Sometimes I wonder if all that Jesus endured as a man on earth, on the cross, and with men of sinful flesh was worth it. This curiosity doesn't downplay the beauty and meaning of my Savior's sacrifice but I just can't help but wonder just how frustrating it would have been to come to earth for such good reasons only to be ridiculed, ignored, and killed because of them. It would be much like if I owned my own home and in that home there being a perpetually broken furnace that left me frozen in the winter and cooked in the summer. So in hopes of a well-functioning temperature regulation system in my home, I call a repairman to fix it. But when he arrives, all I do is push him around, question his reasoning for being at my doorway, threaten to hurt him for years, and eventually kill him because I don't truly believe he came to fix my furnace when in all honesty, that was his ONLY reason for coming to my house. While that may be a far fetched example, it's hardly different from Jesus and His decision to embody Himself as God in the likeness of sinful flesh, die a gruesome death, and be raised from the dead SO THAT we could choose unity with God by the grace in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to redeem His lost sheep but the majority of them just mistreated Him, choosing to believe He wasn't God and shoving away the Life they had been pining for for so long. So was all of that worth it? Jesus's answer startled me when I asked Him.
He said, "If it were only you in this world, I still would have done it. Your problem of sin was that ugly and my love for you that great."
Simply put, painfully and beautifully true.
So even if I were among the mockers and beaters that led up Calvary, my Jesus's eyes still would have rested on me as if to beg me to let Him love me. I still--and hope I never--can't get over it: God died for me and gave Himself life again...well, in all honesty, just for me.
Crazy enough, He did it entirely, wholly, and fully just for you, too.
The words of the children's song really have never been more beautiful to me than they are now:
Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him beside. They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Just Like Daddy
We've all seen it. It could be counted as one of the cutest things the eyes of man could ever behold: when a little boy wants to be just like his daddy. Whether it be the little tyke pretending to shave along side Pops in the morning, developing the same interests as Dad, or becoming likened to the same favorite foods, it's a sight to behold. There is something that little guy sees in his daddy that is so highly esteemed that it is worthy of copying. And let me tell you, it's even more beautiful to watch those dads beam with pride at the sight of their son following in their footsteps. Those dads walk with more confident strides, shoulders back, chests puffed out saying, "YEP! That's MY son! And he wants to be JUST LIKE ME!" Nothing can compare to the precious bond between a father and his son.
Do you think it's the same way with God and His kids?
I was listening to Pandora Online Radio and at the end of Hosanna's rendition of "None but Jesus," the common worship song that goes "Bless the Lord, oh my soul! Bless His holy name" played over and over again. Even after the song ended, the words echoed in my heart much like the way Christmas songs remain with you for weeks past Santa and Rudolph. As I was singing those words, I was filled with such a joy that I am not able to describe. I began to wonder just what it would take for my life to be a blessing to God. I mean, He doesn't need anything from me because He has no desire for material possessions or anything of earthly value. So what would it take for me to please God?
In Romans chapter 8, Paul writes to the believers in Rome about the vast difference between living in the Spirit versus living in the flesh. While living in the flesh can bring about words like sin (v.2), death (v.2), weak (v.3), hostile (v.7), slavery (v.15), fear (v.15), living in the Spirit produces much the opposite: no condemnation (v.1), life, (v.2,6), peace (v.6), alive (v.10), and righteousness (v.10). As Romans 8 describes so well, it would profit me to live in the Spirit! Life! Peace! Vitality! Righteousness! But really, that's not the best part.
If Romans 8:8 is true (which it is) when it says, "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God," then the opposite is also true: those who are in the Spirit can please God! In other words, when we live as God (ahem, the Spirit-John 4:24) we please God! The passage goes even further to say we "have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but [we] have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, as heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed with suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:15-7).
Is anybody else excited? How can I NOT be? Because I have the Spirit of God in me, I belong to GOD Himself! He calls me His daughter! My flesh is good and dead because I have been crucified with Christ! It is no longer I that live but the Spirit of God that lives in me (Galatians 2:20)! I have been bought at a very, very high price--the price of God Himself! I have been reborn in the power and purity of the resurrection of my Lord! My life is HOPE because of the ONE who claimed it as His own! I am not my own! And as I by the Spirit put to death the deeds of my flesh, I will live. Verse 14 says that if I am being led by the Spirit of God, I am a child of God!
Much like the kiddo and his daddy, so I gaze with wide, curious eyes up at the One who made me with a deep desire to be just like Him. I see Him in the sweetness of spring and in the compassionate hearts of the unlikely revolutionaries of generations old. I see Him in the faith of children, the blaze of young love, and the resurrection of the lives of His people. He may be big and I may be little but that won't stop me from being like my Father. I may never be able to please God by giving Him anything, but by golly, I'll please Him by trying to be like Him.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul. Let everything that is within me bless Your holy name.
Do you think it's the same way with God and His kids?
I was listening to Pandora Online Radio and at the end of Hosanna's rendition of "None but Jesus," the common worship song that goes "Bless the Lord, oh my soul! Bless His holy name" played over and over again. Even after the song ended, the words echoed in my heart much like the way Christmas songs remain with you for weeks past Santa and Rudolph. As I was singing those words, I was filled with such a joy that I am not able to describe. I began to wonder just what it would take for my life to be a blessing to God. I mean, He doesn't need anything from me because He has no desire for material possessions or anything of earthly value. So what would it take for me to please God?
In Romans chapter 8, Paul writes to the believers in Rome about the vast difference between living in the Spirit versus living in the flesh. While living in the flesh can bring about words like sin (v.2), death (v.2), weak (v.3), hostile (v.7), slavery (v.15), fear (v.15), living in the Spirit produces much the opposite: no condemnation (v.1), life, (v.2,6), peace (v.6), alive (v.10), and righteousness (v.10). As Romans 8 describes so well, it would profit me to live in the Spirit! Life! Peace! Vitality! Righteousness! But really, that's not the best part.
If Romans 8:8 is true (which it is) when it says, "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God," then the opposite is also true: those who are in the Spirit can please God! In other words, when we live as God (ahem, the Spirit-John 4:24) we please God! The passage goes even further to say we "have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but [we] have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, as heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed with suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:15-7).
Is anybody else excited? How can I NOT be? Because I have the Spirit of God in me, I belong to GOD Himself! He calls me His daughter! My flesh is good and dead because I have been crucified with Christ! It is no longer I that live but the Spirit of God that lives in me (Galatians 2:20)! I have been bought at a very, very high price--the price of God Himself! I have been reborn in the power and purity of the resurrection of my Lord! My life is HOPE because of the ONE who claimed it as His own! I am not my own! And as I by the Spirit put to death the deeds of my flesh, I will live. Verse 14 says that if I am being led by the Spirit of God, I am a child of God!
Much like the kiddo and his daddy, so I gaze with wide, curious eyes up at the One who made me with a deep desire to be just like Him. I see Him in the sweetness of spring and in the compassionate hearts of the unlikely revolutionaries of generations old. I see Him in the faith of children, the blaze of young love, and the resurrection of the lives of His people. He may be big and I may be little but that won't stop me from being like my Father. I may never be able to please God by giving Him anything, but by golly, I'll please Him by trying to be like Him.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul. Let everything that is within me bless Your holy name.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Voice of God
"He speaks, and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing." C. Austin Miles
This morning, I spent some time putting away and de-wrinkling the clothes I had so carelessly left in the dryer overnight. I was listening to the story of Hosea on my laptop, beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as my laundry pile got smaller and smaller, and unaware how God would use these meaningless, tedious life tasks to teach me.
Each time I stepped into my closet to put an article of clothing away, I wasn't able to hear the story of Hosea that was coming out of my laptop. In terms of science, it was simple. I was entering into a place were it took a little more work for the sound waves to penetrate. In terms of hearing quality, the story became dull, the words hard to make out, and the susceptibility of distraction far higher than when I was out of my closet. In came the teaching moment.
Much like Isaiah 30:21, it was as if there was a tiny voice behind me that said, "It's hard to hear my voice when you're in darkness." BAM! It's so true! How many times have we yearned for God, pleaded for His presence, and longed for His closeness all while comfortably sitting in the darkness we've allowed into our lives? While it is very true that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), our reluctance to take up the cross and follow Christ is not somehow merited (Mark 8:34). YES, we may seek God in the darkness, but NO, we cannot expect Him to meet us as we idly sit in our sin because God is light and darkness cannot be found in Him (1 John 1:5).
And so we seek. But are we seeking from a seat of sin or willing feet? To which side of us is darkness? Is darkness at our front as we fall deeper into it or is it at our back as we pursue Light? The voice of God is able to be heard, however, it will be far harder to hear Him if we're surrounded by walls of darkness. So instead of asking for God to speak louder, step out into the Light. His voice will be clearer and the life sweeter.
This morning, I spent some time putting away and de-wrinkling the clothes I had so carelessly left in the dryer overnight. I was listening to the story of Hosea on my laptop, beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as my laundry pile got smaller and smaller, and unaware how God would use these meaningless, tedious life tasks to teach me.
Each time I stepped into my closet to put an article of clothing away, I wasn't able to hear the story of Hosea that was coming out of my laptop. In terms of science, it was simple. I was entering into a place were it took a little more work for the sound waves to penetrate. In terms of hearing quality, the story became dull, the words hard to make out, and the susceptibility of distraction far higher than when I was out of my closet. In came the teaching moment.
Much like Isaiah 30:21, it was as if there was a tiny voice behind me that said, "It's hard to hear my voice when you're in darkness." BAM! It's so true! How many times have we yearned for God, pleaded for His presence, and longed for His closeness all while comfortably sitting in the darkness we've allowed into our lives? While it is very true that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), our reluctance to take up the cross and follow Christ is not somehow merited (Mark 8:34). YES, we may seek God in the darkness, but NO, we cannot expect Him to meet us as we idly sit in our sin because God is light and darkness cannot be found in Him (1 John 1:5).
And so we seek. But are we seeking from a seat of sin or willing feet? To which side of us is darkness? Is darkness at our front as we fall deeper into it or is it at our back as we pursue Light? The voice of God is able to be heard, however, it will be far harder to hear Him if we're surrounded by walls of darkness. So instead of asking for God to speak louder, step out into the Light. His voice will be clearer and the life sweeter.
Open Wide
"Open your mouth wide and I will fill it." God (Psalm 81:10b)
Because of, well, how God made me, my body goes completely nuts every time I eat something I'm allergic to. So when that happens, my life becomes utter chaos and all hope for a normal day is completely shot. But when I eat the right food, I grow in health and am able to live as I ought to. Very literally, I am affected by what I put in my mouth.
It is no different for those who claim to be Christ-followers. Rightfully so, we like our bellies full, don't we? But all too often, we hear our tummies rumbling and look to faulty sources of nourishment, fulfillment, and fullness. These could be all sorts of things: culture, validation, pornography, physical health, wealth, beauty, children, drugs, academic success, alcohol, service, technology, masturbation, food, romance, materialism, sexual appeal, acceptance, pride, etc. Among that list, as you may have noticed, are things that could be coined either "good" or "bad." In that, the list may have surprised you to some extent. It is easy to say that negative, sinful things are damaging and hurtful when consumed; however, even positive, godly things can never nourish your soul as Jesus Christ can. Our spiritual bellies weren't created to be satisfied by anything but God Himself, the Bread of Life and the Living Water that is Jesus Christ. So why are we looking to be nourished by anything else?
Interestingly enough, if I eat even the TINIEST bit of what I'm allergic to, I will still get extremely sick. Spiritually, it is no different. In the same way, we will be spiritually malnourished and sick if we feed on anything but God. We cannot look to anything of the world to nourish us in even the slightest way. It WILL hurt us and lead us down a path we never originally planned to trod down.
It is no wonder that we continue to feel hunger pains! How can we expect lush, rolling, fertile green pastures when we spend little if any time in the presence of the One who can feed us and instead spend our time eating junk? Why else should we expect anything but withered, tasteless, and sour fruit when we fail to go to the Source of everything good? We may be opening our mouths wide but are turned away from the One who can truly fulfill us. In the same way one would never expect a car to run without fuel, we must never expect ourselves as vehicles of the Holy Spirit to go anywhere or live as we ought to live. As vessels, we have one purpose and that is to be filled by the One who holds us; we were not made to be filled with the world in any sense whatsoever. We are given such a beautiful and high calling to walk as Jesus walked but there is no way possible we can do that unless we first go to God for nourishment.
Somewhere beneath the layers of rocky soil, stubborn roots, and mole holes lay a hidden Eden that only the Gardener can grow in our souls. For all too long, we have been satisfied with barren souls free of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of God in us. We've walked the hard road with joyless faces, asking the world to join us by our words but not convincing them with our lives. In all the passion, fervor, and zeal a truthful word or two could bring, nothing would win more for Christ except that of the life that grows the fruit of looking to God as He truly is. I am afraid that the only thing that the majority of our lives beg is to remain in the bondage of everything we want to be free of.
We can go as far to say that what we put in our mouths as Christians gives us life or it gives us death. Each and every bite we take grows Eden in us or it grows destruction. Send all that bad junk you're eating down the garbage disposal in the name of Jesus and set your priorities straight. After all, you are what you eat. What's on your plate?
Because of, well, how God made me, my body goes completely nuts every time I eat something I'm allergic to. So when that happens, my life becomes utter chaos and all hope for a normal day is completely shot. But when I eat the right food, I grow in health and am able to live as I ought to. Very literally, I am affected by what I put in my mouth.
It is no different for those who claim to be Christ-followers. Rightfully so, we like our bellies full, don't we? But all too often, we hear our tummies rumbling and look to faulty sources of nourishment, fulfillment, and fullness. These could be all sorts of things: culture, validation, pornography, physical health, wealth, beauty, children, drugs, academic success, alcohol, service, technology, masturbation, food, romance, materialism, sexual appeal, acceptance, pride, etc. Among that list, as you may have noticed, are things that could be coined either "good" or "bad." In that, the list may have surprised you to some extent. It is easy to say that negative, sinful things are damaging and hurtful when consumed; however, even positive, godly things can never nourish your soul as Jesus Christ can. Our spiritual bellies weren't created to be satisfied by anything but God Himself, the Bread of Life and the Living Water that is Jesus Christ. So why are we looking to be nourished by anything else?
Interestingly enough, if I eat even the TINIEST bit of what I'm allergic to, I will still get extremely sick. Spiritually, it is no different. In the same way, we will be spiritually malnourished and sick if we feed on anything but God. We cannot look to anything of the world to nourish us in even the slightest way. It WILL hurt us and lead us down a path we never originally planned to trod down.
It is no wonder that we continue to feel hunger pains! How can we expect lush, rolling, fertile green pastures when we spend little if any time in the presence of the One who can feed us and instead spend our time eating junk? Why else should we expect anything but withered, tasteless, and sour fruit when we fail to go to the Source of everything good? We may be opening our mouths wide but are turned away from the One who can truly fulfill us. In the same way one would never expect a car to run without fuel, we must never expect ourselves as vehicles of the Holy Spirit to go anywhere or live as we ought to live. As vessels, we have one purpose and that is to be filled by the One who holds us; we were not made to be filled with the world in any sense whatsoever. We are given such a beautiful and high calling to walk as Jesus walked but there is no way possible we can do that unless we first go to God for nourishment.
Somewhere beneath the layers of rocky soil, stubborn roots, and mole holes lay a hidden Eden that only the Gardener can grow in our souls. For all too long, we have been satisfied with barren souls free of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of God in us. We've walked the hard road with joyless faces, asking the world to join us by our words but not convincing them with our lives. In all the passion, fervor, and zeal a truthful word or two could bring, nothing would win more for Christ except that of the life that grows the fruit of looking to God as He truly is. I am afraid that the only thing that the majority of our lives beg is to remain in the bondage of everything we want to be free of.
We can go as far to say that what we put in our mouths as Christians gives us life or it gives us death. Each and every bite we take grows Eden in us or it grows destruction. Send all that bad junk you're eating down the garbage disposal in the name of Jesus and set your priorities straight. After all, you are what you eat. What's on your plate?
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