luther come to mind in his proclamation at his final trial "your God is to human". Instead of a God created in our own image I pray I could honestly say as Paul said and my testimony of my salvation shall be "For I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" 1 Cor 2:2.
