My favorite devotional My Utmost for His Highest has been getting a little dusty on my shelf. However, the Holy Spirit prompted me to open it this morning, and the entry for September 1st is one that I last marked as read in 2004. That would have been my first fall semester in college at Grove City. Wow - 5 years ago. On one hand that seems like a long time ago, on the other hand it seems like just yesterday. But, it's amazing to think how much I have changed since then! Praise the Lord, I think it's all for the better - although I'll be the first to admit that the Lord has a long way to go in molding me. Well, I know he's being faithful, it's just a matter of me being open to his molding!
This is what Oswald Chambers says:
"We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness."
"God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity - He came to save us because He created us to be holy."
And the real challenge - "Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for otheres, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind."