February 20, 2002
Reading
“Friend, go up
higher” (10)
One of the principles of Christianity is humility, especially before God. He is the Almighty God, the Creator of the world and all that is in it. He is the One who dismissed Satan and his followers when they challenged Him for the throne of glory and excommunicated them from heaven. He is the One who said, “Let there be light, and there was light”. We are as ants and grasshoppers to Him, sinners and worthy of divine judgment, incapable of pleasing Him or doing anything to appease Him. Yet wonder of wonders, how can it be that we hear Him saying, “Friend, go up higher”?
“And can it be that I should gain, An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain? For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, should’st die for me?
Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothes in righteousness Divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown, through Christ my own.”
Charles Wesley
When we are first saved we have difficulty considering that this Almighty One could ever be closer than Sovereign to subject, Master to slave or Leader to follower, but the more we learn about Him and the more we grow to love Him the easier it is to “go up higher.” We learn of scriptures that tell us to “draw near to God”, and read of men and women who need no ritual to speak with Him. We hear the Savior speaking about His Father embracing the wayward son and that we can call Him “Abba, Father.” Gradually it becomes a reality to us that we are brothers of Jesus because we have been adopted into the family of God. Not only is it possible to approach the Ancient of Days, it is His desire that we do so.
Oh, to gaze into
the face of Him who died for me;
To see Him in that
glorious place, and forever with Him be.
All that I have
heard and read, all that I hoped would be,
I’ll remember what
my Savior said, when he calls me, ‘Come and see’.
The shining
streets, paved with gold, were part of the old, old story;
But never in my
earthly fold could I behold His glory.
There is no need
of moon or sun, the stars will hide their light;
The glory of God’s
Only Son dispels all signs of night.
But here on earth
I too can know His love and His desire,
His gentle pull for me to go higher and yet still higher. DTP