Stretching Out Empty Hands…

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.—Colossians 2:6-7

This morning I had to get up early…really early. I truly WANTED to be pleasant, but all I could manage was to be quiet…well, mostly quiet. Inside my head, however, my complaints had complaints. Even now as I write, I want to rehearse all of them again. 

Now, I have been “with me” long enough to know that when I complain endlessly whether just in my head or out loud it is usually a cover for grief.  So with coffee and bible in hand, I went to Jesus and began to pray.  The tears came and the complaints left.  My heart went to the verse that I had read before bed from Colossians 2. 

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:.—Colossians 2:6

Relief came…My Beloved was mine and I was His. His left hand is under my head and His right hand embraces me.  In Him, I live and move and have my being. Loss might be my constant companion, but it is a good companion in that it always brings me to my Jesus who was a Man of Sorrow and acquainted with grief.  Whatever else I have done or not done in my life thus far matters not…I have received Christ.  I am accepted in the Beloved. In faith, more than 27 years ago, I stretched out my empty hands to Him and received all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. There may be much in this world that I haven’t seen or experienced and probably will not see or experience…but I HAVE received Christ. I have done what is most important. My losses here in this world are very temporary. Heaven is coming.  Eternity awaits…

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."—Revelation 21:3-4

Therefore, as I have received Christ, I will once again stretch out my empty hands in faith and receive all the comforting consolation that He has for me. I will root and rest in His love and as I do, tears of thanksgiving and not sorrow, will flow.  

Spurgeon on 1 Kings 17:7

 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word."

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.—1 Kings 17:1-7

“And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” 

Although Elijah was mighty in prayer and could prevail with God, yet he did not therefore escape from suffering; his prayer brought him into suffering. If there should be a drought throughout all the land, he himself must feel the pinch as well as the rest of the people. If the brooks are dried up, they will be dried up for him; and if there is no food in the land, there will be no food for him unless God will be pleased to intervene on his behalf. The highest degree of grace cannot save us from affliction; it even includes it. 

We may grow in grace until our faith never staggers. But the impartial hand of trial will knock at our door as well as at the door of the chief of sinners. We must still walk the path of sorrow. The child of God cannot escape the rod even though he is an Elijah. He may call down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, but no fire from heaven can consume his trouble. He must pass through it as well as the weakest and most common of God’s people. Let us, therefore, settle it in our hearts to be resigned to this. If the Prince himself once went through the Valley of Humiliation, why should we murmur at following in his footsteps? God had one Son without sin but never a son without affliction. Let us not ask to be the first but be content to share the position of those whose inheritance is to be ours forever in the paradise of our God. 

Beloved…thinking Psalm 55:22 is perfect here..

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Our Eyes Are On You…Do Not Let Man Prevail Against You!

And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"—2 Chronicles 14:11

To rest in the Lord—that is our business. To rely only on him—that is our sole concern.—Spurgeon

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.—2 Chronicles 16:9

I am so thankful, Father, that You are for us...and if You are for us, then none can truly be against us.  We are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through You who loved us so much that You died for us.

“Nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.” (1 Sam 14:6) Lord...we rest entirely on You...for without You, we are without strength.  Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength!  We will sing and praise Your power.  (Ps 21:13) O God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (2 Chron 20:12) You are our God...and You have promised to be ours...we cleave unto You.  We go out in Your name...do not let man prevail against You!  Bring glory and honor to Your name!

MAY THE LORD answer you (David) in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high [and defend you in battle]! May He send you help from the sanctuary (His dwelling place) And support and strengthen you from Zion! May He remember all your meal offerings And accept your burnt offering. Selah. 

May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your plans. We will sing joyously over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will remember and trust in the name of the LORD our God. They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright. O LORD, save [the king]; May the King answer us in the day we call.—Psalm 20 AMPLIFIED 

Isaiah 41:10-14 (NKJV)

10 Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. 12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. 14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

The Valley of Vision…

LORD HIGH AND HOLY, MEEK AND LOWLY, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine; Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty thy glory in my valley.

The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions Edited by Arthur Bennett

My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts…

 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.—Isaiah 55:8

I read this the other night and sighed a big, relieved kind of sigh. It was what I needed to hear. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. He is utterly pure and holy. In Him, is no darkness at all. He is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. My God is sovereign.  He knows all things and yet He condescends and is intimately involved in every nano second of my existence. My sins…every single last one of them…past, present and future have been forgiven.  He pities me as a Father…He knows my frame…He remembers that I am dust.  

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,

So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.—Psalm 103

The verses at the top reminded me once again just how utterly ridiculous it is for me to concern myself with things that are not my concern.  God rules and overrules in the kingdom of men.  It is even more ridiculous for me to try to tell the Lord what to do in any situation. I am thankful that as His child I can instead bring my heart to Him.  I can do as Psalm 62 says. 

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah—Psalm 62:8

Today then, I will bring my fears and my cares to Him, the One who loves me with an everlasting love. The One who draws me with cords of kindness. As I do, I will once again realize that He sees what I don’t. He knows the end from the beginning. And by His grace my heart will say, Abba,…I trust You…Your will be done. 

LORD, my heart is not haughty,

Nor my eyes lofty.

Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the LORD

From this time forth and forever.—Psalm 131

Beloved… Let His word fill and overflow You. Set your mind on the heavenly. Focus your heart on the eternal God. He is your refuge and underneath are His everlasting arms. 

Let my teaching drop as the rain,

My speech distill as the dew,

As raindrops on the tender herb,

And as showers on the grass.

For I proclaim the name of the LORD:

Ascribe greatness to our God.

He is the Rock, His work is perfect;

For all His ways are justice,

A God of truth and without injustice;

Righteous and upright is He.—Deuteronomy 32:2-4

On Being Like-minded with Christ…

 FYI…”The “if” clauses, being translations of first-class conditions in Greek, speak of certainties. So in this passage “if” may be translated “since.”—Walvoord

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.—Philippians 2:1-4

Oh Father!  Help me to be like-minded with Jesus!  Help me to have His impartial, sacrificial love for those around me…

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.—John 5:13

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;—Romans 12:10

But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?—1 John 3:17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

Beloved…Be like-minded with Christ. How?

But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 

This is the mindset I want.  This is the Christ-like attitude that will produce joy in my heart and in my life. I don’t know about you, but sadly my fleshly inclination whenever I meet someone is to figure out how I am in some way “better” than them. Why?  Because my carnal mind wants to use their “perceived” deficiencies so I can feel better about me…about my own “real” insufficiencies.  

How much better it would go for me if instead, I made a practice of always looking for the good…of always seeing the ways that someone was “better” than me. I think what I would find is that there is something in everyone that I would do well to emulate. I would also realize that their presence in my life was truly a gift from God who works all things in our lives together for our good and His glory. But even better than those would be that I would begin to have and understand the unselfish mindset of Christ, who for the joy set before Him (that would be us!), endured the cross. My love for others would increase exponentially because in the searching I would be doing as it says in the next verse. 

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others

In order to look out for someone else’s interest and esteem them as better than me, I must get to know them by finding out those things that are important to them. As I do this, I will, by default, also learn about their joys, their sorrows and their sufferings.  My compassion (not mine, but Christ’s in me) would be stirred and by His Spirit, my heart would want to bear their burdens with them. AND THAT is a beautiful picture of what Christ does for me and for you as believers each and every day. 

Beloved…humility brings unity… be like-minded with Christ and bring unity. 

Weapons of Our Warfare…

 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.—2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Some mornings I wake up and life just feels heavier and harder...like I am walking through a thick, unrelenting cloud that makes any movement at all difficult. The weight of all those things that “aren’t right” in my life seems to be resting on my shoulders.  Sometimes the word of God can even magnify my grief because truth is sometimes hard to swallow.   It reminds me over and over that I am not in control of anything.  My life and the lives of those I love are in His hands.  Most of the time, I KNOW this is such a good thing, but on mornings like this, the eyes of my heart can get lost in the weeds and forget.  I look at the earthly and not the eternal.  

God used the words of 2 Corinthians 10 to speak encouragement and truth to me this morning.  My Spirit lifted and my heart rejoiced as I read them. This earthly battle is not mine to fight.  Both the battle and the victory are His.  I am weak, but He is strong.  I am insufficient, but He is my sufficiency. My weapons are powerless in the face of the spiritual.  His are not.  My job is to put divine truth to the lies that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. I am, by His gracious Spirit, to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. My weapons are not earthly, but are mighty in God because it is God who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  My job is to be obedient and do the next right thing...the results are ALWAYS up to Him. He is the God who performs all things for me and also makes perfect that which concerns me.  

Beloved, I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD I n the land of the living.  Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  Wait, I say, on the LORD!   

Ending with Ephesians 6:10-19 from the Amplified Bible. 

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. 13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. 14 So stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart), 15 and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. 16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God's people.—Ephesians 6 10-18

Imitators of God…

How simple this one is!  We have no greater purpose than to imitate our Lord.  We are to grow in the likeness of Him!  He is our Father and we are to resemble Him more and more!  Our lives...our walk and our talk should be modeled after our Jesus!  We are to be holy, just as He is holy.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.--Romans 8:29

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.--2nd Corinthians 3:18

Christ walked in love and exampled the height of self-sacrificing love by taking our sin upon Himself...giving up His very life so that we might be redeemed from the penalty and power of sin.  

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.--Romans 5:8-10

Christ offering of Himself on our behalf was a sweet smelling aroma to His Father in Heaven.  "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Christ demonstrated in the most perfect way possible God's divine love for us.  

This is the model that we are to follow.  This is the kind of love we are to walk in daily.  The kind of love that is not concerned with self.  Christ did not consider His equality with God something to be grasped...He did nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind esteemed others as better than Himself.  When we try to hold on to anything but our God and His will for us, we are seeking not His will but our own.  The result is sin.  We are to look to Him and only to Him for our strength and our direction because our goal is not the furtherance of what we want, but the furtherance of what our Father wants.  Christ laid all aside in fulfilling His Father's will and by doing that met each one of us at our point of need. (salvation)  Our goal then, like Christ, is to shine our lights here to glorify our God and thereby meet others at their point of need.  Our minds and hearts are bowed to Him in grateful submission and whatever He asks we gladly do. 

The Tender Mercy of Our God…

The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.  He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.  For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.  But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. --Psalm 103:8-19

The tender mercy of our God.  I LOVE dwelling on that picture.  Our omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God is also KIND and TENDERHEARTED.  God's mercy proceeds from His heart of love toward us.  Our God embodies love. He embodies mercy.  He embodies gentleness.  Here is how Jesus describes Himself:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." --Matthew 11:28-29

Our God is gentle and lowly in heart...It is in Him that we find rest for our soul.  Our God is so great, so powerful and so wonderful and yet so FULL of compassion and mercy.  The King of all Kings cares about me!   A bruised reed He will not break and a smoking flax He will not quench.  Here is the definition I found for mercy in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible:

A form of love, especially directed toward the needy or unworthy.  I love that...the needy and the unworthy...that would be us!  God's mercy is also described as eternal, everlasting, boundless, prolonging life, encouraging penitence, forgiving sin, making salvation possible and is most vividly seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

The bible says that the earth is full of His mercy.  Beloved…ask the Lord to make you aware of the multitudes of His mercies to you each and every day.  Ask Him to open your eyes to the many many blessings He sends your way.  Dwell on His mercy. DWELL IN HIS MERCY.  See His power but look with what gentle cords He draws you to Himself.  When you are feeling burdened, He will give you rest. When you are weak or afraid you have no need to fear, He will stoop down and help you.  When you are downcast or desperate or depressed...His tender mercies will revive you.  They will renew a right spirit within and minister to your heart in such a way that beauty will come from ashes. 

As Jesus ministers to my heart in trials, I so want to minister the lovingkindness He has shown me to others.  I  fail miserably and often,  but it is a beautiful thing, when, by the power of His Spirit, I surrender and allow His love to rain down on those He has placed in my path.  Love and mercy are weapons...they never fail and affect not only the temporal but the eternal.  Jesus did the will of His Father in heaven.  His agenda was not His own, but His Father's.  His mind was always set on the eternal and His heart's focus was others.  He did nothing through selfish ambition or conceit and always esteemed others as better than Himself.  Look for His mercy in your life and as you do allow your heart to so overflow with His mercy and goodness that you just can't keep it to yourself.  Put off  your own selfishness, striving and sin and put on Jesus.  Walk in mercy and love and be a breath of heavenly air to those the Lord has placed in your path.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.--John 3:16

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.--Ephesians 2:4-7

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.--Psalm 86:5

Filled With the Fullness of God….

 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.—Eph 3:14-19

"Filled with all the fullness of God."  THAT is what I want for me...THAT is what I want for all those that my God has given me to love.  To be so strong spiritually as to be filled with His divine love.  Totally and utterly governed and ruled not by the things of the world but by the things of God.  Focused not on the earthly but on what is eternal in the heavens.  So totally dominated by Him that there is nothing left of SELF!  Filled with Christ...filled with the Spirit and filled with God!  I want to see Your greatness in my life and in the lives of those that I love, Father...Your majesty and glory...Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.--Ephesians 3:20-21 

For Surely There is a Hereafter…

 Do not let your heart envy sinners,

But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;

For surely there is a hereafter,

And your hope will not be cut off.—Prov 23:17-18

If you are anything like me, you might find yourself as you go about your day focusing on and caring about things that have no eternal value.  All the world is truly a stage and very often we can get caught up and entrapped in its trappings. We forget truth and begin to live as the non believers around us...for ourselves and not for God. 

Beloved...don’t envy sinners...sin brings nothing but despair and death.  Instead, be zealous for the Lord all the day long. For surely there is a hereafter and our hope will not be cut off. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.  Lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. Desire instead, the pure milk of the word and grow in His grace and knowledge as you meditate on those things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.  

Oh Father! Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your good and right way.  Oh, that I would be wise!   May my soul follow hard after You and may Your right hand uphold me.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.—Colossians 3:2-4

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.—Psalm 37:1-4

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.—Psalm 112:1

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.—1 Corinthians 9:24-27