What Needs to Die?

This is just one person's take on last night with John McGregor. He took us to the entire chapter of Isaiah 6. He pointed out that the first 5 chapters are "woe is you, woe is you" and then we get to chapter 6, and it is "woe is me...I am a man of unclean lips". The first thing he pointed out that needed to be broken was Isaiah's dependence upon man.

There it is, right out of the starting gate. Day one, God brings to us our dependence upon man. Mr. McGregor took us to 2 Chr 26, which details how King Uzziah used to seek the Lord and the Lord prospered him. But we see Uzziah become famous and strong. In strength he apparently stopped seeking God.

He pointed out what happens in North America. A church experiences some level of "success" and people go and ask, "What are you doing?" That is seeking man, not God.

He spoke of a man who used to follow AW Tozer around here and there. One day, Tozer stopped at a coke machine and the other man asked himself if a holy man would be drinking Coca-Cola.

Another thing that was broken with Isaiah was his concept of God. He saw how God was high and lifted up. Mr. McGregor spoke to us weaving in his personal story, how he got saved, and how he needed a higher concept of God. (A sort of second trip to the cross.) There was something in him that needed to die, and he posed the question to us: what is it in us that needs to die before we see God more clearly as He is in heaven?

We continued on in the rest of Isaiah 6. I cannot describe sufficiently all of this, so I probably ought not try. Here were some key thoughts/questions throughout the rest of the session:

• Phil 2:11-13, It's GOD who works IN you. How much to you desire personal holiness? If you don't know what God is doing in your life today, it's a good day to be broken before the throne.
  
• Seek no personal glory. There are no names before the throne, only broken people.
  
• People today, we hear the word but there is no change.
  
• The 10th of the remnant. Nor worried about numbers or the opinions of others. It's costly to be the remnant, but it's the place that God does the work.

I also can't help but wonder if God isn't asking us if we truly believe the things He's taught us over the past year.