Oswald Chambers... Utmost... Sept. 9

Do It Yourself (part 2)

"...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."
2 Cor. 10.5

Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, "... I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ..." So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord's life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father's will- "the Son can do nothing of Himself..." (John 5.19) The compare this with what we do- we take "every thought" or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.

Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are "bringing every thought [and project] into captivity" are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not "bringing every thought [and project] into captivity, " but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.

We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ's view of God, the world and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to "be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind..." Romans 12.2
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WOW! I will identify myself in this situation before... and now. Anytime the word discipline is used... I am usually cowering somewhere in the full knowledge that anything for the long haul... anything requiring said discipline- is usually outside my capabilities.

NEVER have I contemplated that this weakness could extend into the service of God. "TRUE DETERMINATION and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature." WOW! Obedience, taking captive thoughts, submitting ourselves to the transforming of our minds... ACTIONS we have to take. The blessing of taking those actions... becoming more like Christ as he "never had the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Fathers will- "the Son can do nothing of Himself..." John 5:19

Oh that we would each be so like-minded with God that we would never have the slightest tendency to follow the impulses of our own will as distinct from His.