Live By Will, Not Feelings

Posted by jerrywhite on Jan 14, 2010

“We have no direct control over our feelings, but we have control over our will. God does not hold us responsible for what we feel but for what we will. Furthermore, in His sight, we are not what we feel but what we will. Let us, therefore, not live in the summerhouse of emotion but in the central citadel of the will, wholly yielded and devoted to the will of God. When we are in communion with the Lord, our soul is often flooded with holy emotion, the tides rise high, the swelling tides of joy rise, and every element in nature joins in the choral hymn of rapturous praise. But tomorrow comes, and life has to be faced in the trying workplace, the dingy shop, the noisy factory, the godless workroom. As the soul compares the joy of yesterday with the difficulty experienced in walking humbly with the Lord, it wonders whether it is quite as devoted and dedicated as it was. But during such a time, how reassuring it is to say with confidence that the will has not altered its position by a hair’s breadth. We can sincerely declare, ‘My God, the spring tide of emotion has passed away like a summer brook, but in my heart of hearts, in my will, You know I am as devoted and as loyal to You as during the blessed moment of communion with You.’ This is an offering with which God is well pleased.”
F. B. Meyer
The Best of F. B. Meyer, 27
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My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
Matthew 26:39 (ESV)
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How liberating to know that the primary concern of the Lord Jesus is not what you feel or don’t feel, but rather what you choose. You can choose to forgive another who has hurt you deeply even though you still feel hurt and disappointment. You can choose to worship and thank the Lord in the face of disappointing news. You can choose to draw near to God even though your feelings resist because of coldness of desire and deadness of emotions. The Lord Jesus fully understands what you feel, or don’t feel, and will honor what you will.

Defeated Or Disobedient

Posted by jerrywhite on Feb 12, 2009

“The Christian should never complain of want of ability and power. If we sin, it is because we choose to sin, not because we lack the ability to say no to temptation…Too often we say we are ‘defeated’ by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well if we stopped using the terms ‘victory’ and ‘defeat’ to describe our progress in holiness. Rather we should use the terms ‘obedience’ and ‘disobedience’. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me.”
Jerry Bridges
The Pursuit of Holiness, p. 84
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If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:15 (ESV)
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The Lord Jesus says obedience is the way we express our love to Him. Conversely, disobedience indicates a lack of love for Him. The Lord leaves no room for excuses. He considers our obedience or disobedience a very personal love relationship issue. Obedience is far more than fulfilling a list of impersonal commandments. Obedience is the way we show our love for our beloved Savior. If I think failure in obedience is no more than disobedience to an impersonal commandment then what harm is done except for my own guilt and shame? Surely asking for forgiveness will remove that. But if I see that disobedience is very personal toward the Lord Jesus, and that it reveals my lack of love for Him, and that it grieves Him, then I become concerned about Him and the true need of my own heart to love Him more than I do. Disobedience requires ruthless honesty: “Lord, I do not really love you like I should, nor like I want to. I disobey you because I love myself, and my sin, more than You. Please be merciful to me, and do a deeper work in me that will result in my loving You passionately and supremely.  Change my heart so that I can’t stand the thought of grieving You by disobedience.”

Persistent Obedience

Posted by jerrywhite on Nov 19, 2008

“This is the ‘instant’ age; if a thing is to be had, it must be had now. The idea goes something like this: The promises are there, claim them at this very moment and the prize is yours, whether it is instant sanctification, instant power, or instant healing. We live in an impatient society and the idea of humble submission, patient waiting and steady perseverance does not make a ready appeal. But the way of Christ was the way of persistent obedience. All his life was given to it. He strongly resisted the temptation to have it affected in a spectacular and supernatural moment. He resolutely pursued the will and the purpose of God. He knew that it could not be achieved in a magical minute.”
Raymond Brown
The Message of Hebrews
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For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 10:36 (ESV)
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The Lord Jesus patiently waited while working as a carpenter in Nazareth and caring for His mother and half brothers and sisters. Finally, at His baptism, when He was about thirty years of age, His Heavenly Father verbally approved Him and began to lead Him into His public ministry. Until then many people were sick, demonized, had leprosy, were looking for answers for life, and dying and going to hell. But He could not heal them, give them answers in sermons, deliver them from the powers of darkness, or anything else He was able to do during His last three years. The reason is simple. It was not His Father’s will. He had to wait patiently on Him. Being a disciple of the Lord Jesus requires patience and persistence—faithful, steady obedience in ordinary daily life. This is the evidence of true faith.