Low-way: a generic term describing the pathway mankind travels in his thinking in light of God’s thoughts which, contrastingly, are infinitely higher. Example; “In man’s low-ways, he perpetually errors in thinking that he sees things as they actually are, when in reality his fallen nature has radically obscured his vision. (Surprisingly, low-way thinking is especially prominent in the religious mind where, ironically, high views of God and scripture are supposedly held.)
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
While men, in pride, think that they are riding the main highway, without God’s Spirit, in reality they will always be on the low- way, traveling without a map along a very dangerous path. However if man, in humility, would acknowledge his low-ways, and turn to God, he would be so surprised at God’s readiness to pardon and to set him upon a higher path which is navigated by faith in God instead of by his own wits.
Did you know that you can live the christian life by your own wits and in your own strength? I should be more accurate. Did you know that you can try to live the christian life by your own wits and in your own strength? I am waiting for the prophetic voice to issue forth saying, “My children, how’s that working for you?” Thus asketh the Lord.”
Much of what I write about is my answer to this question. Today however, I need to provide a backdrop. A principle that was built into the gospel that I responded to in 1976 was that of ownership; if God paid the high price of His Son for me, it followed that I was no longer my own. Yes, God was mine, but I was His. To say the least this had implications on my thoughts and my ways. The mental math seemed straightforward. If I could be totally clueless for 23 years about the risen Christ and his loving designs for me, then cluelessness is a part of my make-up. In other words low way living was instinctively my bent; that was my deepest nature. Honestly, that scared me. In response, I vowed that I would work hard so that I could retain my “His” status.
I prayerfully calculated further (In a bit of a sweat), “Lord, this new life is the sweetest deal I’ve ever known. I cannot bear the thought of loosing my grip on you. You see, God had revealed to me privately with crystal clarity (in a way that explains why I am not a secessionist), “You will fall many times but I will always be there, ready to lift you out of whatever trouble you are caught up in.” This was tremendously good news to one who had just stumbled and who, in his well established low-ways, did not yet know my heavenly Father’s readiness to abundantly pardon. (Following the prayer today I have an additional note related to this same word of promise; which explains why I am not a Baptist either.)
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
Sortie: The sudden issuing of a body of troops, usually small, from a besieged place to attack or harass the besiegers; a sally. Also ; an offensive air force mission.
My salvation experience was a clear demonstration of God’s willingness to launch a sortie, to send his word and knock a sinner right of his horse, blinding (at least dazzling) him with light. It seemed obvious to me from that encounter that God reserves the right to preemptive offensive strikes with our hearts as his target. With this idea displacing my assumptions about the randomness of life, it only made sense to go ahead and give God my advance permission to launch these sorties as he saw fit. Thus the prayer of my life to the God with whom I have to do; (from Psalm 139)…
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. (Psalm 139:6)