www.thegospeltruthministry.com

Robbie L. Rogers

I've been so caught up in ministry and church functions lately I just didn't have time this morning for my Bible study and personal time with the Lord, I thought. After all I prayed and had a mini-devotional with Margaret. God will understand.

I had waited too late to finish the Income Tax papers I started two months ago and the dead-line loomed. Sleepily I reached for the switch to start my computer.  My eyes followed my fingers as they moved down the panel to the MASTER switch. "Switch on the MASTER'S switch not the flesh switch," I heard in my head.

Oswald Chambers says, " The only way to know the full power of God is to yoke yourself to Christ and learn from Him."   I knew that to be true.

For it's through that yoking process that we become changed, becoming weak to God's strength, releasing our rebellion to His will. During that process the burdens we begin to bear, as a result, squeezing our grapes so to speak, that out comes a supernatural wine that we never knew existed in us, and greater things start happening in our lives.

So then rather than living a life switched on to flesh, sin and sorrow, this yoking to Christ process breaks away the chains that held our past captive, giving us brand new beginnings. That is if we are willing.

Ezekiel 37 teaches us to prophesy to our dry bones. I believe that is just what Holy Spirit did to me the other morning. Sometimes we need a jump start, don't we?

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

We are all new creatures, destined to become heirs to the very throne of God, fellow heirs with Christ; and, God's word tell us, sooner or later what we send out comes back to us, if love, love will reflect back; if anger, envy, strife, and bitterness, what will we reap? Double mindedness and corruption maybe. Not a good place to be while doing your taxes I grant you.

We want to serve God, and see His ministries grow in us; but, if we think mainly of ourselves and our own special interests during the week, by not living the yoked life, people will most likely never be drawn to us on our weekend warrior ministries. Conversely, if we instead put others first, many who would be turned away will instead be drawn.

These things are principles.. laws from God, as sure to happen as gravity. Why do we ignore them?

Likewise, if  we keep the wrong mental picture of our self, that of being an inferior person, not a fellow heir to the throne, acting timid and ineffective, we will draw like mannered people. In doing so instead of being yoked to Christ, receiving a fullness of life, we are susceptible to become yoked to our old self, burdened with misery and failure, producing a baleful WHINE of failure... instead of the wine of love God would have us bear.

It's up to us. Either WHINE or become His wine.