Wednesday: Came Near Upsetting the Table
WEEK 37
WEDNESDAY
CAME NEAR UPSETTING THE TABLE
1 Thessalonians 1:5-8
In one of my quiet times this came: “Know Me; receive Me; illustrate Me; give Me.” That sums it up. The first is to know Christ as your own, personal Savior and Lord. The second is to receive God’s daily divine invasion of you. The Spirit wants to come deeper every day. The third is to illustrate Christ, to become a pocket edition of him. And the fourth is to give Christ.
A big businessman, recently in the kingdom, said that the “reason people do not share is because they have nothing to share.” The moment he got something personal, he began to share it with his wife, his secretary, his business personnel, his social associates.
Sometimes the sharing takes place by humbling ourselves. A woman and her husband were scarcely speaking, each afraid to give in to the other. The woman surrendered to Christ and gave up her resentments. When she returned from the Ashram, a place of spiritual retreat, she got up and prepared her husband’s breakfast. Before she always let him do it. Softened by this, he asked, “What did you learn at the Ashram?” She replied, “The first thing I learned was to begin with myself. Before this I’ve always begun with you. I’ve been wrong in my attitudes.” And she got on her knees to him and said, “I’m sorry. I’ve been all wrong. Forgive me.” He came near upsetting the table in dropping on his knees beside her. He said, “No, I’ve been as much to blame as you, and more. Forgive me.” They both surrendered themselves to God and each other; and a new, joyous era began in that home.
The place to begin dealing with others is to begin with yourself. The confession of your own sin creates the consciousness and conviction of sin in others. And it makes it easier for others to confess their sins. Confession begets confession. “Mary,” in asking people to come to the altar, left the pulpit and knelt on the congregation side of the altar, not on the inside as ministers do; and the congregation flocked to kneel beside her, all broken up by her simple confession of need.
O Lord, melt my pride and stubbornness and help me to confess people into the arms of Jesus. Maybe people will follow me on the road of confession to the foot of the cross. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Since confession begets confession, I shall be open to confess anything Jesus prompts me to.