I have been crucified with Christ,
This is your first response to the enemy, to the flesh, to temptation. You have been crucified WITH Christ. An interesting word, “with”. To have been crucified with Christ is to have put to death your flesh, your will, to have placed on the cross your desires, your agenda, your ideas, your past, your sins, your failures, everything that has to do with you has been placed on the cross and crucified, it was left there, nailed, drained of life, it was placed on Christ who “became sin” so now why do you toil with it as if it were still living, if you indeed crucified it. It is dead and just as Christ declared on the cross so declare every morning before battle, “it is finished”
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me,
It is important to remember now who it is that loves you and reigns supreme. Remember that no heart is so scarred, so meddled with, so hard that Christ can not enter into it and revive it. There is no person so dirty on the inside who Christ can’t live in. Don’t ever cast yourself so short of grace as if you are the exception to the rule that Christ died for sinners. If Christ died for sinners, then you being a sinner have someone in your place. Stand up and “stand your ground” It is yours after all isn’t it? It already belongs to you! Away with you Satan, accuser, deceiver, liar, for you do not wage war against a son of man but against THE Son of Man. You were defeated before you even breathed your first breath of pride. Away with you! Your place is not in my heart, nor in my mind, but under my foot!
And the life which I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God
All decisions, all things done, all works are by faith. We “live by faith not sight” and as a result we can be assured that those things which Christ has told us are “Yes and Amen” Therefore, “be strong and courageous” always remembering that “The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing…” Remember that “whom the Son sets free, is free indeed” You don’t need to continue worrying or wondering if God is with you, He is with You and whatever promise He has made you, rest assured, while your heart may fail you, while your thoughts may cripple you, while your circumstance may say otherwise, know that He has already done it. “Do not think it strange” when people put you down, call you a fool or tell you your course of action, your way of being, your ideas are faulty and at best shallow. Remember the previous sentence, they are not yours, but His.
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The point at which we so often fail is remembering the place from which we receive our pardon, our victory, our faith, our stance. In my opinion this point should come first and it interesting that Paul mentions this, after all, he writing to the church at Galatia which at this point was losing sight of the grace of the gospel and being caught up in some other gospel based on the law and works. How often we base our stance with God on how we feel or how we are doing. Notice the verbs used, in the greek, these verbs are in a tense that imply an individed event, a one step process. Notice also no verb is used to apply to anything on our end. We are mentioned merely as the one on the receiving end of that which is being performed. It was God who loved, it was God who gave. The enemy comes and gives us some definition of what a Christian should look like, shows us how we don’t measure up and then proceeds to destroy us. You forget, just like me, that when God looks at us, He sees His Son. So take heart, the enemy is right, you do fall short and you are not the “perfect Christian” he says you should be, however, Christ lived the perfect life, and as far as God is concerned, we have “become His righteousness”
Because you say that I am a sinner, I will be righteous and saved... I fly to Christ who has given himself for my sins. Therefore, Satan, you will not prevail against me when you try to terrify me by telling me how great my sins are, on the contrary, when you say I am a sinner, you give me armor and a weapon against yourself...for Christ died for sinners... You do not terrify me but comfort me immeasurably. - Martin Luther
The article of justification must be sounded in our ears incessantly because the frailty of our flesh will not permit us to take hold of it perfectly - Martin Luther
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Look Up, Not In...
2 Chron 14:11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
You ever felt like everything was against you. As though right when you go and do the right thing, or live out your Christianity the right way that some how, the attacks get worse, the discouragement becomes heavier, your lack becomes more apparent, name it and it comes just when you think all is well.
The same thing happened to King Asa in 2 Chron 14. He had just finished removing all the idols from Judah, destroyed all the garbage Judah was involved in and as the bible puts it “did what was good in the sight of the Lord”. In verse 7 we read that Asa goes and builds fortified cities because He sought after the Lord. It goes on to say that whatever he built prospered BECAUSE he followed after the Lord and sought His face and His face alone.
Interestingly enough, not a few verses later, He is attacked. How often this is true for us. Just when we start getting things together, just when we begin changing our attitude, just when our hearts shift, just when we begin to love, just when…..we get attacked. But I love Asa’s mindset and I think it is something we should be cognizant of in the midst of all our battles. We don’t struggle as the world struggles, because our battle is fought from a different place. We fight from victory, not for it and as Eph 6:14 says it (NLT) “Stand YOUR ground,” which is to say, the ground belongs to you and like Asa, we can declare “You are God, do not let man prevail against YOU!” Did you see it? He says, “prevail against You” as in, God, this battle is more than my petty issues, God this fight is more than about my own personal victories, this battle is about You, because what good are my victories if they don’t come from You?
How often we get so discouraged by our attitude, our hearts, our circumstances, our lack, our sin, our past, our our our….we forget who it is we belong to and that our lives are in fact, “not our own”. We were “bought at a price”.
So before you go to lift up the white flag of defeat, why not lift up the red flag of victory, the victory you have in and by His blood. Don’t get so caught up in your self that you lose sight of Him.
“Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him…If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.” – Chambers
For every one look we look at ourselves, we should look ten times at Jesus – R. McCheyne
You ever felt like everything was against you. As though right when you go and do the right thing, or live out your Christianity the right way that some how, the attacks get worse, the discouragement becomes heavier, your lack becomes more apparent, name it and it comes just when you think all is well.
The same thing happened to King Asa in 2 Chron 14. He had just finished removing all the idols from Judah, destroyed all the garbage Judah was involved in and as the bible puts it “did what was good in the sight of the Lord”. In verse 7 we read that Asa goes and builds fortified cities because He sought after the Lord. It goes on to say that whatever he built prospered BECAUSE he followed after the Lord and sought His face and His face alone.
Interestingly enough, not a few verses later, He is attacked. How often this is true for us. Just when we start getting things together, just when we begin changing our attitude, just when our hearts shift, just when we begin to love, just when…..we get attacked. But I love Asa’s mindset and I think it is something we should be cognizant of in the midst of all our battles. We don’t struggle as the world struggles, because our battle is fought from a different place. We fight from victory, not for it and as Eph 6:14 says it (NLT) “Stand YOUR ground,” which is to say, the ground belongs to you and like Asa, we can declare “You are God, do not let man prevail against YOU!” Did you see it? He says, “prevail against You” as in, God, this battle is more than my petty issues, God this fight is more than about my own personal victories, this battle is about You, because what good are my victories if they don’t come from You?
How often we get so discouraged by our attitude, our hearts, our circumstances, our lack, our sin, our past, our our our….we forget who it is we belong to and that our lives are in fact, “not our own”. We were “bought at a price”.
So before you go to lift up the white flag of defeat, why not lift up the red flag of victory, the victory you have in and by His blood. Don’t get so caught up in your self that you lose sight of Him.
“Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him…If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.” – Chambers
For every one look we look at ourselves, we should look ten times at Jesus – R. McCheyne
Monday, August 8, 2011
Fear?
Psalm 130:4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
I think of all the verses I have ever read on the fear of the Lord, this is by far the most interesting one and should, at minimum, make you really reconsider what most people believe the fear of the Lord to be. Reading verse 3 brings even more light on this and really makes you think about what is actually meant by the word fear.
Cleary the fear in this case is not the horror film fear we first think of, nor is it the decision making fear others may be thinking. No, this fear brings with it wisdom (Prov 1:7) because after all, it is the kindness of God which should lead us to repentance, lead us to loving Him more and should cause us to press on in this journey we call life.
I won’t say much else, except that I really want you to sit and ponder verse 3 and 4 in light of what you might think of the “fear of the Lord” and see if your definition matches to what is being conveyed in this verse...it is beautiful really...
I think of all the verses I have ever read on the fear of the Lord, this is by far the most interesting one and should, at minimum, make you really reconsider what most people believe the fear of the Lord to be. Reading verse 3 brings even more light on this and really makes you think about what is actually meant by the word fear.
Cleary the fear in this case is not the horror film fear we first think of, nor is it the decision making fear others may be thinking. No, this fear brings with it wisdom (Prov 1:7) because after all, it is the kindness of God which should lead us to repentance, lead us to loving Him more and should cause us to press on in this journey we call life.
I won’t say much else, except that I really want you to sit and ponder verse 3 and 4 in light of what you might think of the “fear of the Lord” and see if your definition matches to what is being conveyed in this verse...it is beautiful really...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Why Behind the What
Phil 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing…”
Most know the rest of the verse, but a few days ago for the first time someone put it in context for me. For me, being the mathematics guy I am, I have always been taught to look for the “why behind the what.” For me it is often hard to accept something without first knowing why. A bad thing for me as a Christian as there are moments where God gives instructions and then the months that follow are filled with every single question, concern, fear and worry under the sun.
But here in Phil 4:6 Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing. Great! Why? What is it that should cause us to not be anxious, what fact, what constant, on what ground are we to stand in order that we won’t be anxious. The answer is found in verse 5. It is obvious really, but often times we need His Spirit to tell us again and again. It is the process of guarding our minds and washing ourselves daily of the sin of worry and anxiety. Here is Phil 4:5b-6 in the ESV:
Phil 4:5b-6 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Why shouldn’t you be anxious? Because the Lord is at hand. God has brought you to this place to grow you, to teach you, to show you, to give you the maturity you have longed for. Don’t despise this day of small things. Be anxious for nothing, the Lord is at hand, or the way I like to say it to myself “Chris, the Lord is at hand, therefore, be anxious for nothing!” Or as David so eloquently puts it, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
“We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God. Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle?.... Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.” – Chambers
Always factor God into your equation. “Be strong and courageous,” Why God? “Because the Lord your God is with you” (Jos 1:9) Oh, that’s why…
Most know the rest of the verse, but a few days ago for the first time someone put it in context for me. For me, being the mathematics guy I am, I have always been taught to look for the “why behind the what.” For me it is often hard to accept something without first knowing why. A bad thing for me as a Christian as there are moments where God gives instructions and then the months that follow are filled with every single question, concern, fear and worry under the sun.
But here in Phil 4:6 Paul tells us to be anxious for nothing. Great! Why? What is it that should cause us to not be anxious, what fact, what constant, on what ground are we to stand in order that we won’t be anxious. The answer is found in verse 5. It is obvious really, but often times we need His Spirit to tell us again and again. It is the process of guarding our minds and washing ourselves daily of the sin of worry and anxiety. Here is Phil 4:5b-6 in the ESV:
Phil 4:5b-6 The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Why shouldn’t you be anxious? Because the Lord is at hand. God has brought you to this place to grow you, to teach you, to show you, to give you the maturity you have longed for. Don’t despise this day of small things. Be anxious for nothing, the Lord is at hand, or the way I like to say it to myself “Chris, the Lord is at hand, therefore, be anxious for nothing!” Or as David so eloquently puts it, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
“We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God. Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle?.... Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God.” – Chambers
Always factor God into your equation. “Be strong and courageous,” Why God? “Because the Lord your God is with you” (Jos 1:9) Oh, that’s why…
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Breakingthrough...
1 Chron 14:11 So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.
Medical breakthroughs are something we hear about often today. There is some disease, some ailment which is plaguing us as human beings and then suddenly, after much research and work, we find the cure, we get some glimpse of light, and for the first time we are no longer subject to the confusion, the problems, the pain caused by the disease.
The same is true of us spiritually. There are moments in our walk where things can seem to get troubling. We have a big decision to make and we want God to speak to us, we are suffering from some trial and we want God to save us, we are dealing with past sin and we want God to restore us, but sometimes, we have to wait.
Because I dislike the idea of simply reading one verse, in the above section of scripture, David is anointed king, finally, after so many years of running from Saul. The moment he is anointed king, his enemies the Philistines waste no time in attacking him. Isn’t that how it is for us at times? Just when things begin looking greener, just when things start to pick up again, we are attacked. An old enemy of ours comes creeping into our house and begins mounting up an assault against us. An old habit, an old attitude, an old thought, a past sin, a trial, an illness, something comes to trip us up.
All of us have Philistines in our lives. The word Philistine comes from the Hebrew word for “foreigner.” Though for some of us, our Philistines are anything but foreign to us, they themselves are, because these are spirits, habits, characters and things foreign to the character, spirit, promises and things of the living God in us.
What I love most about this section of scripture is first the words David uses to describe his victory, and second the tools by which he achieved that victory. His words “broken through, like a breakthrough of water” immediately reminds me of the victory the children of Israel had when they crossed the Jordan River back in Joshua 3. There they were, on the brink of entering into the Promised Land, all that separated them was the Jordan River. God made a promise to them and because of their faith to take that first step and follow His presence, He broke through the Jordan and they crossed. God did the same thing here for David. He told David that the victory belonged to him and David responds accordingly, by going out and fighting.
Secondly, God’s tool was David. God didn’t go out and get someone else to do the job for David, but instead, used David. Why? Because God is a personal God, and rather than rid us of our problems for us all the time, their will be moments where we will have to exercise that patience James speaks of in 1:2-4. It is this patience that builds in us character, maturity and trust in God.
So often, we ask God for faith, “Oh Lord increase my faith” and we expect it to rain on us from heaven, while this can happen, it isn’t always the case. There are moments where God will simply ask you to trust Him and go out and fight yourself. He wants you to exercise your faith. That in no way means you are alone (Jos 1:9), it just means God wants to build in you something beautiful. He promises you His Holy Spirit, so it isn't like He is sending you out defeneless. Remember that He also provides us with armor (Eph 6:10-20). Put it on every morning. The Philistines never stopped attacking Israel, and your enemy won't relent.
So what is it for you today? Doubt? Fear? Depression? Uncertainty? Anxiety? Which Philistine is it for you? Fight back. Claim God’s promises, preach the gospel to yourself. Learn to do what David would often do in the Psalms, learn to talk to yourself. “Why are you cast down, o my soul, put your hope in God.” Talk to yourself, remind yourself of what God has said to you and be still, victory is already yours in Christ.
Above all, He loves you.
Medical breakthroughs are something we hear about often today. There is some disease, some ailment which is plaguing us as human beings and then suddenly, after much research and work, we find the cure, we get some glimpse of light, and for the first time we are no longer subject to the confusion, the problems, the pain caused by the disease.
The same is true of us spiritually. There are moments in our walk where things can seem to get troubling. We have a big decision to make and we want God to speak to us, we are suffering from some trial and we want God to save us, we are dealing with past sin and we want God to restore us, but sometimes, we have to wait.
Because I dislike the idea of simply reading one verse, in the above section of scripture, David is anointed king, finally, after so many years of running from Saul. The moment he is anointed king, his enemies the Philistines waste no time in attacking him. Isn’t that how it is for us at times? Just when things begin looking greener, just when things start to pick up again, we are attacked. An old enemy of ours comes creeping into our house and begins mounting up an assault against us. An old habit, an old attitude, an old thought, a past sin, a trial, an illness, something comes to trip us up.
All of us have Philistines in our lives. The word Philistine comes from the Hebrew word for “foreigner.” Though for some of us, our Philistines are anything but foreign to us, they themselves are, because these are spirits, habits, characters and things foreign to the character, spirit, promises and things of the living God in us.
What I love most about this section of scripture is first the words David uses to describe his victory, and second the tools by which he achieved that victory. His words “broken through, like a breakthrough of water” immediately reminds me of the victory the children of Israel had when they crossed the Jordan River back in Joshua 3. There they were, on the brink of entering into the Promised Land, all that separated them was the Jordan River. God made a promise to them and because of their faith to take that first step and follow His presence, He broke through the Jordan and they crossed. God did the same thing here for David. He told David that the victory belonged to him and David responds accordingly, by going out and fighting.
Secondly, God’s tool was David. God didn’t go out and get someone else to do the job for David, but instead, used David. Why? Because God is a personal God, and rather than rid us of our problems for us all the time, their will be moments where we will have to exercise that patience James speaks of in 1:2-4. It is this patience that builds in us character, maturity and trust in God.
So often, we ask God for faith, “Oh Lord increase my faith” and we expect it to rain on us from heaven, while this can happen, it isn’t always the case. There are moments where God will simply ask you to trust Him and go out and fight yourself. He wants you to exercise your faith. That in no way means you are alone (Jos 1:9), it just means God wants to build in you something beautiful. He promises you His Holy Spirit, so it isn't like He is sending you out defeneless. Remember that He also provides us with armor (Eph 6:10-20). Put it on every morning. The Philistines never stopped attacking Israel, and your enemy won't relent.
So what is it for you today? Doubt? Fear? Depression? Uncertainty? Anxiety? Which Philistine is it for you? Fight back. Claim God’s promises, preach the gospel to yourself. Learn to do what David would often do in the Psalms, learn to talk to yourself. “Why are you cast down, o my soul, put your hope in God.” Talk to yourself, remind yourself of what God has said to you and be still, victory is already yours in Christ.
Above all, He loves you.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Don't be afraid...
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Blessings can be a beautiful thing, however, how often are we willing to accept them and how often is it we are willing to accept the responsibilities that come with them. So often it is easy for us to be excited about a new job, however, hate the thought of having to work and be their all day, so often we get excited about marriage, however, cringe at the thought of having to work at it, fight, or go through hard times. We’ll get excited about the newness and the novelty of something, however, when the time comes to jump into it, we cringe, we freeze up. Thoughts of past failures begin to creep in, the dreaded “what if” syndrome starts and what originally started as the most beautiful thing is now the very thing that is plaguing you. Or is it?
Is it the blessing or is it you? So often we like to shift blame and place our problems on the shoulders of something or someone else when in reality it is us. We are the issue. "if only my boss wasn't so nasty, if only my spouse wasn't so bitter, if only if only if only...". I make those statements on a daily basis and you know what I have found, doors swing both ways and we tend to place our problems on others rather than on our God.
God so often must remind us that He is with us. He promises to be with us wherever we go. He goes before us. It sounds rudimentary in our Christian walk but I think if there is something we often forget it is His presence. Difficulties strike and we wonder where He is, the what ifs begin to hit and we wonder why He would allow us to struggle and deal with those things. "God why would you set me up for failure?". I bet the children of Israel thought that to themselves at plenty of times. When reading through the story of their entrance into the promised land, I guess they forgot something Joshua had spoken back in Numbers 14:8, "if the Lord delights in us, He will bring us to AND give us this land." Notice is doesn't say bring us to and walk away. It says bring us to and give us, meaning, "He who begun a good work is faithful to complete it" which means God will keep His end, will you keep yours? We are called to trust, we are called to look unto Him, we are called to look past the what ifs, to see beyond the difficulties that lay ahead and remember the promised presence. Sometimes God does seem to be silent, but that's because He is going before us.
Sometimes, their will be a space between you and Him like their was in Joshua 3:4, but don't think He isn't with you. Don't think He forgot what He said in Joshua 1:9. The space is intended so that you can see that it is God who goes before you, the space is intended so that you can exercise the faith you have for so long asked God to increase. The space is meant to mature you and the space is meant to give you that which you really want, assurance. Assurance isn't something that rains down from heaven and gives us the goosebumps, assurance is experienced when we have that space between us and God and He shows up. When He turns around and says, "Ok, take a step into the water, I'm about to make the way and take you in a direction you have never been before". Maybe it is a new relationship, a new job, a new church, a new state, a new school. Whatever the case, You are promised His presence and though you may fear the worse case, don't ever think He brought you to this place for you to die. He did it because He has something in mind for you and all you need is a strand of faith.
Blessings can be a beautiful thing, however, how often are we willing to accept them and how often is it we are willing to accept the responsibilities that come with them. So often it is easy for us to be excited about a new job, however, hate the thought of having to work and be their all day, so often we get excited about marriage, however, cringe at the thought of having to work at it, fight, or go through hard times. We’ll get excited about the newness and the novelty of something, however, when the time comes to jump into it, we cringe, we freeze up. Thoughts of past failures begin to creep in, the dreaded “what if” syndrome starts and what originally started as the most beautiful thing is now the very thing that is plaguing you. Or is it?
Is it the blessing or is it you? So often we like to shift blame and place our problems on the shoulders of something or someone else when in reality it is us. We are the issue. "if only my boss wasn't so nasty, if only my spouse wasn't so bitter, if only if only if only...". I make those statements on a daily basis and you know what I have found, doors swing both ways and we tend to place our problems on others rather than on our God.
God so often must remind us that He is with us. He promises to be with us wherever we go. He goes before us. It sounds rudimentary in our Christian walk but I think if there is something we often forget it is His presence. Difficulties strike and we wonder where He is, the what ifs begin to hit and we wonder why He would allow us to struggle and deal with those things. "God why would you set me up for failure?". I bet the children of Israel thought that to themselves at plenty of times. When reading through the story of their entrance into the promised land, I guess they forgot something Joshua had spoken back in Numbers 14:8, "if the Lord delights in us, He will bring us to AND give us this land." Notice is doesn't say bring us to and walk away. It says bring us to and give us, meaning, "He who begun a good work is faithful to complete it" which means God will keep His end, will you keep yours? We are called to trust, we are called to look unto Him, we are called to look past the what ifs, to see beyond the difficulties that lay ahead and remember the promised presence. Sometimes God does seem to be silent, but that's because He is going before us.
Sometimes, their will be a space between you and Him like their was in Joshua 3:4, but don't think He isn't with you. Don't think He forgot what He said in Joshua 1:9. The space is intended so that you can see that it is God who goes before you, the space is intended so that you can exercise the faith you have for so long asked God to increase. The space is meant to mature you and the space is meant to give you that which you really want, assurance. Assurance isn't something that rains down from heaven and gives us the goosebumps, assurance is experienced when we have that space between us and God and He shows up. When He turns around and says, "Ok, take a step into the water, I'm about to make the way and take you in a direction you have never been before". Maybe it is a new relationship, a new job, a new church, a new state, a new school. Whatever the case, You are promised His presence and though you may fear the worse case, don't ever think He brought you to this place for you to die. He did it because He has something in mind for you and all you need is a strand of faith.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
But God!
"What the heck? How could someone cut me off in traffic again? Me?! The nerve of them to do such a thing and to me, I am in such a hurry!" How often have I felt that way? I can't begin to tell you. The worst part of it is that it isn't just limited to morning traffic. I can be insulted or given a sarcastic jab from someone and respond as though I were majorly offended. Why is that? Simple answer is most obviously pride. It is the same thing that causes me to feel cut when someone else gets what I look to as an undeserved position, an undeserved relationship, and undeserved job. "When will it be my turn God? When will I get mine?" It's funny how often we cry those words out in our hearts. "But God! I don't want to wait that long! But God why doesn't this just go away! Why can't I just, but God, but God!" But God? I thought those two words when brought together were beautiful.
But God is one of my favorite phrases found in the bible, "But God showed up, but God wrecked house (as taken from the CLT [Chris Living Translation]), but God saved, but God restored." Sounds great coming from God, but typically coming from us, it is anything but great. Often it is some pride centered statement of discontent toward the God who should be sufficient enough for us. What I think we need is an honest reality check. We need a reality check. We need what David had in 1 Sam 26.
David was being pursued by Saul and in short had every right to kill Saul in order that he might take his rightful place as king, however, he didn't. Reading through the life of David I continued asking myself how it was David maintained such an attitude. To see Saul as "The LORD's annointed" (1 Sam 26:9) I am sure was part of it, but that is only the half of it. I think this view of Saul came first from how it was David esteemed himself, something which becomes evident to us in 1 Sam 26:20b
"For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains"
Interesting comparison we have: a flea and a partridge. I don't think you need an explanation for what a flea is, however, a partidge is a bird whose wings are so small that when hunted, try as they might, they never can get off the ground and as a result are harmless. That is how David saw himself and that the ground from which his character grew, humility. David did what Paul speaks of in Phil 2:3 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."
It wasn't David's resolve or self-worth that allowed him to carry such a humble character, it was David's view of himself. It was the fact that David had come to terms with the grace God had given him. David wasn't looking to be king, David didn't even really understand what the whole thing was all about. Simply put, David saw himself as a lowly shepherd whose aim was to put a smile on the God he served, nothing else.
How often are we offended by others and tend to put our schedules, our agendas, our ideas, our thoughts, our cards out first and tend to leave others in the dust. This is something I have learned in my own relationships and am continuing to learn, I am not who I think I am. I am not the spiritual guru with all the answers, I am not the guy who trusts God all day every day, I am not the smartest man in the room and I am not the guy who "has it all together." I am the guy who everyday has to be reminded God loves him and that nothing can separate him from God's love. I need his grace daily, and the more I read, pray, serve and fellowship, the more I come to terms with the fact that I am the worst person I know.
Don't stop there though. Remember that their is a Romans 8 in the bible and that we are told there is now therefore no condemnation, so don't beat yourself up about it, just change it and understand that it is not by your strength that you'll do it, but by His Spirit. Humility does not come naturally, however, Christ's nature in us is centered around lowliness of mind, we just have to surrender...
"Your spiritual poverty enables you to enter the world of the other, even when you cannot identify with the world-e.g., the drug culture, the gay world. The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners." - Brennan Manning
But God is one of my favorite phrases found in the bible, "But God showed up, but God wrecked house (as taken from the CLT [Chris Living Translation]), but God saved, but God restored." Sounds great coming from God, but typically coming from us, it is anything but great. Often it is some pride centered statement of discontent toward the God who should be sufficient enough for us. What I think we need is an honest reality check. We need a reality check. We need what David had in 1 Sam 26.
David was being pursued by Saul and in short had every right to kill Saul in order that he might take his rightful place as king, however, he didn't. Reading through the life of David I continued asking myself how it was David maintained such an attitude. To see Saul as "The LORD's annointed" (1 Sam 26:9) I am sure was part of it, but that is only the half of it. I think this view of Saul came first from how it was David esteemed himself, something which becomes evident to us in 1 Sam 26:20b
"For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains"
Interesting comparison we have: a flea and a partridge. I don't think you need an explanation for what a flea is, however, a partidge is a bird whose wings are so small that when hunted, try as they might, they never can get off the ground and as a result are harmless. That is how David saw himself and that the ground from which his character grew, humility. David did what Paul speaks of in Phil 2:3 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."
It wasn't David's resolve or self-worth that allowed him to carry such a humble character, it was David's view of himself. It was the fact that David had come to terms with the grace God had given him. David wasn't looking to be king, David didn't even really understand what the whole thing was all about. Simply put, David saw himself as a lowly shepherd whose aim was to put a smile on the God he served, nothing else.
How often are we offended by others and tend to put our schedules, our agendas, our ideas, our thoughts, our cards out first and tend to leave others in the dust. This is something I have learned in my own relationships and am continuing to learn, I am not who I think I am. I am not the spiritual guru with all the answers, I am not the guy who trusts God all day every day, I am not the smartest man in the room and I am not the guy who "has it all together." I am the guy who everyday has to be reminded God loves him and that nothing can separate him from God's love. I need his grace daily, and the more I read, pray, serve and fellowship, the more I come to terms with the fact that I am the worst person I know.
Don't stop there though. Remember that their is a Romans 8 in the bible and that we are told there is now therefore no condemnation, so don't beat yourself up about it, just change it and understand that it is not by your strength that you'll do it, but by His Spirit. Humility does not come naturally, however, Christ's nature in us is centered around lowliness of mind, we just have to surrender...
"Your spiritual poverty enables you to enter the world of the other, even when you cannot identify with the world-e.g., the drug culture, the gay world. The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners." - Brennan Manning
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