Hebrews 3 tells us to hold 'fast' and again to hold 'firm' our confidence and/or relationship with Christ to the end. Yet sometimes we 'feel' we are being or have been so good/spiritual - working so hard on our growth or ministry or so involved with our church or study - that we need a break...just some down time, some time to relax, to not think, to just hang out, to forget everything just for a time, etc. Whatever!
Again we are in the midst of the throws of a dilemna where each 'side' sounds right and the arguments can go on and on and each 'sounds' so right. What then are we to think? How do we live? Do we chunk it all because it is confusing? NO! it is right here that our enemy is active and alive and seeking whom he can devour. We must press on and see truth.
We must press on and persevere and hold fast. We do not need a break. We do not need a vacation from our faith. ' We can no more have a break from spirituality and remain spiritual than we can have a break from morality and remain moral.' The problem - as always - lies with the big 'I.' We are making it something that God never intended - a responsibility that He never intended for us to bear. He is far more gentle and patient than we can ever imagine. Yes, the standard is high - perfect - but the burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30). Who can resist these verses -"Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you , and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." How can this be? What ever does it mean? I sure don't experience this!
Again - the problem is always with me and what I want or think I need or deserve or the way I think God wants me to be or act or grow.... something is wrong - and it is in my thinking. God is a totally loving and patient and kind and good Father. Why do I put pressures on myself when He does not. If the yoke is hard, it is because it is my yoke. It is 'me' either trying to earn His love - which is already mine - by being 'great.' Or, there is something I am desparately trying to hanging on to - and I am trying to serve two masters (Matt. 6:19- 24) - me and what I want or me and what I think I should be.
Relax!! All of life is His - all of life can be spiritual. I don't have to get into a 'spiritual mode. It just is.
So - how can a yoke be easy and how can a burden be light? When it is His and not mine and He carries it - not me. I am totally dependant - for joy, for peace, for fulfillment, etc. and herein is peace and freedom and power.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
whose body on the cross
The Resurrection - as fabulous, essential, all powerful, etc. etc. as it is - does not erase the Cross and its horror and suffering and cost. Although Christ DID take the sting of sin and death, bore our sins and pain, we must follow Him to/through the agony of the Cross. (definitely in a much lesser way - and for many reasons - we do not have to give up who we are and take on humanity, we will not be separated from our Father, etc. - here was the real cost!)
Songs like 'All to Jesus I surrender,' 'The Old Rugged Cross,' 'I am crucified with Christ, yet now I no longer live' are hard, hard meanings, but one who is 'in Christ' will come to this spot and it is not easy, actually it is impossible to proceed to freedom and power in Chirst without the Holy Spirit doing it ALL- here is where these principles and verses like Romans 2:20 and Romans 6 lend their fulness.
Christ did indeed say that we would 'taste the cup of which He drank.' So, those of us who talk about being 'in Christ' and 'crucified with Christ' need to realize the depth of that statement. We must indeed follow Him there. But the GOOD NEWS is that He walked there Himself and goes with / carries us there. By His humanity He experienced it all! Think of all He surrendered - (Phil. 2:1 -11.)
So - 'whose body on the cross?' And how do we 'taste the cup?' I must decide that 'sin must die in me' - not be surpressed - but a moral decision to offer ones' self up and to reckon (count as true!!) Romans 6:11 ( and the whole chapter) as 'mine' and truth. When our enemy roars around and wants to challenge - "I am dead to that" I do not HAVE to yield - to sin. I simply may 'choose' to sin, but no excuses, I do not HAVE to. This is a radial issue of my will.
We say -'I'll never be perfect until I get to heaven.' True - but this cannot be an excuse to continue on in sin. We must yield our wills and crucify them and allow the power of the same Holy Spirit that Jesus lived by abide and live in us. As we identify with Christ's death, we identify with His life. And that is a life of freedom and power and peace and one that glorifies God because it all depends on Him!!
This is a deal!! His life for ours.
The Resurrection life is possible in us. It is a daily thing - a daily dependance on the Holy Spirit - God has put the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
Romans 7 and 8 follow Romans 6. So when we fail, that doesn't mean that it doesn' work - it just means that we 'pull up short - confess our sin and move on.'
we can't - but He can!!
Songs like 'All to Jesus I surrender,' 'The Old Rugged Cross,' 'I am crucified with Christ, yet now I no longer live' are hard, hard meanings, but one who is 'in Christ' will come to this spot and it is not easy, actually it is impossible to proceed to freedom and power in Chirst without the Holy Spirit doing it ALL- here is where these principles and verses like Romans 2:20 and Romans 6 lend their fulness.
Christ did indeed say that we would 'taste the cup of which He drank.' So, those of us who talk about being 'in Christ' and 'crucified with Christ' need to realize the depth of that statement. We must indeed follow Him there. But the GOOD NEWS is that He walked there Himself and goes with / carries us there. By His humanity He experienced it all! Think of all He surrendered - (Phil. 2:1 -11.)
So - 'whose body on the cross?' And how do we 'taste the cup?' I must decide that 'sin must die in me' - not be surpressed - but a moral decision to offer ones' self up and to reckon (count as true!!) Romans 6:11 ( and the whole chapter) as 'mine' and truth. When our enemy roars around and wants to challenge - "I am dead to that" I do not HAVE to yield - to sin. I simply may 'choose' to sin, but no excuses, I do not HAVE to. This is a radial issue of my will.
We say -'I'll never be perfect until I get to heaven.' True - but this cannot be an excuse to continue on in sin. We must yield our wills and crucify them and allow the power of the same Holy Spirit that Jesus lived by abide and live in us. As we identify with Christ's death, we identify with His life. And that is a life of freedom and power and peace and one that glorifies God because it all depends on Him!!
This is a deal!! His life for ours.
The Resurrection life is possible in us. It is a daily thing - a daily dependance on the Holy Spirit - God has put the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
Romans 7 and 8 follow Romans 6. So when we fail, that doesn't mean that it doesn' work - it just means that we 'pull up short - confess our sin and move on.'
we can't - but He can!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
life interrupted
'Life interrupted' - what a title!! don't we all feel at times that our lives are interrupted - from our plan - our path - our dream - our reality - etc. etc.
There was a movie with a similar title years ago about a girl whose life was interrupted by mental illness. Everything changed! Nothing was ever the same.
Today I read an even more striking article about Simon of Cyrene. A man on his way to celebrate a high Jewish holiday, the Passover, the release of God's chosen people from slavery was suddenly grabbed and forced to carry a huge beam on his back to the 'place of the skull' - Golgotha. For him it was a shameful thing in which to be involved - this Roman murder. He was simply headed to celebrate - to synagogue - and suddenly out of nowhere, his life was changed - interrupted from his plan, his reality. This was nothing of his own doing - but it permanently marked him.
Simon walked behind a man like no man he had evr known. One who turned and spoke to women who were wailing beside him. He comforted them and spoke truth - and reminded them of the Old Testament scriptures. We can only guess what went through Simon's mind as he watched and listened to this Jesus, on His way to His undeserved death. But we can be certain that his life was never the same - Scripture is silent on Simon again.
I must put myself in Simon's place and think what it means to observe and follow this most unusual man. What will I do with the circumstances that 'interrupt' my life? How will I react? What direction will the event of gazing in jesus' face have on the rest of my life?
How do I handle these 'forks in my path?' Do I see them in relation to following the God of everything or merely see them as an 'interruption' as I follw a condemned man.
Do I believe Hebres 2:8 - that 'nothing is out of His control?' Do I chose to trust Him or grumble and complain that I have this misfortune to carry a cross?
What an honor for Simon that he was selected by God to carry the Cross!!
Honor and trust or interruption??
There was a movie with a similar title years ago about a girl whose life was interrupted by mental illness. Everything changed! Nothing was ever the same.
Today I read an even more striking article about Simon of Cyrene. A man on his way to celebrate a high Jewish holiday, the Passover, the release of God's chosen people from slavery was suddenly grabbed and forced to carry a huge beam on his back to the 'place of the skull' - Golgotha. For him it was a shameful thing in which to be involved - this Roman murder. He was simply headed to celebrate - to synagogue - and suddenly out of nowhere, his life was changed - interrupted from his plan, his reality. This was nothing of his own doing - but it permanently marked him.
Simon walked behind a man like no man he had evr known. One who turned and spoke to women who were wailing beside him. He comforted them and spoke truth - and reminded them of the Old Testament scriptures. We can only guess what went through Simon's mind as he watched and listened to this Jesus, on His way to His undeserved death. But we can be certain that his life was never the same - Scripture is silent on Simon again.
I must put myself in Simon's place and think what it means to observe and follow this most unusual man. What will I do with the circumstances that 'interrupt' my life? How will I react? What direction will the event of gazing in jesus' face have on the rest of my life?
How do I handle these 'forks in my path?' Do I see them in relation to following the God of everything or merely see them as an 'interruption' as I follw a condemned man.
Do I believe Hebres 2:8 - that 'nothing is out of His control?' Do I chose to trust Him or grumble and complain that I have this misfortune to carry a cross?
What an honor for Simon that he was selected by God to carry the Cross!!
Honor and trust or interruption??
Monday, March 16, 2009
amazed and afraid
There are so many descriptions of how we react to Jesus - thankful, joyful, awed, loved, convicted, cared for, etc. etc. Mark 10:32 gives interesting descriptive words... amazed and afraid.
What do these follow? They follow Jesus teaching some hard to understand parables - about the rich young ruler and how difficult it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle and leaving loved ones for His sake and the first being last... some that are difficult to get the correct meaning and others that we simply don't want to 'get it.'
We should ALWAYS be amazed and afraid; these are elements that will by necessity, by the very fact that Jesus is God, be a portion of the equation of understanding. Jesus is about something bigger than what we see and understand for the moment and we will never 'get' all of it until we see Him face to face. At the beginning of our Christian life we were sure that we knew all about Jesus and how to follow and what it all meant; but as we go on, we are not so sure. He takes us places we are not sure we want to go and that we are not sure are from Him. 'There is an aspect of Jesus that chills the heart of a disciple to the core and makes the whole spiritual life gasp for breath." (O. Chambers)
Yet - when we add in Hebrews 2:8 -'...he left NOTHING outside his control.' At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. BUT we see him..' Two new elements (1) there is nothing outside of His control. WOW!! How can that be?? I really don't want to believe that always - for if I do believe it, it means I must make the decision to trust Him or not. What about the 'bad' things? I guess it comes down to my definition of 'bad.' (I think I am getting into an area where it is dangerous to try to put things into words - it is so easy to say it wrong and not fully - and be totally misunderstood.)
So herein comes some of the amazement and the 'afraid.' Amazed at His overarching and all-inclusive plan - and afraid of the meanings for now. So how do we live? here is the Second element - Heb 2:9 is the solution - .."But we see Jesus..." We must learn to get out of the situation and look at the character and person of God - who He is and how He loves me.
I must 'set my mind on things above.' (Phil. 4:8) I must 'Look to Jesus , the author and finisher of my faith.' (Heb12:1-3)
It is not an easy walk - but we have all of the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to do it. Only in dependence on Him can we walk with Christ - and as we are human, it will be with amazement and fear.
What do these follow? They follow Jesus teaching some hard to understand parables - about the rich young ruler and how difficult it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle and leaving loved ones for His sake and the first being last... some that are difficult to get the correct meaning and others that we simply don't want to 'get it.'
We should ALWAYS be amazed and afraid; these are elements that will by necessity, by the very fact that Jesus is God, be a portion of the equation of understanding. Jesus is about something bigger than what we see and understand for the moment and we will never 'get' all of it until we see Him face to face. At the beginning of our Christian life we were sure that we knew all about Jesus and how to follow and what it all meant; but as we go on, we are not so sure. He takes us places we are not sure we want to go and that we are not sure are from Him. 'There is an aspect of Jesus that chills the heart of a disciple to the core and makes the whole spiritual life gasp for breath." (O. Chambers)
Yet - when we add in Hebrews 2:8 -'...he left NOTHING outside his control.' At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. BUT we see him..' Two new elements (1) there is nothing outside of His control. WOW!! How can that be?? I really don't want to believe that always - for if I do believe it, it means I must make the decision to trust Him or not. What about the 'bad' things? I guess it comes down to my definition of 'bad.' (I think I am getting into an area where it is dangerous to try to put things into words - it is so easy to say it wrong and not fully - and be totally misunderstood.)
So herein comes some of the amazement and the 'afraid.' Amazed at His overarching and all-inclusive plan - and afraid of the meanings for now. So how do we live? here is the Second element - Heb 2:9 is the solution - .."But we see Jesus..." We must learn to get out of the situation and look at the character and person of God - who He is and how He loves me.
I must 'set my mind on things above.' (Phil. 4:8) I must 'Look to Jesus , the author and finisher of my faith.' (Heb12:1-3)
It is not an easy walk - but we have all of the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to do it. Only in dependence on Him can we walk with Christ - and as we are human, it will be with amazement and fear.
Friday, March 6, 2009
'living' amid the 'dailies'
When God gives us opportunity to speak, shine, work, etc for Him, we pray, read the Word, spend time thinking about it, preparing ourselves and making sure we are depending on Him. This we should do!! But what about the 'dailies?' How do we live in the drudgeries or details of life? How do we do business, drive, grocery shop, tend to children, clean the house, visit with friends, etc. on a daily basis with a joyful attitude that honors Christ? How do we take the next step?
The only way is the steady persevering living in the unseen life with Christ - dependent. John 13 talks of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. What a task - dusty, dirty feet. Verse 3 says, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper" - to wash the feet. So -how did He do that menial task as unto the Lord?
1. Knowing who He was!!
2. Knowing where He was going.
3. Getting up!!- 'doing the next thing.'
This is how we must live that daily life when there is no inspiration, no real 'vision,' no one watching to encourage, etc. Simply - Know who and whose we are!!! Get up and move out - do the task at hand - knowing that He has me where I am supposed to be, I 'have -right now - ALL things pertaining to life and godliness' - that 'I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.' I must 'do all things without mumbling and grumbling.' This how I grow and glorify God - Knowing that He is in charge and He leads my life!!!
The only way is the steady persevering living in the unseen life with Christ - dependent. John 13 talks of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. What a task - dusty, dirty feet. Verse 3 says, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper" - to wash the feet. So -how did He do that menial task as unto the Lord?
1. Knowing who He was!!
2. Knowing where He was going.
3. Getting up!!- 'doing the next thing.'
This is how we must live that daily life when there is no inspiration, no real 'vision,' no one watching to encourage, etc. Simply - Know who and whose we are!!! Get up and move out - do the task at hand - knowing that He has me where I am supposed to be, I 'have -right now - ALL things pertaining to life and godliness' - that 'I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.' I must 'do all things without mumbling and grumbling.' This how I grow and glorify God - Knowing that He is in charge and He leads my life!!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"Untreated disappointments with God lead to Disobedience.'
"Untreated disappointments with God lead to disobedience." Beth Moore says this in one of her studies- and - what a truth!
Who has not been 'disappointed' with God - or might we say - unhappy with some situation or event, etc in our life that we 'know' God can change, but does not. We ask 'why?' and cannot understand or 'will' not understand or simply don't go there with God and continue in our misery and complaining and struggling. The situations may be small or large - but they 'feel' huge and eternal.
We must learn to look at the character of God and believe in His sovereignty and goodness. he is not harsh. As Lewis says in Narnia, God is good, but He is not safe. He is good! And he has our best interests at heart. He is completing what He began in us.
We are a fallen race and we live in a fallen world. But the way is always 'through' and 'to the other side.' When God brought the children of Israel to the Red Sea, He promised to take the 'through' it to the other side. Think what that walk 'through' was like.
When Uzzah touched the Ark and was struck dead, (2 Sam. 6) note how angry and afraid David became. He did not - or would not understand what happened. He did not like what God had done. He was disappointed and angry with God.
We are disappointed with and angry with God much too often. Why? because we want to do things - have things - the way we want them and think best. We do not see the big picture and humanly do not want God's ways and best. we have fallen hearts.
We still think our ways of doing things are better than God's. We would do it without suffering and hardship. We would be weak and faulty people and Christians.
Living in a fallen world, we will encounter much hardship and heart-ache. How we go through it matters!!
1. God is Good.
2. God is in control.
Disappointment means we still think our way is better than God's way.
If we do not deal with our disappointments and discouragements, etc. we will default our way into disobedience. Really!
Our trouble may come on us like rain on the innocent, but what will we do with it?
Do not let our trouble grow into sin.
God has us at every certain place for a reason - and He will work it for our good.
We do not want to be anywhere except where God has us.
Basing our faith on who God is rather than what He appears to be doing is crucial.
We must go through our disappointments - and we will - but there is reason for them.
Do not be as the Israelites looking back at the leeks and onions of Egypt before they went through the Red Sea. Go through in peace and confidence that this too has a reason - it will lead to joy and dancing and freedom and use.
Who has not been 'disappointed' with God - or might we say - unhappy with some situation or event, etc in our life that we 'know' God can change, but does not. We ask 'why?' and cannot understand or 'will' not understand or simply don't go there with God and continue in our misery and complaining and struggling. The situations may be small or large - but they 'feel' huge and eternal.
We must learn to look at the character of God and believe in His sovereignty and goodness. he is not harsh. As Lewis says in Narnia, God is good, but He is not safe. He is good! And he has our best interests at heart. He is completing what He began in us.
We are a fallen race and we live in a fallen world. But the way is always 'through' and 'to the other side.' When God brought the children of Israel to the Red Sea, He promised to take the 'through' it to the other side. Think what that walk 'through' was like.
When Uzzah touched the Ark and was struck dead, (2 Sam. 6) note how angry and afraid David became. He did not - or would not understand what happened. He did not like what God had done. He was disappointed and angry with God.
We are disappointed with and angry with God much too often. Why? because we want to do things - have things - the way we want them and think best. We do not see the big picture and humanly do not want God's ways and best. we have fallen hearts.
We still think our ways of doing things are better than God's. We would do it without suffering and hardship. We would be weak and faulty people and Christians.
Living in a fallen world, we will encounter much hardship and heart-ache. How we go through it matters!!
1. God is Good.
2. God is in control.
Disappointment means we still think our way is better than God's way.
If we do not deal with our disappointments and discouragements, etc. we will default our way into disobedience. Really!
Our trouble may come on us like rain on the innocent, but what will we do with it?
Do not let our trouble grow into sin.
God has us at every certain place for a reason - and He will work it for our good.
We do not want to be anywhere except where God has us.
Basing our faith on who God is rather than what He appears to be doing is crucial.
We must go through our disappointments - and we will - but there is reason for them.
Do not be as the Israelites looking back at the leeks and onions of Egypt before they went through the Red Sea. Go through in peace and confidence that this too has a reason - it will lead to joy and dancing and freedom and use.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Phil. 3:10 says -"that I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection" -
Living with or in the power of Christ takes a great deal of power and effort and discipline and yet , it is all up to the Holy Spirit.
The resurrection of Jesus validates His life. Through it is the conquest of sin and the devil.
When I become a Christian, I am sealed with the Holy Spirit - this is guarentee of salvation and life. Ephesians 1:13 says we 'hear' and 'believe' and are 'sealed' with the promise of the Holy Spirit who is our guarentee of our inheritance..
The whole first chapter of Ephesians is so wonderufl about our spiritual blessings in Christ!! as is 1 Peter 1:3
Eph. 1:3 - '...who has (past tense) blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.."
Therefore, I HAVE - ALL - I need. I could go on and on about this!!! but I want to share a thought I heard at a conference recently - it has continued to resonate in my thinking.
To really understand the blessing of the Resurrection, we can be reminded about the story of Mary of Magdalene who was freed from seven demons. Thus the village of Magdalene is known as a village of evil - or evil-haunting. Mary was 'evil-haunted' and thus shaped by it - they affected her beliefs, actions, thoughts, emotions, etc. Those were the voices she lived with and which determined her daily life. How awful!!! I may not have a demon, but I allow myself to listen to wrong voices and am just as bad as she was. I still do, apart from walking with Christ.
What voices do we listen to and allow to determine how I live? good question!!
One day Jesus came and set her FREE!! and now her love for Him eclipsed everything.
How do we learn to let our love for Him eclipse all other voices we hear?
Back to Mary - Mary has been forever known as Mary Magdalene. She is known by what was wrong with her and who she 'was.' Why would God want her to remember her darkness?
Because remembering her darkness highlights Resurrection power!!! She knew where she came FROM and rejoiced in her freedom.
Scriptures from old to new testaments tell us to 'remember.' Why? Because if we don't, we get to thinking that we are pretty good or can handle this - Also Luke 7:47 teaches that 'he who is forgiven little, loves little.' We NEED to know and really believe just how much we are forgiven!! TOTALLY. it is so easy to think there is still some goodness in us. there isn't!
Resurrection power is everything!!
The same power that raised Christ from the dead is within me through the person of the Holy Spirit. I have the same Holy Spirit and power that Jesus did when He was on earth!! WOW!!
How much is that. Can I - not yield to sin? YES can I love another? YES - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!"
Remember who I was
Know who He is
with humble strength - who I am
How?
Behold Him - Look unto Jesus - Consider Him
Living with or in the power of Christ takes a great deal of power and effort and discipline and yet , it is all up to the Holy Spirit.
The resurrection of Jesus validates His life. Through it is the conquest of sin and the devil.
When I become a Christian, I am sealed with the Holy Spirit - this is guarentee of salvation and life. Ephesians 1:13 says we 'hear' and 'believe' and are 'sealed' with the promise of the Holy Spirit who is our guarentee of our inheritance..
The whole first chapter of Ephesians is so wonderufl about our spiritual blessings in Christ!! as is 1 Peter 1:3
Eph. 1:3 - '...who has (past tense) blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.."
Therefore, I HAVE - ALL - I need. I could go on and on about this!!! but I want to share a thought I heard at a conference recently - it has continued to resonate in my thinking.
To really understand the blessing of the Resurrection, we can be reminded about the story of Mary of Magdalene who was freed from seven demons. Thus the village of Magdalene is known as a village of evil - or evil-haunting. Mary was 'evil-haunted' and thus shaped by it - they affected her beliefs, actions, thoughts, emotions, etc. Those were the voices she lived with and which determined her daily life. How awful!!! I may not have a demon, but I allow myself to listen to wrong voices and am just as bad as she was. I still do, apart from walking with Christ.
What voices do we listen to and allow to determine how I live? good question!!
One day Jesus came and set her FREE!! and now her love for Him eclipsed everything.
How do we learn to let our love for Him eclipse all other voices we hear?
Back to Mary - Mary has been forever known as Mary Magdalene. She is known by what was wrong with her and who she 'was.' Why would God want her to remember her darkness?
Because remembering her darkness highlights Resurrection power!!! She knew where she came FROM and rejoiced in her freedom.
Scriptures from old to new testaments tell us to 'remember.' Why? Because if we don't, we get to thinking that we are pretty good or can handle this - Also Luke 7:47 teaches that 'he who is forgiven little, loves little.' We NEED to know and really believe just how much we are forgiven!! TOTALLY. it is so easy to think there is still some goodness in us. there isn't!
Resurrection power is everything!!
The same power that raised Christ from the dead is within me through the person of the Holy Spirit. I have the same Holy Spirit and power that Jesus did when He was on earth!! WOW!!
How much is that. Can I - not yield to sin? YES can I love another? YES - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!"
Remember who I was
Know who He is
with humble strength - who I am
How?
Behold Him - Look unto Jesus - Consider Him
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