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Exchanged Glory III: Wise as Serpents
<page 94>We might not think of our hearts as being hard, but as the devil takes the seed away, he doesn’t care. He is just happy we are missing our opportunity.
If we recognize how God runs the universe, we can work with Him. We are able to adjust our God sensors to respond to the level of light He is giving rather than the level we would like. Our hearts won’t foolishly say, “If God wants to show me something, He knows where I am.” Instead, we will do what we can to make ourselves ready to recognize Him.
The parable of the sower gives us some hints about how to do this.
Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it.
(Mark 4:3-4, The Message)
The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
(Mark 4:14-15, The Message)
Until I learned to treasure wisdom, I thought I was doing pretty well at receiving God’s word. As I studied Proverbs, however, I realized that His message had been bouncing off of my heart into the devil’s waiting mouth regularly. Wisdom had been shouting in the streets, but Satan was stealing her words before they had a chance to take root and transform me.
I believe that most of us miss a large part of what God says to us. In fact, many of us develop habits that almost seem to be designed to keep us from hearing Him. For example, we may develop fears that keep us from facing certain weaknesses in our lives. This allows us to stay safe within our comfort zone, but it can close our ears to the voice of God’s strength.
We often believe that if God loves us, He will touch us without calling us to enter into our “forbidden areas.” We subconsciously form a shell around ourselves to protect us from anything that would call for radical change.
Think about this in relation to the above parable. Our shell is doing nothing less than deflecting God’s word. We don’t believe that we can deal with the unfamiliar territory to which His word calls us, so we let it bounce off. We might not think of our hearts as being hard, but as the devil takes the seed away, he doesn’t care. He is just happy we are missing our opportunity.
There is hope, however. We can take steps to soften the hard ground of our hearts. I have shared in this book what I believe are keys to dismantling our self-imposed shells. For example repetition, reflection, and practice provide a way for the truth to remain with us for long enough <page 95>for it to take root. By keeping God’s word near our heart, we give it a chance to drive its living reality into our inner being where it weakens and breaks down our strongholds.
Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.
(Mark 4:4-6, The Message)
And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
(Mark 4:16-17, The Message)
Endurance is difficult. Many of us rejoice when we hear God’s promises but wither when it takes years of work and suffering to grow into them. The Bible is full of encouragements and warnings to patiently hang in there.
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Addicts especially have a difficult time with patiently enduring. Those who study dependence tell us that addicts often use pleasure to avoid pain. Since diligence and patience increase pain, we find ourselves in one of those nasty cycles of dependency. The solution exposes our weaknesses and tempts us to return to pleasure in order to avoid the pain. We have to be willing to feel worse before we can feel better.
…It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
(Hebrew 12:1-2, The Message)
When I was fifteen, I worked a summer job in which I met the local high school varsity football coach. He previously knew me as a basketball player and watched me swim during the summer. He convinced me that I should also take up football.
It was a bad idea. I was a wimp who didn’t like contact. Also, I had a long neck that made my head stick up far above my shoulder pads. The thought of slamming into someone brought visions of my neck vertebrae compressing to the point where my helmet would meet my pads. It made it <page 96>hard to get into the whole spirit of the sport. At the end of the season, the football coach suggested that I stick with basketball and swimming.
The one useful insight I gained from that season was a lesson I learned while surviving the vomiting and heat of August practices. Good football players find the courage to embrace the pain of hard work. (“No pain no gain!”) They see difficulty as a stepping stone to success. They yell, “Hit me harder!” – knowing that contact is a part of reaching their goal.
A toned-down form of this football mindset became a part of my endurance against addictive sins. I didn’t gravitate to it quickly, and it was far from a perfect attitude, but I seemed to have few other options. I needed something to help me embrace the reality of fighting my hedge of thorns (Proverbs 15:19). Embarrassing sinful drives tore at my inner being. In order to persuade myself to do my best to express the life of Jesus within me, I learned to adopt a fighter’s attitude.
Sometimes we have to accept pain as a necessary burden of living, at least for the time being. If we want to win, we must suffer.
Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin …
Every Christian must embrace pain to some extent; it is part of how we cease from sin. There will be times when we have to take what seems like extreme measures. If we don’t, our hearts can become like the stony ground in the parable. We need to arm ourselves with this same mind – to suffer in the flesh.
I don’t mean by this that we should try to fix our problems through our own strength. We can’t do anything by ourselves. We need a relationship with Jesus; He will supply the wisdom and power.
I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing.
(John 15:5, The Message)
We also don’t want to run out and fight battles without knowing what we are doing. We must develop insight into how and when to wage war.
… It's better to be wise than strong; intelligence outranks muscle any day. Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need a lot of good counsel. (emphasis added)
(Proverbs 24:4-6, The Message)
But even with dependence on the Lord and wise strategy, we still have to work and suffer. We don’t trust Jesus by lying down and waiting for Him to do what He has told us to do. We are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). That takes tough choices and actions.
<page 97>Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple. Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.' …Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple. (emphasis added)
(Luke 14:27-30; 33, The Message)
It isn’t possible to give up too much for Jesus (although it is possible to give up something unwisely). Though He doesn’t call for us to act rashly, He does call for us to be willing to surrender everything we have and are to Him (though He may not lead us to give up a part of our life that we have surrendered to Him).
Here is where it gets tricky, however. While we are giving our all to Jesus, we sometimes are working with only part of the wisdom we need. We are learning as we go, and this can lead to frustration and temporary failure. We may face many disappointments.
This is the battlefield on which the stony ground can be especially difficult. Many of us are willing to suffer while we see our sacrifices producing fruit. It is much harder when our sacrifices seem to be in vain, especially when we fall backward into a besetting sin. We can be tempted to give up. We may feel that God isn’t doing His part, so why should we do ours?
If we don’t endure, we wither away. Those who want to experience God’s fullness must seek Him until they find Him. Wisdom shouts in the streets. It is our job to humble ourselves until we find out what she is saying.
I know this can be difficult. We sometimes wonder if we are being set up for disaster. We may start out with visions of pressing on to glory, but in time we wonder if it is even reachable. As our pain grows, we question whether the goal is worth the trouble. Fear of disappointment and the associated feelings of rejection can make the long struggle especially tough.
I don’t know any easy answers to this. The battle can wear us down, but there is no substitute for continuing to wisely step out in faith. The difficulty is a classroom in which we grow and learn. We have to trust God enough to try to follow Him even when it doesn’t seem to be working. By His grace, we must rise from the ashes of a defeat and say, “Father, I believe that You are involved in my life. Somehow, You will teach me Your way into a better future.”
Other Christians can help us in this process. There are few aids to our growth in Christ as important as being knit in with His people (Colossians 2:2). I always had good general encouragement from my local church and Christian friends. Though they didn’t know much about addiction, they have been helpful for life in general.
Times have changed for recovering addicts. There are support groups, books, counselors, and other resources available. It would be foolish for us to let our lives wither away without taking advantage of these. We have to do what needs to be done. If we must adopt the mentality of a football player, then we should do so. If we have to reach out for help and support from others, it is a step we must take. The cost of losing the Kingdom of God is too high to pay. The reward of gaining it is too great to lose.
<page 98>Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it.
(Mark 4:7, The Message)
The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.
(Mark 4:18-19, The Message)
The desire to avoid difficulties and seek enjoyment isn’t bad in itself. God created it within us. He even appeals to it in many scriptures to motivate us to follow Him. A promise like, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20) strikes a chord with us because we want treasures. The following scripture is popular because God has created us to enjoy the desires of our heart:
Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Unfortunately, we often forget that even good desires must be submitted to the Lord, and it is possible for them to lead us astray. Material riches, which can be a blessing from God (Proverbs 10:22), can deceive us into living for money rather than for Him (Matthew 6:24). Our hearts can become so preoccupied with earthly pursuits that our God sensors become insensitive. The things we have to do and all we want to get strangles what we have heard, and it comes to nothing.
Western Christians, especially, are famous for getting hung up in the weeds of cares, pleasures, and riches. This is part of the reason that many of us end up with a hedge of thorns (Proverbs 15:19).
It is difficult to say specifically how to avoid this. I strongly resist any urge to legalistically spell out rules that aren’t in the Bible. God doesn’t tell us how much time we need to read His word, pray, or practice any other spiritual discipline. He also doesn’t spell out exactly how many material possessions or pursuits we can have.
On the other hand, a little quality time with Jesus isn’t enough. We need lots of quality time with Him. We have to be willing to make tough decisions in order to seek Him in practical ways. If we don’t, our pursuits will rob us.
I will share what I do to avoid the weeds that threaten to choke God’s word in my life. I allow myself to fit into my culture when doing so doesn’t cause me to sin. I spend time at my job, participate with my family as they learn to live in the world, and enjoy entertainment. At the same time, however, I look for creative ways to keep Jesus in the center of my life. I memorize Scriptures or listen to tapes of the Bible while participating in other activities. I listen to Bible teachings, pray, and worship while driving my car or lifting weights. I also devote myself to serving others. If I don’t make this effort, the rest of my life tends to strangle God’s word.
Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
<page 99>(Mark 4:8, The Message)
But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.
(Mark 4:20, The Message)
It is incredibly exciting when we see God bringing a harvest from our lives! We find Him not only setting us free from our own sins, but also bringing His mercy through us to those around us. His word takes root, springs to life, and transforms many – exceeding our wildest dreams.
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