"Servants of God must stand so much alone that they never know they are alone...We have to get used to this—so used to it that no matter what happens, we never feel we are standing alone." Chambers.
Chambers this morning perfectly describes the spiritual life with Christ. We must so often stand alone with Christ but we are never alone because we are standing with Him. Once we reach this spiritual place then we become impervious to social and society pressures. The spiritual person experiences the feelings of loneliness, perhaps of abandonment or betrayal but we never dwell on it for long. David describes why, “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalms 4:3, 8
God has quite literally set us apart, separated for His particular use. This is the definition of holiness. All the sinful behaviors we abstain from are simply an outworking of our being set apart. Our safety is bundled together with the fact that we've been set apart. We put our valuables in a safe, under lock and key. They are set apart from the ordinary items like our plates or cups or a roll of paper towels. These ordinary items are useful but not precious. The Lord has set us apart, sealed us with His mark and now we are jealously guarded from all danger, misuse or harm, kept safely for His particular pleasure. Our part is to recognize that we've been set apart, to be holy and not try to blend in with the evil and the profane. The Lord says to us "Therefore (because I've set you apart) come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 We stand alone but we are never alone. The Lord stands with us and there are others who have likewise been set apart who stand with us. Few, to be sure, but there are some. And I gladly stand with them. May we choose to be set apart in everything we do today
Chambers this morning perfectly describes the spiritual life with Christ. We must so often stand alone with Christ but we are never alone because we are standing with Him. Once we reach this spiritual place then we become impervious to social and society pressures. The spiritual person experiences the feelings of loneliness, perhaps of abandonment or betrayal but we never dwell on it for long. David describes why, “But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The Lord will hear when I call to Him. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalms 4:3, 8
God has quite literally set us apart, separated for His particular use. This is the definition of holiness. All the sinful behaviors we abstain from are simply an outworking of our being set apart. Our safety is bundled together with the fact that we've been set apart. We put our valuables in a safe, under lock and key. They are set apart from the ordinary items like our plates or cups or a roll of paper towels. These ordinary items are useful but not precious. The Lord has set us apart, sealed us with His mark and now we are jealously guarded from all danger, misuse or harm, kept safely for His particular pleasure. Our part is to recognize that we've been set apart, to be holy and not try to blend in with the evil and the profane. The Lord says to us "Therefore (because I've set you apart) come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17 We stand alone but we are never alone. The Lord stands with us and there are others who have likewise been set apart who stand with us. Few, to be sure, but there are some. And I gladly stand with them. May we choose to be set apart in everything we do today