| << | Contents | >> |
Exchanged Glory II: The OK Stronghold
As I faced my weaknesses, I saw my need to humble myself until I found the power of His resurrection. Only His Spirit could enable me to do what was impossible for me on my own.
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death …
This verse has become a favorite of mine, because it gives a quick snapshot of how I work with Christ in me. I know Him as I learn to express His thoughts and actions, but doing so is a struggle that brings me suffering. The sinful train tracks in my heart don’t leave quietly. They cry, complain, and demand their own way, causing me pain as I deny them in order to obey God.
The reality that makes this worthwhile is that I have fellowship with Jesus in these sufferings. I am sharing in the battle He fought and won when He lived on earth.
While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. (emphasis added)
(Hebrews 5:7-8, The Message)
At times, my internal war has been like a tightrope over hell. I didn’t know how I would hang on from day to day, but He brought me forward. As I faced my weaknesses, I saw my need to humble myself until I found the power of His resurrection. Only His Spirit could enable me to do what was impossible for me on my own.
When I take into account not only my own sinfulness but also that of others, the struggle goes beyond my ability in a thousand directions. It is hard to seek His truth in a world that makes me want to conform to its desires or flee its people. There is too much spiritual death and destruction to deal with, and I want to run away from those He has called me to love.
Still, His life draws me till I have no other good option. I fall on my knees and let Him work His grace into me. I become willing to do a small part of what He did as He walked the hill to the cross. His love reaches out through me to those who resist Him and therefore resist me. I face difficulties I would never have been willing to apart from Him.
Through this process, He manifests in me the love that made Him willing to die on the cross for us. I become conformed to His death.
I got a chance to practice these truths in a small way recently. I was working with some Christians, and they made statements with which I disagreed. Normally this wouldn’t get me too upset (I disagree with people all the time), but this time my heart was heavy. After several days, I got on my knees and asked God why I was so bothered. I believe the Holy Spirit impressed on me that He was giving me His burden over the fact that my fellow Christians were being divisive. They didn’t realize it, but their words were driving a wedge into the body of Christ.
After praying a while longer, I realized that God wanted me to attempt to help in the situation. He was calling me to speak up, face whatever divisiveness came my way, and respond with love. I needed to demonstrate Christian unity so that others could see it in action. I somewhat reluctantly volunteered.
I gave my opinion, was publicly criticized (partly for a mistake I made), and then worked the situation out in private. It wasn’t pleasant, but I think it was what God wanted. I believe He helped me to act:
…with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
It involved a small taste of the fellowship of His sufferings as I was conformed to the love He showed at His death.
…if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Though our sufferings appear large, when we compare them to the eternal glory that God is working in us through them, they are actually light and momentary.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory …
The resurrection from the dead is so valuable that we should want to attain to it by any means, even if we are afflicted in the process. It is worth whatever we may have to endure. The good gifts we experience on earth are just a taste of the wonders we will see in our life after death. When our struggles totally overwhelm us, this hope helps us to trust God.
We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally — not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! (emphasis added)
(2 Corinthians 1:8-9, The Message)
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Part of knowing Jesus involves finding out what He wants us to do with our lives. Each of us has a mission; we are here for a purpose. There are few experiences as satisfying as doing what we were created to do, especially since that involves letting Him live through us. It is our privilege and job to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of us.
Most of us don’t have a spectacular mission. We may have fantasies of doing something great for God, but our visions of glory are usually rooted in a mistaken desire to prove our “OKness.” We are already OK by the blood of Jesus. Our work for Him isn’t about winning something for ourselves but about humbly expressing His desire to reach out into the earth.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.
(Philippians 2:5-8, The Message)
I wasn’t thrilled that my mission involved overcoming a serious sexual issue. It’s hardly a topic about which someone would get excited and write books. (Oh well.) But if Christ has laid hold of me for that, what else could be better? It is worth being the person Jesus has called me to be, even if I have to press on that I may lay hold of it.
If you struggle with addiction, He has a plan for your life that involves overcoming that set of temptations. He will transform your battles into opportunities to know Him and to be a part of His work.
You may feel like your mission is uninspiring, even depressing. It isn’t. If it is the task you were created to do, nothing else can compare with it. It is spectacular to God, and He will use it to demonstrate His heart in the middle of a world that desperately needs Him.
Perhaps a song would be helpful at this point. I wrote this for a friend.
The Legend of Stephanos
“This lad who stands before me is not just any boy.
He will inspire a story; a foe he will destroy.
A legend will be spoken; a story will be sung
Of healing for the broken, a battle to be won.”
The prophet spoke of a little boy; Stephanos was his name.
Stephanos lived in Aereon, where he would find his fame.
And he joined the King’s Knights at seventeen. The dragons were their foes.
To slay a dragon takes great skill, as everybody knows.
He said, “Some day I’ll be a hero; I’ll fight an enemy.
Oh I can’t wait to hear how he bows down to me.
A legend will be spoken; a story will be sung
Of healing for the broken, a battle to be won”
A dragon’s flame hit Stephanos. His armor turned bright red.
His hair turned orange. Stephanos thought that soon he would be dead.
But his health recovered and was alright, yet with his many falls,
His job was changed from fighting foes to cleaning horses’ stalls.
He said, “I’ve got to be a hero, to fight an enemy.
So everyone will hear how he bows down to me.
A legend will be spoken; a story will be told
Of healing for the broken, but soon I’ll be too old.”
The years went by and then on one day, Stephanos heard a sound.
The camp ground shook; a dragon’s head popped up from the ground.
It had tunneled its way into the camp; Stephanos gave a shout,
And dumped a load of horse manure down on its fiery snout.
“Oh yeah someday I’ll be a hero; I’ll fight an enemy.
And everyone will hear how he bows down to me.
A legend will be spoken; a story will be sung
Of healing for the broken, a battle to be won.”
A celebration was held for him, yet somehow he felt strange.
He knew he was a hero now, yet he could feel no change.
And he thought back on his entire life, the bad mixed with the good.
At last his pride was broken down, so that he understood.
He said, “I’ve always been a hero when I’ve lived in God’s light,
Though no one else may hear how I have done what’s right.
For somewhere far from notice the Lord writes in a book
The legends lived by heroes who many overlook.
It’s I who have the healing, for my heart is at peace.
I’ve won against this feeling which gave me no release.
For somewhere far from notice the Lord writes in a book
The legends lived by heroes who many overlook.
Oh yeah I’ve always been a hero when I’ve lived in God’s light,
Though no one else may hear how I have done what’s right.
A legend will be spoken a story will be sung
Of healing for the broken, a battle to be won.”
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (emphasis added)
We reach God’s purpose for us through an upward call. It takes work, dedication, and perseverance. It has its high points, but also its grueling times. It isn’t the life that many of us expect it to be. We can be surprised by what practical surrender to Jesus involves.
I encourage you to not run from it. It is the path on which you will reach forward and find Jesus. He manifests Himself to you as you embrace your destiny, take up your cross, and follow Him.
We will never be able to say that we have apprehended it perfectly, but we can continually move closer. The most wonderful Person in the universe, the God who made it all, lives inside of us. Each new day is an opportunity to press in towards knowing Him more. Doing so will force us to make tough choices, but what better effort is there to dedicate ourselves to?
We can’t afford to be caught up in our past successes or failures (forgetting those things which are behind). There is too much waiting for us in the present and future (reaching forward to those things which are ahead). I don’t mean that we shouldn’t learn from our past and wisely change how it affects us, but we need to resist the temptation to get stuck in yesterday’s guilt, regret, pain, complacency, or pride.
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; …
What Paul has been describing is part of maturity. It involves humility, a willingness to suffer, and continual growth. We will step out, fail, and struggle as our human weaknesses are exposed. We will feel “not OK” at times, but we don’t need to be discouraged. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins, and His power enables us to make progress. He lives in us and is stronger than any weakness.
As we grow, our senses are trained to discern good and evil.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.
(Hebrews 5:13-14, NAS)
I hope my story encourages you to practice obeying God’s word. I wasn’t mature overnight. (In fact, after decades I am still not mature in many ways.) I discerned a little here and a little there, slowly building the ability to see and live life the way God intended. In the process I became accustomed to the word of righteousness, and it became exciting to live it.
How can God expect us to handle the sometimes long drawn out difficulty of obedience? The second part of Philippians 3:15 contains an answer:
And if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
He meets us where we are and reveals to us where we need to go. He shows us more than just what we are doing right or wrong. He also opens our eyes to see our wrong perspectives and mistaken opinions. When we view anything in an immature way (we think otherwise), His Spirit helps us to rearrange the deepest outlooks of our heart. He brings us step by step into knowing Him.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0003 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page