So another year has passed. In the midst of such a crazy and event-filled year, between all the ups and downs of my spiritual life, and during all the harsh and beautiful moments of life, God was there. He's been there for every bit of it. I've learned so many things from Him. Some highlights are as follows:
- No matter how many times I've left Him, abandoned Him, denied Him, or whatever the situation may be, He Himself has remained faithful to me. (2 Timothy 2.11-13)
- He is my provider. From giving me a small source of income because I was proving faithful through paying my tithes, to answering a prayer about money. (It was actually getting Government funding for school...money which, by all natural standpoints and circumstances, should not have been granted to me...but it was all the same.)
- He's given me so much more grace than I deserve. Which is why it's called grace (or unmerited favour). I don't deserve it, yet He has given it to me, is giving it to me, and will continue to give it to me. (Now we're working on me extending that same grace - and more - to those around me, whether they deserve it or not).
- He showed me how to be perfected in love, that I might not dwell in fear. I've had some pretty big fear issues in the past...the biggest one being the fear of death. When reading the book of 1 John multiple times one week in March, I was reading over the verse that says perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4.18). In wondering how to be perfected in love so that all fears would leave me, I was reading over chapter four, and a few verses prior to verse 18, it gives the answer! It says "...If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us (verse 12)." What a wonderful realization, and one that has been so relevant to my life, especially being back home and learning to love my family with God's heart.
- Prayer. It's such a powerful tool - it can be argued that it's the most powerful tool that we, as Christians, have access to. It can change people, change nations, change the spiritual realm. It's incredible, and I'm sure I've barely scratched the surface in my discovery of just how powerful it is.
- The armour of God. I realized how vitally important it is that I arm myself with it every single day. Because on the days that I don't, I'm more susceptible to attacks from the enemy - whether it be him trying to push depression back on me, getting irritated easily, or any other number of things. It's a good thing to remember that we are always in a spiritual battle, and if we don't properly arm ourselves, it can only bode ill.
- God uses me. And I'm so humbled by it. He can use me to pray for others, to encourage them, or even to just lend a listening ear. I want Him to continue to use me in any way possible, without my own self getting in the way (or my pride, which is even more likely). He's spoken through me to encourage others in such minor, and even major, ways that have helped them in some way, shape, or form. And when I find out about times when I've talked with someone, or even just said something that I didn't think mattered at the time, God has taken what I've said or done, and used it to help a friend. Every time I think about it, I am so honoured that He would choose to use me in such ways, as small as they may seem. Because they aren't small to the people who have been affected, and they aren't small to me, because any way that He can use me to reach others, is something that I am willing to have happen.
I'll leave it at that for now. Those are only some of the highlights that I can think of, but I'm sure there's so much more that God's done - both big and small, but all significant. I'm so grateful for everything that has passed with 2011.
And so here's to the new year, my dear, dear friends. Here's to a year that beholds the unknown. Here's to a year that is filled with seemingly impossible dreams waiting to be fulfilled. Here's to a year that is just waiting to be lived. Here's to a year that holds the unthinkable.
Here's to the past; not that we might live in it, in it's regrets and mistakes, but that we may learn from our less-than-honourable choices, and use them as road maps to guide us to make better choices. Here's to the present; may we use it properly in the sense of not letting such a gift go to waste. Here's to the future; no matter what it may have in store, we know that we can remain in God's peace, because when we surrender our lives to Him, He will make sure to keep us safe, healthy, joyful, prosperous, and every other wonderful thing.
“My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Cor. 16.24
01 January 2012
17 December 2011
So tonight...
I attended an annual Christmas party that a family I am friends with hosts every year. I wasn't planning on going, but my sister wanted me to, and since she's signed herself away to the Marines and ships out for boot camp in early, early January, I figured I would go, if only because she wanted me to. There were a lot of people there, as expected. They have a decent sized house, but boy can it get crowded...and of course it did.
I spent most of my evening talking to a friend of mine. We talked on various subjects of God and Christianity and the like. Which, really, is the only thing I can actually talk about for hours on end...any other subject just really dies after a few minutes (it's a rare thing when I can find something to talk about with someone that'll last for an hour or so).
She brought up, again (this was the second time that she had told me), a conversation that we had had a few months ago. I go to a Bible study that is held at her house every Wednesday, and one evening when I was there, we talked for about two or three hours, about, what else, God and life involving Him, and whatnot.
In that conversation, I was able to share with her how my life has completely changed from where I was a year ago. How I am no longer struggling with cutting, depression, or constant suicidal thoughts. And I was able to tell her something that I realized the vitality of...putting on the armour of God everyday.
This is something that I think most Christians don't understand the importance of. We are in a battle every day of our lives. If we aren't equipped for it, than we are bound to lose in one way or another. And we have to remember to put every piece on...if we go without protecting even one section of ourselves, that will be our weak spot...the spot the enemy knows he can use to get through to us.
And so because we are in this battle, we need prepare ourselves. We need to put the armour on every morning when we wake up...and for those of us who suffer with night terror, we need to equip ourselves with it before we fall asleep as well. Because our lives are that of warriors; we need to be constantly aware, constantly fighting, constantly taking ground from the enemy.
Anyways, I was talking with her about this. I told her that after being freed from depression while attending my DTS (Discipleship Training School), the direct week after, we had a teacher who taught on spiritual warfare...and it really couldn't have come at a better time. For the first time in all my years of living, I realized just how important putting on the armour of God is, every day. I knew that if I didn't, I would be susceptible to the enemy's attacks...and not just to the obvious one of trying to push depression back on me. To the smaller, more subtle, yet just as important areas, such as lying, anger, frustration, impatience, and so much more.
She was struggling with a few things, and so I offered her my perspective and let her know what I had come to see as something of vital importance. I told her to try it; after all, it really doesn't take that long. Just 30 seconds of your morning, really, if you're going to do nothing else than speak it over you.
And so she began doing it. A few weeks later, we talked again, and she thanked me for talking with her. She said that it was helping her a lot, and that she was noticing a difference in her life. And again, tonight, she brought it up. She thanked me, and said that that one conversation is what got her through this semester. I was so blessed to hear that. To know that God can speak through me to others, to help and encourage them is such an amazing and humbling thing. And I am blessed that He chose to speak through me, to help her.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
- Ephesians 6.10-18
I spent most of my evening talking to a friend of mine. We talked on various subjects of God and Christianity and the like. Which, really, is the only thing I can actually talk about for hours on end...any other subject just really dies after a few minutes (it's a rare thing when I can find something to talk about with someone that'll last for an hour or so).
She brought up, again (this was the second time that she had told me), a conversation that we had had a few months ago. I go to a Bible study that is held at her house every Wednesday, and one evening when I was there, we talked for about two or three hours, about, what else, God and life involving Him, and whatnot.
In that conversation, I was able to share with her how my life has completely changed from where I was a year ago. How I am no longer struggling with cutting, depression, or constant suicidal thoughts. And I was able to tell her something that I realized the vitality of...putting on the armour of God everyday.
This is something that I think most Christians don't understand the importance of. We are in a battle every day of our lives. If we aren't equipped for it, than we are bound to lose in one way or another. And we have to remember to put every piece on...if we go without protecting even one section of ourselves, that will be our weak spot...the spot the enemy knows he can use to get through to us.
And so because we are in this battle, we need prepare ourselves. We need to put the armour on every morning when we wake up...and for those of us who suffer with night terror, we need to equip ourselves with it before we fall asleep as well. Because our lives are that of warriors; we need to be constantly aware, constantly fighting, constantly taking ground from the enemy.
Anyways, I was talking with her about this. I told her that after being freed from depression while attending my DTS (Discipleship Training School), the direct week after, we had a teacher who taught on spiritual warfare...and it really couldn't have come at a better time. For the first time in all my years of living, I realized just how important putting on the armour of God is, every day. I knew that if I didn't, I would be susceptible to the enemy's attacks...and not just to the obvious one of trying to push depression back on me. To the smaller, more subtle, yet just as important areas, such as lying, anger, frustration, impatience, and so much more.
She was struggling with a few things, and so I offered her my perspective and let her know what I had come to see as something of vital importance. I told her to try it; after all, it really doesn't take that long. Just 30 seconds of your morning, really, if you're going to do nothing else than speak it over you.
And so she began doing it. A few weeks later, we talked again, and she thanked me for talking with her. She said that it was helping her a lot, and that she was noticing a difference in her life. And again, tonight, she brought it up. She thanked me, and said that that one conversation is what got her through this semester. I was so blessed to hear that. To know that God can speak through me to others, to help and encourage them is such an amazing and humbling thing. And I am blessed that He chose to speak through me, to help her.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
- Ephesians 6.10-18
30 July 2011
Friendship
As I was taking a very brief walk today, my thoughts were focused on friendship. Not on any one person in particular. More so, in fact, that I have hardly had contact at all with anybody of late; nor that I mind the simple reality of this fact.
Along this track of thoughts in regards to friendship, my mind was contemplating communication and the... pursuance...of both friends, and loved ones. Romantically speaking, to show that you are interested in someone means that you (hopefully the male) pursues the female, showing her your interest in something possibly deeper than friendship. The same holds true on a friendship level. To show that you want to keep a friendship, strengthen its bonds, lengthen its time, one friend (or both) pursue the other. They call, write, e-socialize, hang out, etc.
This led me to think about our relationship with God. While we pursue Him to know Him on a deeper, more intimate level, He was pursuing us, even before we had an established relationship with Him. The physical, earthly aspect of this is a male pursing a female. Subtly at first, and then as time goes on, in a more bold, obvious manner, he makes his intentions clear. Likewise, the female has the option of choosing to encourage the pursuer because she is interested as well; or, she makes her disinterest clear and stops him from furthering his intentions. So it is with us when we discover God's pursuit of our own selves.
Back to the aspect of friendship. There was a point in time where I would get upset and disappointed if my friends did not make an effort to keep in touch with me, if they did not pursue me. As the saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." I thought it to be obvious that they clearly did not want to keep in touch nor continue a friendship because they hardly ever (if never) got in touch with me. However, that was before I grew up...and realized what a true friend should be like.
A friend, who genuinely cares for the people that they know - whether it be lifelong friends, good friends, or even acquaintances - will do just about anything for those people. In retrospect, a good Christian friend should always have the intent of pointing their friends to Christ. This means encouraging them, holding them accountable, loving them despite their faults, praying for them, and so much more. This also means constant pursuing of those people.
As I was remembering the fact that I am who I am, and to be a true, genuine friend to the people that I know, and I should be constantly striving to point them to Christ, it was the pursuing part that hit me. If I want to be a good friend and to show the people that I know that I sincerely care for them, than I should be pursing them all the time, despite whether or not they respond to me. Christian or not, lifelong friend or acquaintance, to be to the people in my life as Jesus is to me, means pursing them no matter what. On or off days, good times or bad, tired or awake, strong or weak, I need to be pursing the people in my life like Christ pursues me.
Why?
Because I want to be able to show them the love that I know God has given me, as well as the love that He has for them.
That unending, unconditional, sacrificial Love.
"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
- Jeremiah 29.13
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."
- John 15.13
10 April 2011
The Verge of Tears
There are so many words that I could use to express how I'm feeling at this moment. So many, in fact, that my mind is overwhelmed at the prospect of them. I attended that Wycliff dinner because I felt God telling me to; if only because of my commitment to obey Him and work on my relationship with my mom and because she wanted me to be there.
At this point in time, I still don't know what my future entails. But I do know that it is in God's hands - and the peace that comes with that knowledge is incredible. I love it.
Something happened at that banquet. I don't know what it is, if it was just the amazement of hearing the work that's happening in the world to further the gospel, or if I caught a glimpse of what my Father might possibly have in store for me. Either way, it happened.
Again, I felt things tugging at my heart that I don't know if they're from God or not. But they very well could be. Three different times tonight I found myself on the verge of tears. Each of those times was when they were showing videos of people who have worked in the field of Bible translation and even of the people who have been affected by it. I don't know why or how I was affected by that, but I was. And almost crying was the affect of what I saw. Not in a sad, disheartened manner, mind you, but in a way that I can't quite describe, for I myself do not know why I reacted that way.
Another time I found myself on the verge of tears when the guest speaker, Brad, was talking. Again, I am not sure of the reason or cause for the reaction. I suppose part of it was because just being able to hear about what God is doing, how He is working through the lives of those who heed His call, and the goodness of His Being.
And yet another cause of tears. While talking with an elderly gentleman who attended the banquet after, when he was speaking to my dad and I about his involvement in YWAM, I was reminded randomly of God's grace in my life. Not reminded of one specific event or circumstance, but just His grace in general. More tears.
I don't think I've been on the verge of tears that many times in such a short amount of time for a long number of years. But I can tell you that God was doing something. He was speaking to my heart in a way that I do not yet understand. And even more so, because even though I do not feel a call to missions in my life, I felt as if I were being tugged in that direction tonight. Randomly, and out of the blue. I was reminded again of my passion for languages (especially French), for experiencing people and their cultures by being right in the middle everything, and even of this odd, heart-sickness that I feel when I think of India and the darkness in that land...and wanting to change it.
God is doing incredible, wonderful, amazing things in my life. And being just a human, I have no idea the extent of what His will, His purpose, and His plan for my life is. Then again, I don't need to know. And if I do, then He will reveal that to me in His timing. But being able to serve Him where I am at right now, to stay in His will and this season that He has me in, to give Him the pen of my life, be fully surrendered in every and all areas, and let Him have complete control is so wonderful. Letting Him pour into me so that I may pour into others. Even when I'm at my weakest point or am unfaithful to Him, He still chooses to use me to influence the lives of those around me and the words that I speak to encourage them. It is such a humbling thing, and something that I am grateful for.
I love my Father. I love how He loves me and speaks to me when I need it most, and even when I don't think I need it. I love how He ministers to my heart is the smallest of ways. I love that I have the privilege to serve and love Him, and the honour of being loved by Him. I am so excited for my future. Even though I don't know what's in store, He does...and that's enough for me.
(09.04.2011)
At this point in time, I still don't know what my future entails. But I do know that it is in God's hands - and the peace that comes with that knowledge is incredible. I love it.
Something happened at that banquet. I don't know what it is, if it was just the amazement of hearing the work that's happening in the world to further the gospel, or if I caught a glimpse of what my Father might possibly have in store for me. Either way, it happened.
Again, I felt things tugging at my heart that I don't know if they're from God or not. But they very well could be. Three different times tonight I found myself on the verge of tears. Each of those times was when they were showing videos of people who have worked in the field of Bible translation and even of the people who have been affected by it. I don't know why or how I was affected by that, but I was. And almost crying was the affect of what I saw. Not in a sad, disheartened manner, mind you, but in a way that I can't quite describe, for I myself do not know why I reacted that way.
Another time I found myself on the verge of tears when the guest speaker, Brad, was talking. Again, I am not sure of the reason or cause for the reaction. I suppose part of it was because just being able to hear about what God is doing, how He is working through the lives of those who heed His call, and the goodness of His Being.
And yet another cause of tears. While talking with an elderly gentleman who attended the banquet after, when he was speaking to my dad and I about his involvement in YWAM, I was reminded randomly of God's grace in my life. Not reminded of one specific event or circumstance, but just His grace in general. More tears.
I don't think I've been on the verge of tears that many times in such a short amount of time for a long number of years. But I can tell you that God was doing something. He was speaking to my heart in a way that I do not yet understand. And even more so, because even though I do not feel a call to missions in my life, I felt as if I were being tugged in that direction tonight. Randomly, and out of the blue. I was reminded again of my passion for languages (especially French), for experiencing people and their cultures by being right in the middle everything, and even of this odd, heart-sickness that I feel when I think of India and the darkness in that land...and wanting to change it.
God is doing incredible, wonderful, amazing things in my life. And being just a human, I have no idea the extent of what His will, His purpose, and His plan for my life is. Then again, I don't need to know. And if I do, then He will reveal that to me in His timing. But being able to serve Him where I am at right now, to stay in His will and this season that He has me in, to give Him the pen of my life, be fully surrendered in every and all areas, and let Him have complete control is so wonderful. Letting Him pour into me so that I may pour into others. Even when I'm at my weakest point or am unfaithful to Him, He still chooses to use me to influence the lives of those around me and the words that I speak to encourage them. It is such a humbling thing, and something that I am grateful for.
I love my Father. I love how He loves me and speaks to me when I need it most, and even when I don't think I need it. I love how He ministers to my heart is the smallest of ways. I love that I have the privilege to serve and love Him, and the honour of being loved by Him. I am so excited for my future. Even though I don't know what's in store, He does...and that's enough for me.
(09.04.2011)
10 March 2011
"Let This Mind Be In You Which Was Also In Christ Jesus"
This is just one of those nights where I have nothing much to do, and I feel inspired to write something. I’m always inspired to write, and it’s mainly caused by the things that go on in my life and the lives of those around me. But, I am always wanting to write something that will change somebody somewhere. Maybe put a little hope in their hopeless lives. Bring a little sunshine to them on an otherwise dismal day.
In reading Philippians today with my Aunt, I came across the passage in Chapter 2. Verses 5, 7, and 8 state: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...[who] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
I have been dealing a lot lately, with trying to be Christ-like and deal with the issues in my own life that I know need work. Pride is a definite issue – and it seems to be the most currently pressing one. As I was exercising during my Tuesday morning run, I was really seeking God and asking Him to purge my heart from all pride; to take me through the fire if necessary.
I had to ask myself ‘Am I really willing to go through something like getting a mangled face in an accident and to live looking like that for the rest of my life in order to get rid of my pride?’ As I asked myself this, I took the consideration in very carefully. It wasn’t just some “oh, that’s never going to happen” kind of question. Rather, it’s one that is a possibility – however unlikely – and I needed to face it. The answer, by the way, happens to be yes.
Back to those verses. Part of striving to be Christ-like means to have the mind of Christ; which as Christians is something we already have, because of our commitment to Christ. But we have to strive to keep the mind of Christ.
Jesus gave up His reputation for everything. He was a servant to all. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death.”
Pride reaches so many areas in my life – and it ties right in there with selfishness. I want to be willing to lose a reputation that was non-existent in the first place with people that I meet and be unashamed to share the love of Christ with them. I want to reach a higher level in servant-hood and to rejoice every time I have the opportunity to be a servant. I want to be so humble that I would be willing to die for what I believe in without giving it a second guess.
I still have a long way to go. And God still has a lot to work on within me. By His grace though, I will stay flexible and willing to let Him complete His work in me. And through His faithfulness, it’ll be accomplished.
"Holy God, take my heart. Purge with flame and truth. A holy heart is all I want, that I may dwell with You."
In reading Philippians today with my Aunt, I came across the passage in Chapter 2. Verses 5, 7, and 8 state: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...[who] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
I have been dealing a lot lately, with trying to be Christ-like and deal with the issues in my own life that I know need work. Pride is a definite issue – and it seems to be the most currently pressing one. As I was exercising during my Tuesday morning run, I was really seeking God and asking Him to purge my heart from all pride; to take me through the fire if necessary.
I had to ask myself ‘Am I really willing to go through something like getting a mangled face in an accident and to live looking like that for the rest of my life in order to get rid of my pride?’ As I asked myself this, I took the consideration in very carefully. It wasn’t just some “oh, that’s never going to happen” kind of question. Rather, it’s one that is a possibility – however unlikely – and I needed to face it. The answer, by the way, happens to be yes.
Back to those verses. Part of striving to be Christ-like means to have the mind of Christ; which as Christians is something we already have, because of our commitment to Christ. But we have to strive to keep the mind of Christ.
Jesus gave up His reputation for everything. He was a servant to all. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death.”
Pride reaches so many areas in my life – and it ties right in there with selfishness. I want to be willing to lose a reputation that was non-existent in the first place with people that I meet and be unashamed to share the love of Christ with them. I want to reach a higher level in servant-hood and to rejoice every time I have the opportunity to be a servant. I want to be so humble that I would be willing to die for what I believe in without giving it a second guess.
I still have a long way to go. And God still has a lot to work on within me. By His grace though, I will stay flexible and willing to let Him complete His work in me. And through His faithfulness, it’ll be accomplished.
"Holy God, take my heart. Purge with flame and truth. A holy heart is all I want, that I may dwell with You."
29 January 2010
Whom Does the Church Attract?
I recently took up the continuance of reading a book that I started a while ago. It’s titled Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller. The section that I opened up to held very good points (as does the whole book), but this particular section spoke to me. He writes:
“---------
Reading through the Gospels was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I know how strange it sounds to say it, but Jesus saved my faith. Several years ago I was getting to the point that the enormous entangling religion of Christianity, with its many divisions, its multiple theologies, its fondness for war rhetoric, and its quirky, lumbering personality, was such a nuisance I hardly wanted anything to do with it.
But then I saw this very beautiful film about Martin Luther, a German monk who started the Reformation, and before he started the Reformation, when he had yet to read a copy of the Bible, he used to pace around in his room and beg God to forgive him. He would beat himself up and argue with Satan and basically act pretty screwed up, but then later, when he was able to read a copy of the Bible himself, he realized that all his redemption came through Christ, that what he really needed to do was place all his love and faith in Christ and Christ would take care of everything because Christ loved Him.
This meant a great deal to me because there are, honestly, about a million ways Christians worship and about that many ways different groups say a person becomes a Christian. Trusting Christ, really placing my faith in Him the way Martin Luther did, seemed quite meaningful and simple. It also seemed relational, not formulaic, and as I have said, my gut tells me the key to life is relational, not propositional.
----------
The first thing that hit me when I started reading through the Gospels was the thought that Jesus had come to earth in the first place. Like the alien, He had it good where He was but He sacrificed it all and became a man. I suspect our mental pictures of God in heaven, of what Jesus looked like and His general composition, are not very accurate. My guess is He was quite amazing in His previous state, that He was quite happy, always surrounded by beings who loved Him, always feeling the fulfillment that an intimacy with His Father would give Him, always having God’s glory shining through Him, sitting on a throne in a place of honor. The mystery of what Christ was before He was human is one of the greatest mysteries of all time, and one that will not be solved until we have new bodies, new eyes, new hearts, new minds, and strong souls with which to engage any place near Him. To exchange heaven for a place, and to exchange eternity for time, was an act of humility I don’t think any of us can understand.
I was reading Brian Greene’s book The Elegant Universe, in which the Columbia professor talks about potentials of the super-string theory. It is a very fancy book, but I was struck at one point when Greene indicated the possibility that multiple dimensions may be laid out against each other as slices of a loaf of bread or tissues in a great brain. And while distantly scientific (strings are too small to actually see and prove scientifically and have been seen only through mathematical formula), the theory had me pondering about the greatness, or should I say the otherness, of God. I began to wonder how odd it would be if we existed in the mind of God, as Brian Greene, perhaps unknowingly, suggests. I am not saying I believe this is true, but something as radical as this, as foreign to our minds, certainly may be. And out of this other place, this other existence, Christ stepped to inhabit ours.
If you believe Jesus was God, and He came to earth to walk among us, the first thing you start considering is that He might actually care. Why else would something so great become something so small? He didn’t close Himself off in a neighborhood with the Trinity; He actually left His neighborhood and moved into ours, like a very wealthy and powerful man moving to the slums of Chicago or Houston or Calcutta, living on the streets as a peasant.
I started thinking about the idea my friend at the Bible College suggested about how, if God is a perfect and loving Being, the most selfless thing He could do would be to create other beings to enjoy Him. And then I started thinking that if those creatures fell away from Him, the most selfless thing a perfect and loving Being could do would be to go and get them, to try to save them from the death that would take place in His absence.
That said, if Christ was who He said He was, and He represents an existence, a community, and an economy that are better than ours, and it is important that I ‘believe in Him,’ what is He like?
As I read the Gospels and other books about Jesus, I started a little list of personality traits and beliefs I thought were interesting.
HE BELIEVED ALL PEOPLE WERE EQUAL
In reading the Gospels of the Bible, I discovered that the personality of Christ was such that people who were pagans, cultists, money-mongers, broken, and diseased felt comfortable in His presence. All this goes back to the idea of the lifeboat and how Jesus, outside that system, wouldn’t believe one person was any better than another. Apparently this counterintuitive belief system was obvious in the character of Christ. In the Gospels, Jesus is always surrounded by the poor, by the marginalized. And, adversely, He is often opposed by the powerful. Not all the powerful, but those who oppose Him are almost always the people who are ahead in the lifeboat. In this way, Jesus disrupted the system by which people were gaining their false redemption.
Phillip Yancey, a writer I admire a great deal, taught a class at his church in Chicago about Jesus. He reflects on what he discovered about Jesus in his book The Jesus I Never Knew:
‘The more unsavory the characters, the more at east they seemed to feel around Jesus. People like these found Jesus appealing: a Samaritan social outcast, a military officer of the tyrant Herod, a quisling tax collector, a recent hostess to seven demons.
In contrast, Jesus got a chilly response from more respectable types. Pious Pharisees thought him uncouth and worldly, a rich young ruler walked away shaking his head, and even the open-minded Nicodemus sought a meeting under the cover of darkness.
I [Yancy] remarked to the class how strange this pattern seemed, since the Christian church now attracts respectable types who closely resemble the people most suspicious of Jesus on earth. What has happened to reverse the pattern of Jesus’ day? Why don’t sinners like being around us?’
This makes a great deal of sense if you think about it, because Jesus was offering redemption through a relationship with Himself, and for those who were already being redeemed by a jury of their peers, people like politicians or wealthy people or powerful religious leaders, the redemption Jesus offered must have felt like a step down; but for those who had nothing, for those who were being threatened in the lifeboat, Jesus offered everything. In fact, at one point Christ says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He says that a man like this will have trouble seeing the beauty of Christ on his own, and that he will need God’s help. (See Luke 18L25-27.)”
I was sitting in church the other day thinking about this passage; more specifically, about the words Miller quoted by Yancy. What most struck me were Yancy’s questions…”What has happened to reverse the pattern of Jesus’ day? Why don’t sinners like being around us?” These questions are great ones to ponder, reflect upon in our own lives, and commence deep thinking. I can’t say I know the answer, but I want to try and find out. Even more importantly, I want to reverse it.
If anything, our churches should be more, radical, so to speak, to attract the everyday people; the lost ones, the hurt ones, the abused ones, the searching ones…everyone who needs to know how much God loves them. I want to see if we can strive towards bringing in those who really and truly need God. Those who already acknowledge Him and are aware of His existence, know what is right and what they need to do. The choice is theirs.
We need to bring in those who don’t know our real God, don’t know His love for them, how much He gave up…just for them. As Christians, we should be encouraging and loving the ones that everyone else condemns. Bringing in to church the ones who need to hear about God…not the ones who already know about Him. Bring in the unlovable…not the respected. Bring in the poor…not the rich. Bring in the broken…not the healed. Bring in the hated…not the loved.
Our goal should be to be examples of Christ and love everyone, despite of our own feelings. If Christ would love them, we need to love them. And since Christ loves everyone, we need to love everyone.
This is just something to keep in mind as you live your daily lives. Try to come out of your shell and reach out to those whom you would not normally reach out to.
“---------
Reading through the Gospels was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I know how strange it sounds to say it, but Jesus saved my faith. Several years ago I was getting to the point that the enormous entangling religion of Christianity, with its many divisions, its multiple theologies, its fondness for war rhetoric, and its quirky, lumbering personality, was such a nuisance I hardly wanted anything to do with it.
But then I saw this very beautiful film about Martin Luther, a German monk who started the Reformation, and before he started the Reformation, when he had yet to read a copy of the Bible, he used to pace around in his room and beg God to forgive him. He would beat himself up and argue with Satan and basically act pretty screwed up, but then later, when he was able to read a copy of the Bible himself, he realized that all his redemption came through Christ, that what he really needed to do was place all his love and faith in Christ and Christ would take care of everything because Christ loved Him.
This meant a great deal to me because there are, honestly, about a million ways Christians worship and about that many ways different groups say a person becomes a Christian. Trusting Christ, really placing my faith in Him the way Martin Luther did, seemed quite meaningful and simple. It also seemed relational, not formulaic, and as I have said, my gut tells me the key to life is relational, not propositional.
----------
The first thing that hit me when I started reading through the Gospels was the thought that Jesus had come to earth in the first place. Like the alien, He had it good where He was but He sacrificed it all and became a man. I suspect our mental pictures of God in heaven, of what Jesus looked like and His general composition, are not very accurate. My guess is He was quite amazing in His previous state, that He was quite happy, always surrounded by beings who loved Him, always feeling the fulfillment that an intimacy with His Father would give Him, always having God’s glory shining through Him, sitting on a throne in a place of honor. The mystery of what Christ was before He was human is one of the greatest mysteries of all time, and one that will not be solved until we have new bodies, new eyes, new hearts, new minds, and strong souls with which to engage any place near Him. To exchange heaven for a place, and to exchange eternity for time, was an act of humility I don’t think any of us can understand.
I was reading Brian Greene’s book The Elegant Universe, in which the Columbia professor talks about potentials of the super-string theory. It is a very fancy book, but I was struck at one point when Greene indicated the possibility that multiple dimensions may be laid out against each other as slices of a loaf of bread or tissues in a great brain. And while distantly scientific (strings are too small to actually see and prove scientifically and have been seen only through mathematical formula), the theory had me pondering about the greatness, or should I say the otherness, of God. I began to wonder how odd it would be if we existed in the mind of God, as Brian Greene, perhaps unknowingly, suggests. I am not saying I believe this is true, but something as radical as this, as foreign to our minds, certainly may be. And out of this other place, this other existence, Christ stepped to inhabit ours.
If you believe Jesus was God, and He came to earth to walk among us, the first thing you start considering is that He might actually care. Why else would something so great become something so small? He didn’t close Himself off in a neighborhood with the Trinity; He actually left His neighborhood and moved into ours, like a very wealthy and powerful man moving to the slums of Chicago or Houston or Calcutta, living on the streets as a peasant.
I started thinking about the idea my friend at the Bible College suggested about how, if God is a perfect and loving Being, the most selfless thing He could do would be to create other beings to enjoy Him. And then I started thinking that if those creatures fell away from Him, the most selfless thing a perfect and loving Being could do would be to go and get them, to try to save them from the death that would take place in His absence.
That said, if Christ was who He said He was, and He represents an existence, a community, and an economy that are better than ours, and it is important that I ‘believe in Him,’ what is He like?
As I read the Gospels and other books about Jesus, I started a little list of personality traits and beliefs I thought were interesting.
HE BELIEVED ALL PEOPLE WERE EQUAL
In reading the Gospels of the Bible, I discovered that the personality of Christ was such that people who were pagans, cultists, money-mongers, broken, and diseased felt comfortable in His presence. All this goes back to the idea of the lifeboat and how Jesus, outside that system, wouldn’t believe one person was any better than another. Apparently this counterintuitive belief system was obvious in the character of Christ. In the Gospels, Jesus is always surrounded by the poor, by the marginalized. And, adversely, He is often opposed by the powerful. Not all the powerful, but those who oppose Him are almost always the people who are ahead in the lifeboat. In this way, Jesus disrupted the system by which people were gaining their false redemption.
Phillip Yancey, a writer I admire a great deal, taught a class at his church in Chicago about Jesus. He reflects on what he discovered about Jesus in his book The Jesus I Never Knew:
‘The more unsavory the characters, the more at east they seemed to feel around Jesus. People like these found Jesus appealing: a Samaritan social outcast, a military officer of the tyrant Herod, a quisling tax collector, a recent hostess to seven demons.
In contrast, Jesus got a chilly response from more respectable types. Pious Pharisees thought him uncouth and worldly, a rich young ruler walked away shaking his head, and even the open-minded Nicodemus sought a meeting under the cover of darkness.
I [Yancy] remarked to the class how strange this pattern seemed, since the Christian church now attracts respectable types who closely resemble the people most suspicious of Jesus on earth. What has happened to reverse the pattern of Jesus’ day? Why don’t sinners like being around us?’
This makes a great deal of sense if you think about it, because Jesus was offering redemption through a relationship with Himself, and for those who were already being redeemed by a jury of their peers, people like politicians or wealthy people or powerful religious leaders, the redemption Jesus offered must have felt like a step down; but for those who had nothing, for those who were being threatened in the lifeboat, Jesus offered everything. In fact, at one point Christ says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. He says that a man like this will have trouble seeing the beauty of Christ on his own, and that he will need God’s help. (See Luke 18L25-27.)”
I was sitting in church the other day thinking about this passage; more specifically, about the words Miller quoted by Yancy. What most struck me were Yancy’s questions…”What has happened to reverse the pattern of Jesus’ day? Why don’t sinners like being around us?” These questions are great ones to ponder, reflect upon in our own lives, and commence deep thinking. I can’t say I know the answer, but I want to try and find out. Even more importantly, I want to reverse it.
If anything, our churches should be more, radical, so to speak, to attract the everyday people; the lost ones, the hurt ones, the abused ones, the searching ones…everyone who needs to know how much God loves them. I want to see if we can strive towards bringing in those who really and truly need God. Those who already acknowledge Him and are aware of His existence, know what is right and what they need to do. The choice is theirs.
We need to bring in those who don’t know our real God, don’t know His love for them, how much He gave up…just for them. As Christians, we should be encouraging and loving the ones that everyone else condemns. Bringing in to church the ones who need to hear about God…not the ones who already know about Him. Bring in the unlovable…not the respected. Bring in the poor…not the rich. Bring in the broken…not the healed. Bring in the hated…not the loved.
Our goal should be to be examples of Christ and love everyone, despite of our own feelings. If Christ would love them, we need to love them. And since Christ loves everyone, we need to love everyone.
This is just something to keep in mind as you live your daily lives. Try to come out of your shell and reach out to those whom you would not normally reach out to.
28 January 2010
The King
The weariness he felt crushed him like never before. It took all of the strength within him to rise for this one last and final meeting with the King. The King who had been his friend and comrade throughout the years. As with any friendship of course, there had been a time when they did not know each other. That is to say, when he did not know the King, but the King had known him. One day though, it all changed. He had come to a turning point in his life, and he had the choice to go two ways. Follow the pretender who only spent time with him when he had money and friends in high places; or to follow the King who had seen him at his worst and still loved him. He had chosen the King.
They had had their shares of struggles. There had been times when he had denied his friendship with the King, or had even turned away from Him. But when he had gotten hurt or was broken down, the King was right there in front of him, willing to pick him up and care for him until his strength returned.
The King had gone through everything with him. Through all the horrors and pains of life. When his first wife-to-be had run away with another man a few days before their wedding. When his oldest son had almost died in a freak accident (the end result being that his son turned his life around). When his mother was on her deathbed and told the family of her unknown past. When his wife had died due to an unknown disease early on. Everything.
The Kind had gone through everything with him. Through all the joys and excitements of life. When he finally met the women of his dreams and they wed each other. The times when he drove his wife to the hospital to give birth to their children. When his daughter went on her first date. When his son got his license. When his dad had finally acknowledged the existence of the King. When his son married his long-time sweetheart. When his daughter’s child had been stillborn, but miraculously came to life. Everything.
He told the King everything. He went to Him with his frustrations of the workplace. He vented out his anger to the King, at a quiet place in the woods by his house. He thanked the King for the blessing of his family and all the good things that were in his life. He trusted the King with his life. When hard times came along, he knew that is was all a part of the King’s greater plan for his life. When he had to make hard decisions at points in his life, He always sought out the King for advice, and waited until He told him what the right thing to do was.
The final meeting with his King had come. What a joyous meeting it would be. He loved the King with all his heart and he knew the King loved him more than he could ever imagine. This meeting would signify the end of his life on earth, and then the King would finally take him home to be with Him. He didn’t want anyone to be sad, for he had been waiting for that moment his entire time of knowing the King. A light shone up above him. At that moment, he knew the time had come. The King smiled a loving, caring smile upon meeting his eyes. “It’s time” he whispered. The man nodded. He closed his eyes for a second, and upon opening them again…he was home.
They had had their shares of struggles. There had been times when he had denied his friendship with the King, or had even turned away from Him. But when he had gotten hurt or was broken down, the King was right there in front of him, willing to pick him up and care for him until his strength returned.
The King had gone through everything with him. Through all the horrors and pains of life. When his first wife-to-be had run away with another man a few days before their wedding. When his oldest son had almost died in a freak accident (the end result being that his son turned his life around). When his mother was on her deathbed and told the family of her unknown past. When his wife had died due to an unknown disease early on. Everything.
The Kind had gone through everything with him. Through all the joys and excitements of life. When he finally met the women of his dreams and they wed each other. The times when he drove his wife to the hospital to give birth to their children. When his daughter went on her first date. When his son got his license. When his dad had finally acknowledged the existence of the King. When his son married his long-time sweetheart. When his daughter’s child had been stillborn, but miraculously came to life. Everything.
He told the King everything. He went to Him with his frustrations of the workplace. He vented out his anger to the King, at a quiet place in the woods by his house. He thanked the King for the blessing of his family and all the good things that were in his life. He trusted the King with his life. When hard times came along, he knew that is was all a part of the King’s greater plan for his life. When he had to make hard decisions at points in his life, He always sought out the King for advice, and waited until He told him what the right thing to do was.
The final meeting with his King had come. What a joyous meeting it would be. He loved the King with all his heart and he knew the King loved him more than he could ever imagine. This meeting would signify the end of his life on earth, and then the King would finally take him home to be with Him. He didn’t want anyone to be sad, for he had been waiting for that moment his entire time of knowing the King. A light shone up above him. At that moment, he knew the time had come. The King smiled a loving, caring smile upon meeting his eyes. “It’s time” he whispered. The man nodded. He closed his eyes for a second, and upon opening them again…he was home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
