Today's Journal
BEING HELD BACK
Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842-1919) German theologian wrote:“God holds back those who want to go forward on their own strength and who want to justify their flesh by their own zeal. He holds back those who would like to bring all their old nature with them into the kingdom of God and to be praised because they are the driving force, because they are the people who advanced the cause. God holds back all these souls! He strikes them down! Anyone who does not want to be held back by God must find the path that leads downward: the path upon which we become free of ourselves; the path upon which we must die, the path upon which we see our strength always acting wrongly and always deceiving us.” (From ‘Action In Waiting’ also see 4 January 2026 entry in RMJ archives)
Waiting is not one of my favorite things to do. When I think of being held back, I’m reminded of 3-4 kids in third grade that got to experience Mrs. Candice again for the second time. I have seen many times when I “would like to bring my old nature with me into the kingdom of God.” This usually means I get to enjoy another round of maturity…waiting.
I’m headed over to the other side of the Pond to have some Cuban Coffee and a Custard Filled Donut to try and get in a mood to be ‘held back’ by the Lord. I keep looking out over the Pond and thinking about being held back and what James 4:3 says: “We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.” The bit and the donut are in conflict.
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.” Jesus