Others May, You Cannot

Others may, you cannot. Let's see what it says here. Who's it by? G.D. Watson.

I don't know who that is. Herald Press Tracks. There's a brand new Christian.

I came across this track. If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility and put upon you such demands of obedience that you will not be able to follow other people or measure yourself by other Christians. And in many ways, He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do." Now, one of the classic texts is right at the end of John.

You remember Peter? Lord, what about Him? Do you remember how the Lord answered? What's that to you? You follow Me. Exactly. That's how we all need to live.

Because we like to do that. What about them? They don't have to go through what I'm going through. They're not subjected to this.

Why am I this way? Why am I that way? Why am I convicted? How come I have to be convicted about this when they're not convicted about that? Hear the Lord's words. What does that have to do with you? You are bought with a price. We're but servants.

We're but slaves. And what Christ told us is when you've done everything you've been commanded, you are still just an unprofitable servant. And the thing is, He owns us.

And you know what? A slave master can do one thing with one slave and another thing with another slave. And neither slave can say, look, why do they get to go to town? And I've got to work the field. Seemingly religious and useful men push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans.

But you cannot do it. And if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent. That's true.

Try to resist your conscience and just keep running in that direction and see where it gets you. You will be miserable. You will be weak.

You will be carnal. You will not advance. You will not grow.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, their success, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do it. And if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works. Others may be allowed to succeed in making money or may have a legacy left to them.

But it is likely God wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence upon Him that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury. The Lord may let others be honored and put forward and keep you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others be great, but keep you small.

He may let others do work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you're doing. And then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work you've done, making your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you.

And that's what you have to recognize. When these seasons of conviction come on, it's a God who loves you and does not want to share that affection with these idols. He wants you clinging to Him.

The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you with jealous love and will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in His dealings with you, but if you absolutely sell yourself to be His love slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessings which come only to those in the inner circle.

Settle it forever then that you're to deal directly with the Holy Spirit and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are in your secret heart pleased and delighted over this particular, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven. God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Lest I should be exalted above measure that was given to me a thorn in the flesh.

For this thing I besought the Lord three times that it might depart from me, and He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in My infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon Me. If ye then be risen with Christ, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Father, I for one can say I want that. And I am very thankful for Your dealings with me, with us. Your protective love.

Your guiding hand. Your cleansing work. Lord, we pray for more of it.

Lord, please give us resigned, submissive, humble hearts ready to comply, ready to follow, ready to surrender. Lord, give us grace. May Your Spirit produce in us that real, deep Christ-likeness.

We ask it in Christ's name, Amen. Well, brethren, I have to tell you that was good for me and helpful. That was very helpful to my own soul.