The Daily Word of Righteousness

Eagles' Wings, #6

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:2,3)

There is an Alpha and there is an Omega. There is a time when God carries us to Himself on eagles' wings. There also is a protracted period when we plod faithfully through a dry, desolate, forbidding wilderness. The sons of God are born at the right hand of God. The sons of God are formed in the wilderness of tribulation.

We begin on the highest throne of glory. Then we must climb the mountain of Zion to gain the throne. We must overcome the devil, just as the Lord did.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

We are born resurrected. Then we must attain the resurrection.

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

We are given Christ in the beginning. Then we must win Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (Philippians 3:8)

The parable of the sower teaches us that the growth of the Divine Seed can be choked out. It can be killed before any lasting fruit is borne.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (Matthew 13:7)

In the beginning we are carried on eagles' wings and brought to the highest level of the new Jerusalem. When God has completed His work of redemption in us we will be able to walk on our feet through the gates into the city.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)

When God reaches down to us He lifts us to the highest point of glory possible. His grace does this. Then the same Divine grace begins the work of re-creating our personality until our whole man, spirit, soul, and body, can maintain the position freely given at the first.

It is not a case of earning our free position in Christ. Rather it is a case of being found worthy of the Kingdom, of grasping that for which we have been grasped, of keeping our crown lest it be taken, of maintaining what has been given us by the Lord.

Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (II Thessalonians 1:5)

To be continued.