The one statement I like from today’s study is: “If we are to know His (God) hidden thoughts then He must reveal them to us in a word. Jesus is that Word – the Word that contains the full and final revelation of God.” However, there are a few issues that I have with what Selwyn has written.

First off, Jesus is the revelation of God – but I don’t think we have anywhere near a full revelation of Jesus/God but we do have enough of a picture or example, by which we can live our lives and follow Jesus, safely ‘home’. Another important issue is that God’s Spirit plays an essential role in opening our eyes so that we can see ‘the revelation of God’, in His Word.  It is impossible to read the Bible and understand Jesus’ words based on our own intellectual efforts. The Holy Spirit must be involved in the process – for it’s God’s Spirit who testifies to what is true – and who guides us on this difficult journey.

What are your views on this topic? 

I really like Selwyn’s statement: “The real secret is to be so conquered by His love, so invaded by it, so controlled by it, that all the heart’s hostility is overwhelmed and all its suspicions and distrusts overpowered.”

In addition, the main verse for reading and meditation, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 15:57 (NIV), is well worth committing to memory: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It important to keep in mind that we are victorious through Jesus – our efforts will not result in defeat, even though there will be difficult and dark times. Jesus, can and will, turn the bad things that happen to us, into good.

In regard to Selwyn’s discussion and conclusion on the establishment of a habit of victory and the ability to pass the victory onto others. I’m not sure that I entirely agree – we don’t do much of anything – the ‘doing’ is all done by Jesus. If a habit does develop, it’s a habit which has its source in Jesus – not us. What’s your view?

Selwyn talks about another ‘consequence of the conquering Christ dwelling within us is that much of the strain is taken out of life.’

I like Selwyn’s thought provoking, conclusion: ” … life is rarely broken from without; it is broken from within. The presence of this fire-baptising Christ in our hearts is essential if all inner strain is to be taken away.”

The verses set for reading and meditation provide a preview of ‘this fire-baptising Christ’ (Matthew 3:1-12, NIV):  “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
   ”A voice of one calling in the desert,
   ’Prepare the way for the Lord,
      make straight paths for him.’ ”

… But when he (John the Baptist) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 ”I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The main idea (for me), to come out of today’s study is that many Christians live strained spiritual lives in the sense that they try too hard to be good – they fight with their own strength  against their natural tendency to sin – and don’t fully trust in Jesus’ power and ability to ‘gather His wheat into the barn’.  What’s your view on this?

I think this is a very important study. Many people hold fast to a view that it’s natural to sin, and we cannot do anything about it.

These following words from today’s study contain an important truth: “One theologian says, ‘There are three unnatural things which have invaded life: sin, the unnatural evil of the soul; error, the unnatural evil of the mind; and disease, the unnatural evil of the body.’”

As Selwyn says: “We must get hold of the idea that though we can never reach a point in this life where it is not possible to sin, we can have a relationship with Jesus Christ through which it becomes possible not to sin.” 

I think there are many Christians who are caught in some form of habitual sin, and their reasoning is – that everyone sins – so, they don’t take on the responsibility of changing their habits.

Let’s be very clear about this – when we invite Jesus into our heart and give Him complete and total control of our life, we can achieve, with the constant involvement of the Holy Spirit; a life – free from the effects of sin.  That has to be good news – don’t you agree?

When we die and face Jesus, our God, we will not be able to say; ‘It was natural for me to sin – I had no choice.’  So, while there is time – do something about it!

The topic for today’s study is – “another consequence of the conquering Christ indwelling us is that we receive the power to live ‘in spite of’ … huge disappointments, traumatic situations and cruel reverses.”

I liked the description of the three types of Christians; the wind, sail and engine driven type. That with Christ we can be like an engine driven boat and be able to make progress against turbulent head-winds.

The following verses from Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV), where Jesus calms a storm, gives us a clear view of what Jesus can do, if only we would trust Him fully, with our fate: “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Verses, such as these, are a real challenge to unspiritual people including some Christians who have little faith. You will read various ‘scientific’ explanations put forward by some to try and explain how this event could have naturally occurred. Most people will know about the energy properities of waves and in some coastal areas there are experiments in progress to investigate methods to ‘capture’ wave energy. Of course when the wind drops, especially over enclosed waters such as the Sea of Galilee, wind waves will subside within a short period of time – but not immediately. Given our scientific knowledge of wind and waves, we can therefore understand that God has control over all forms of energy and forces - so Jesus, was demonstrating among other things, that we too can control ‘furious storms’ with the power of His Holy Spirit – it’s a question of faith.

Consequently, engine-driven people are faith-powered people, (and using Selwyn’s words) “they are not self-dependent or circumstance-dependent, but Christ-dependent. And being Christ-dependent they are, in turn, dependable.”

Did you enjoy today’s study?

Today, Selwyn looks at ‘a further consequence of Jesus dwelling at the centre of our life is that we will know what it is to have a leisured heart’.

While I agree, to a certain degree, with Selwyn when he says: “There can be little doubt that the trusting heart is the leisured heart. Trust is one of those words which trip readily off our tongues, but so few of us know what it means to depend completely on the Lord and trust Him fully.”

I think my problem is with the word ‘leisured’: which (from my dictionary), carries with it, a number of meanings and some of these meanings I don’t think apply to Jesus’ ministry. For example, one meaning is – ‘the condition of having one’s time free from the demands of work or duty’; where as, Selwyn appears to be using the word to mean – ‘without haste’ or ‘unhurried’. (English is indeed a complex language!)

Consequently, another way of looking at this issue – is that Jesus did indeed ‘seek His Father’s guidance and trusted Him with every detail of His life’ and therefore knew that His ministry was well planned, He also knew that He had the right amount of time to do, what needed to be done. That is, He was never in a rush to catch up on things because He was running late.

The last year of Jesus’s ministry may be better described as focused and controlled – His eyes firmly fixed on Calvary and Jerusalem – nothing was going to divert His attention away from what lay ahead of Him – He was committed to following the will of His Father.

The message for us is to be as focused and controlled in the things we do, but not too focused on outcomes that we step over people we should pause to help - as we follow Jesus. What your views on today’s study?

Today Selwyn looks at another area which is often at the centre of an inability to be fully effective; and that is a preoccupation with our own problems. Selwyn puts it well when he says: ‘… many Christians have their strength impaired and attention distracted by the faulty functioning of their inner lives. … So when life presents an opportunity for service to others, their minds and hearts are in too much of a whirl to help.”

As with most, if not all, of these types of issues – the solution is found by taking the matter to Jesus in prayer with the sacrificial attitude – “I’m yours to mold in any way which best serves Your purposes.” It’s an approach where we take our hands off the driver’s wheel and move into the backseat – to give total control of our life to Jesus. The same message is found in Selwyn’s words: “To conquer, we must be conquered; to love, we must first be loved; to serve, we must first be served. All these things Christ offers to do for us.”

It may seem strange but the more we focus on helping others the more we receive inner peace and stability in our own lives. (I’ve found this to be true –  based on my limited experience). What do others think?