The Offering of the Natural - OC

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*

December 10, 2011


 “*THE OFFERING OF THE NATURAL” - Oswald Chambers - 2011-12-10*

*(From “My Utmost for His Highest” - December 10)*


 “*It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the
other by a freewoman” (Galatians 4:22).*


 *Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the
relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into
the spiritual only through sacrifice.*


 *Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that
the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God's
perfect will, but His permissive will. God's perfect will was for the
natural to be changed into the spiritual through obedience. Sin is what
made it necessary for the natural to be sacrificed.*


 *Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac (see Genesis
21:8-14). Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God
before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way we can offer a
spiritual sacrifice to God is to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice
...” (Romans 12:1). Sanctification means more than being freed from sin. It
means the deliberate commitment of myself to the God of my salvation, and
being willing to pay whatever it may cost.*


 *If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life
will resist and defy the life of the Son of God in us, and will produce
continual turmoil. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual
nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves
physically, morally, or mentally.
We excuse ourselves by saying, “Well, I wasn't taught to be disciplined
when I was a child.” Then discipline yourself now! If you don't, you will
ruin your entire personal life for God.*


 *God is not actively involved with our natural life as long as we continue
to pamper and gratify it. But once we are willing to put it out in the
desert and are determined to keep it under control, God will be with it. He
will then provide wells and oases and fulfill all His promises for the
natural (see Genesis 21:15-19).*


 *NOTE**: *On 2006-12-10 - I put this note underneath this reading - “A new
insight!”


 When Marie and I were in Israel in 2005 on top of Mount Carmel with David
& Karen Davis, one of the lectures was given on this subject. Because
Abraham listened to his wife Sarah, and had Ishmael from Egyptian Hagar,
when God had already told him - that his covenant child would be from
Sarah, even though it didn't happen till she was 91 and he was 100! -
therefore ...


 Look at the Middle East today, 4000 years later - and we can still see the
results of this. But God loves all people. He loves Ishmael, and looked
after him in the natural once Abraham listened to Sarah and sacrificed him.
Today, many Islamic people are turning to Christ, direct descendant through
Isaac, laughter, the child of *promise*!


 Are these things easy too understand? Certainly not! But those who have a
heart to please God and receive His best - *they* will have their
understanding opened by the Holy Spirit - and will know these “mysteries”
spoken of by God in the Holy Scriptures!


 The above reading by Chambers - is one to meditate over on one's knees -
to pray over - and to walk in. This Charles Haddon Spurgeon did - and
George Muller and George Whitefield and Rees Howells and Oswald Chambers. I
encourage each one of us to do likewise. J.A.Watt



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