First Step February 16, 2015

The Inspiration of Spiritual Initiative 

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 ESV

All initiative is not inspired. A man may say to you—“Buck up, take your disinclination by the throat, throw it overboard, and walk out into the thing!” That is ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, “Buck up,” we find that the initiative is inspired. We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real.

We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say—“Arise from the dead.” When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the “bucking up.” God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says—“Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand—“Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.

Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 33-34). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

"He gives us life as we overcome."  No matter the urgency of the call.  Regardless of the loftiness of the mission.  If we don't take the first step, nothing will ever get done.  Had the man with the withered hand refused to flex his fingers, the gift from Christ would have been for naught.


Moses' faith would have been empty if he had not laid Isaac on the alter.  Peter's trust in Jesus would have been hollow had he stayed in the boat.

God speaks.  We must act.  The Holy Spirit prods.  It is our duty to obey.