"...with being made broken bread and poured-out wine.
If ever we are going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed; you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed."
My Utmost For His Highest
Oswald Chambers
September 30 entry
Every sentence in yesterday's reading was a gem. Chambers makes the potent analogy that we have to be crushed to be made into wine. That alone is powerful. But, he takes it one step further, and makes us wonder if we can stand to be crushed in a manner which we don't like.
"God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with. But when He uses someone whom we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, and makes those the crushers, we object."
Lord, give us strength to withstand life's crushing with grace.
(Photo: This is the closest thing to grapes which we have growing in our yard: hops. What would Laura Ingalls have thought? Here I am blogging and posting photos taken by my camera phone!)
2 comments:
Right on! Right on!
I've been following your posts, and the little bits of scriptural wisdom and direction have been having an impact for good.
I've recently been crushed by quite a few life changing occurances... and I've cried out to God that it was too much! Your comments helped me see through to the awesome majesty and power of God in sovereignly controlling all things for good to those that love Him and seek to do His will, and helped me see that nothing comes from His hand in our lives that is not so that He will be glorified and His kingdom advanced. He is intimately involved in our lives, and has promised us that He'll never forsake us or leave us. We have strong consolation and hope that no matter what comes our way, he is not "crushing" us to death but the death of the cross, and what comes out will be of far greater value. Let us praise God for his infinite mercy towards us in Christ.
Thanks for the encouraging words. Please keep on blogging these thoughts of yours, they are ministering life to me and others.
Jeffrey,
When I first read this earlier today, my eyes welled up with tears. Thank you so much for your own words of encouragement back to me. Not only do you have a gift with the lens, but a gift with the pen as well.
Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God."
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me. My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice. And He heard me from His holy hill.
Psalm 3:1-4
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