Retirement, Then Service

[WordSword]

Moses spent forty years in the house of Pharaoh; and while his sojourn there was not without its influence and value, yet it was as nothing when compared with his sojourn in the desert. The former might be valuable; but the latter was invaluable, and indispensable. Nothing can possibly make up for the lack of secret communion with the Father, or the training and discipline of His school. “All the wisdom of the Egyptians” would not have qualified Moses for his future path. He might have pursued a most brilliant course through the schools and colleges of Egypt. He might have come forth laden with literary honors—his intellect stored with learning, and his heart full of pride and self-sufficiency.

He might have taken out his degree in the school of man, and yet have to learn his alphabet in the school of the Father. Mere human wisdom and learning, how valuable so ever in themselves, can never constitute any one a servant of the Father, nor equip him for any department of divine service. Such things may qualify un-renewed nature to figure before the world, but the man whom the Father will use must be endowed with widely different qualifications—such qualifications as can alone be found in the deep and hallowed retirement of the Father’s presence.

All true servants of the Father have been made to know and experience the truth of these statements. Moses at Horeb, Elijah at Cherith, Ezekiel at Chebar, Paul in Arabia and John at Patmos, are all striking examples of the immense practical importance of being alone with the Father. When we look at the Divine Servant, we find that the time He spent in private was nearly ten times as long as that which He spent in public. He, though perfect in understanding and in will, spent nearly thirty years in the obscurity of a carpenter’s house at Nazareth before He made His appearance in public. And even when He had entered upon His public career, how often He retreated from the gaze of men to enjoy the sweet and sacred retirement of the Divine Presence!

Now we may feel disposed to ask, “How could the urgent demand for workman ever be met if all need such protracted training in secret before they come forth to their work”? This is the Master’s care—not ours. He can provide workmen, and He can train them also. This is not man’s work. The Father alone can provide a true minister. Nor is it a question with Him as to the length of time needful for the education of such an individual. We know He could educate him in a moment, if it were His will to do so.

One thing is evident, namely, that the Father has had all His servants very much alone with Himself, both before and after their entrance upon their public work; nor will anyone truly get on without this. The absence of secret training and discipline will necessarily leave us barren, superficial and theoretic. A man who ventures forth upon a public career before he has duly weighed himself in the balances of the sanctuary, or measured himself in the presence of his Father, is like a ship putting out to sea without proper ballast: he will doubtless overturn with the first stiff breeze. On the contrary, there is a depth, a solidity and a steadiness flowing from our having passed from form to form in the school of our Father, which are essential elements in the formation of the character of a true and effective servant of the Father.

- C H Mackintosh

 

MJS devotional for June 13:

“There is no personal knowledge of God but as we count on Him, as we are practically conscious of depending on Him and of His caring for us. One without straits, and victories, really has no growing acquaintance with God; and where there is not this, however great the intelligence or sincerity, there is little or no savor.” – M J S

http://www.abideabove.com/hungry-heart/

 

 

[Not me]

1 hour ago, WordSword said:

Moses spent forty years in the house of Pharaoh; and while his sojourn there was not without its influence and value, yet it was as nothing when compared with his sojourn in the desert. The former might be valuable; but the latter was invaluable, and indispensable. Nothing can possibly make up for the lack of secret communion with the Father, or the training and discipline of His school. “All the wisdom of the Egyptians” would not have qualified Moses for his future path. He might have pursued a most brilliant course through the schools and colleges of Egypt. He might have come forth laden with literary honors—his intellect stored with learning, and his heart full of pride and self-sufficiency.

He might have taken out his degree in the school of man, and yet have to learn his alphabet in the school of the Father. Mere human wisdom and learning, how valuable so ever in themselves, can never constitute any one a servant of the Father, nor equip him for any department of divine service. Such things may qualify un-renewed nature to figure before the world, but the man whom the Father will use must be endowed with widely different qualifications—such qualifications as can alone be found in the deep and hallowed retirement of the Father’s presence.

All true servants of the Father have been made to know and experience the truth of these statements. Moses at Horeb, Elijah at Cherith, Ezekiel at Chebar, Paul in Arabia and John at Patmos, are all striking examples of the immense practical importance of being alone with the Father. When we look at the Divine Servant, we find that the time He spent in private was nearly ten times as long as that which He spent in public. He, though perfect in understanding and in will, spent nearly thirty years in the obscurity of a carpenter’s house at Nazareth before He made His appearance in public. And even when He had entered upon His public career, how often He retreated from the gaze of men to enjoy the sweet and sacred retirement of the Divine Presence!

Now we may feel disposed to ask, “How could the urgent demand for workman ever be met if all need such protracted training in secret before they come forth to their work”? This is the Master’s care—not ours. He can provide workmen, and He can train them also. This is not man’s work. The Father alone can provide a true minister. Nor is it a question with Him as to the length of time needful for the education of such an individual. We know He could educate him in a moment, if it were His will to do so.

One thing is evident, namely, that the Father has had all His servants very much alone with Himself, both before and after their entrance upon their public work; nor will anyone truly get on without this. The absence of secret training and discipline will necessarily leave us barren, superficial and theoretic. A man who ventures forth upon a public career before he has duly weighed himself in the balances of the sanctuary, or measured himself in the presence of his Father, is like a ship putting out to sea without proper ballast: he will doubtless overturn with the first stiff breeze. On the contrary, there is a depth, a solidity and a steadiness flowing from our having passed from form to form in the school of our Father, which are essential elements in the formation of the character of a true and effective servant of the Father.

- C H Mackintosh

 

MJS devotional for June 13:

“There is no personal knowledge of God but as we count on Him, as we are practically conscious of depending on Him and of His caring for us. One without straits, and victories, really has no growing acquaintance with God; and where there is not this, however great the intelligence or sincerity, there is little or no savor.” – M J S

http://www.abideabove.com/hungry-heart/

 

 

Thanks for blessing me with this today. This is excellent! 

Much love in Christ, Not me

[WordSword]

1 hour ago, Not me said:

Thanks for blessing me with this today. This is excellent! 

Much love in Christ, Not me

Thanks for the reply NM!

[Heleadethme]

There is much to learn from the life of Moses.  Most begin as he did, with works of the flesh that bring forth "death".   Whereas it is in the waiting on the Lord when nothing seems to be happening that He is actually gestating and bringing forth life (ie, spirit) in us.  The Lord says, "From me is thy fruit found." Hos. 14:8.  Not from ourselves and our own strength and self efforts, but from Him as we are being formed in the womb of the secret place.  For Moses that meant being hidden and planted in the backside of the desert for the corn of his life to die.  And his old (false) self that was formed by Egypt was slowly dismantled and did die out, year after year, completely, until that great orator could state in all truth that he never was a great speaker.

Act 7:22

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Exo 3:11

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exo 4:10

Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

See how the old Moses was dead and gone.  He was now made new and empty of self...the complete opposite of the old Moses.  Not called to serve God until he was ready to serve Him in weakness and not in his own strength.  It was only then that the Lord sent him to go back into Egypt in order to bring the people out to be discipled in the very same wilderness that he himself had come to know so well by then, and so was equipped and prepared to help the people navigate through it to the Land of rest.

Exo 3:12

And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at THIS MOUNTAIN.”

Praise the name of the Lord, His ways are not like our ways, at all.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Heleadethme

[WordSword]

33 minutes ago, Heleadethme said:

There is much to learn from the life of Moses.  Most begin as he did, with works of the flesh that bring forth "death".   Whereas it is in the waiting on the Lord when nothing seems to be happening that He is actually gestating and bringing forth life (ie, spirit) in us.  The Lord says, "From me is thy fruit found." Hos. 14:8.  Not from ourselves and our own strength and self efforts, but from Him as we are being formed in the womb of the secret place.  For Moses that meant being hidden and planted in the backside of the desert for the corn of his life to die.  And his old (false) self that was formed by Egypt was slowly dismantled and did die out, year after year, completely, until that great orator could state in all truth that he never was a great speaker.

Act 7:22

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Exo 3:11

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exo 4:10

Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

See how the old Moses was dead and gone.  He was now made new and empty of self...the complete opposite of the old Moses.  Not called to serve God until he was ready to serve Him in weakness and not in his own strength.  It was only then that the Lord sent him to go back into Egypt in order to bring the people out to be discipled in the very same wilderness that he himself had come to know so well by then, and so was equipped and prepared to help the people navigate through it to the Land of rest.

Exo 3:12

And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at THIS MOUNTAIN.”

Praise the name of the Lord, His ways are not like our ways, at all.

 

[WordSword]

2 minutes ago, WordSword said:

Amen, He manifests Himself in showing that it is Himself that's working in and through us. Our weakness displays His strength (2Co 12:10). Blessings!