Isaiah 52:2: "Shake thyself from the dust; arise..."
We'll be way ahead to shake ourselves instead of waiting and letting God shake us. Let's shake ourselves from the dust! Things get dusty by just sitting around. The wife has to dust through the house, but she doesn't dust a moving object. If we keep moving, we don't get dusty.
The saints haven't been on the move as they ought. God speaks out of Heaven through His Word and maybe changes their theory just a little, and what's the first move some of them make? "I'm going to sit down and watch this spin and see how it works out." Now, that's just exactly what the devil wants us to do. We don't need to sit down and watch anything spin! Let's keep walking! While the "sit-down" goes on, thousands of lost souls are dying that need to be reached by the church. Again, let's shake ourselves from the dust!
Dust, all through the Scripture refers to the flesh. There's a part of us that was made out of the dust, and we must live pretty close to God or our souls will get dusty. All we have to do is just quit practicing what makes us spiritual and we'll start getting dusty by the flesh wanting to "do this and wanting to do that".
Isaiah not only said to "Awake," but he also said, "Arise." Come up to a higher position in God.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 7:1 to cleanse ourselves, and this Scripture has nothing to do with any cleansing that the blood or the Spirit does. This is a cleansing we must do. God has given the Word, great promises, that we might obey them; and by obeying them, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness and coming to a greater state of holiness. I don't know a person who doesn't need some more perfecting to his holiness. Certainly, we have a perfection if we've obeyed God to every degree of light He has given us, but there's a much greater perfection to be attained as God reveals the Word to us and we measure to it.
Revelation 19:9: "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
In Matthew 22:14, Jesus set forth the truth that many are called but few are chosen. It's a blessed thing to be called, but not every one that's called is going to get in. a time of preparation begins the moment God saves us, and it never stops as long as we live.
Revelation 17:14 will tell us why. They that are with the King of kings and Lord of lords are called, chosen, and faithful.
>BACK |
