We are measured by how much we pour out; not by how much we store up

WE ARE MEASURED BY GOD BY HOW MUCH WE POUR OUT AND NOT BY HOW MUCH WE STORE UP

Oswald Chambers says in his book, “My utmost for his highest” that our life is not measured by how much we store up but by how much we pour out.

 I started to research this and found that throughout his book he refers often to this and then I started to read the scriptures and found that over and over and over again this theme keeps coming up and the when we come to the life of Christ Jesus this is what he did on a daily basis and in fact this is what Christ was all about: Giving of himself to the ultimate extreme of giving his life on the cross for us. It sounds simple and almost a boring cliché e “ yeah, Jesus died for us sinners.” Yeah we’ve heard it a hundred times as Christians but then something amazing yet rather terrifying happens to us believers. We find that when Christ calls us he tells us to take our cross and follow him and then we soon find that every single thing he wants us to do we must actually experience it in our daily life. I mean I've actually got to experience the stuff I read about and so will you.To be able to be used as his vessel of living water so he may be poured out of our lives we have to be his. What are the things we must do to follow Christ? The answer is simple. Give up all and follow. Giving up all means giving up our IDOLS. We have to give up our beloved idols. We know who and what they are because God has clearly shown us and the way he shows us is by allowing us to pursue them and then allowing us to feel the unbearable shame and suffering and sadness and emptiness of being left alone with our idols….. and when we see Jesus … the face of Jesus looking at us and we like Peter weep bitter tears knowing we’ve sold out our Lord and betrayed him…. But we soon find we're utterly incapable of giving up our idols. Since we CAN NOT do what God calls us to do then how can we? Answer: We don't God does the work the miracle performing work of transforming our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. So then we co-labor with Christ in this effort by humbling ourselves and giving God our will by submitting our will to him. We tell God we are his and then ask him to do his perfect work in us. Hebrews 13: 20 says: “….God MAKES us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. 

What we have to do his bind ourselves by our will (we are free willed beings) to the altar and by binding I mean tie ourselves because if we don’t tie ourselves when the burning starts we’ll run away. Psalms 118:2;7 says: “BIND the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. Oswald Chambers again sums this verse up: “YOU MUST BE WILLING TO BE PLACED ON THE ALTAR AND GO THROUGH THE FIRE; willing to experience what the altar represents – burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose – the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in our direction toward God. But you don’t eliminate it, God does. You “bind the sacrifice….. to the horns of the altar and see to it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins.. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. … Let’s tell God we’re ready to be used and poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself………. “ Amen…2 Samuel 23:16: he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord..John 7:38: he who believes in Me….out of his heart will flow rivers of living water….2 Corinthians 12:15: I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls….2 Timothy 4:6…: I am now ready to be offered up as a drink offering….