Just As We Are

I was contemplating a devotion that I read this morning by Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest. One of the couple devotions I read every morning with my coffee along with my daily Bible reading. The devotion was based upon Luke 18v31, Then He took unto Him the Twelve... Chambers begins his thoughts with thoughts many have had, "Why would God choose me? There's nothing good about me." That's exactly why He did choose us. We are void of our own purposes, self-sufficiency, natural abilities. We come to Him in our poverty. It's not about what we bring, or what we can do but it's about the relationship we maintain with Him. There's nothing we can offer Jehovah, The Self-Sufficient One but ourselves and our devotion and faith in Him.

It made me think of Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah seen God for who He was and himself for who he was in comparison to God, "undone" before The LORD of Hosts. For some of us, the real awareness and clarity may take many years, like me, to truly be seen. Seeing ourselves as undone and amongst people who are undone.

Jacob was one of these people also. He deceived his father Isaac by pretending to be his brother Esau (Genises 27). Telling his blind Father Isaac that he was Esau when asked who he was to receive the blessing of the first born meant for Esau (v.19). Jacob wanted the Earthly blessings more than Heavenly blessings. Many years later this would come full circle for Jacob. He would work very hard to obtain the blessing, would himself be lied to, be cheated out of wages, have agreements changed in the middle of them. Jacob's life came full circle when he met alone with God, wrestling with His angel (Gen. 32v24) even though he met and knew God before when he encountered Him at Bethel (Gen. 28v10-17). Angry about the missed blessings in his life. This time answering honestly when asked his name (v27). Then, the heavenly blessing was given (v28).

When we see Christ for who He is, and ourselves for who we are before Him, then will we be humbled and blessed. When we see God as a God as big as Isaiah did, whose train of His Heavenly robe filled the Temple or as big as Solomon who seen that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. Then, we will be surrendered and transformed.