If you are like most Christians you have a few encouraging verses on the walls of your home, or the desk of your office or maybe even in your car. These verses have spoken to you at some point and you wanted to be reminded daily of their significance. Yet, we so often fail in going from being moved to being changed. The Word of God was never meant to make us feel good but has been given to be part of our transformation. Those verses must go from our walls to become part of who we are.
A few days ago I was writing about Psalm 73, pointing out that the awareness of the presence of the Lord changes everything. Today I want to pick it up again a little later in the psalm. Remember that this psalmist was struggling with why evil is permitted to exist in Yahweh's creation but standing in the presence of the Lord changed his perspective. The psalmist was repenting of his selfish perspective and then penned this:
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:23-24)
To realize that no matter our attitude, the Lord is always with us, is a great place to be in our revelation of Yahweh. We have even the greater revelation that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us. The presence of the Lord has been promised to us in the same way of our salvation. Our foolishness, pride, vain ambitions do not frighten him away. He is at hand so that when we turn to seek his face he is right there. All he desires is to forgive so he can have intimacy with us. He holds our hand. He guides us and he waits to receive us into his glory.
It's as we walk in the reality of his presence, of his desire for intimacy, we too can begin to measure the worth of this relationship:
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (v. 25-26)
It is a great sentiment but if that is all it is to us, something to hang on the wall to inspire us, we are missing the reality of the Lord's presence. Jesus has promised to never leave us, to be with us until the end of the age; not a sentiment but the reality we live every day. When we are open to him, seeking him, desiring him, turning to him, leaning on him, dependent on him, trusting him, we experience the reality of him holding our hand, the truth of him guiding us with his counsel, and we gain the assurance of him receiving us into his glory.
The presence of the Lord is our daily reality. When you live it the Word will come alive to you and your clouded reality in this place will be transformed into the living reality of our loving and awesome Father. More than a sentiment.
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality. Show all posts
Monday, September 15, 2014
Thursday, April 10, 2014
The Mystery Of Oneness In A Land Of Shifting Shadows
Being one with Jesus is our goal. This we must understand, grasp, desire and move toward. Being one with Jesus is not something we do hidden away somewhere. It is perfected in the ugliness, the noise and confusion of life.
Oneness requires us to be free from everything that would lay claim to us. It does not mean that we have no interaction with these things. We just lower their importance to the place where they have no power over us and we can take or leave them at will.
Oneness is taking place as we come to realize, accept and revel in the fact that everything we require to exist, flourish and become our potential is found only in Jesus Christ. This means that everything else becomes mere shadows, lacking importance or substance to us. We are content with whatever we have in the moment with no fear of not having it in the next because the one thing we need and can never afford to lose can never be taken from us because he promised he wasn't going anywhere.
This is the reason why Jesus said it is hard for those who are rich to enter in. They cannot imagine being without their wealth. To enter in, this wealth must become like smoke to them, no substance and the only thing to have substance must become their only reality. But this is true of many things that lie to us, that tell us we can't live without them.
Family.
Drugs.
Friends.
Alcohol.
Sex.
Careers.
Social media.
Education.
Books.
Sports.
Politics.
Television / Movies / Music / Dance / Theatre / Art
If these are not like smoke to you; if you cannot imagine being without them in the next moment; if you can't imagine existing in a world without them, how do you expect to enter in? Oneness with Jesus comes at a cost but those who discover the truth of the relationship are willing to pay any price to possess it.
But we don't see it this way. We don't see our love for Jesus reducing everything else to wispy smoke.
We live in a fantasy of having the world and Jesus. We live in the illusion of a divided heart. We conveniently skip over the parts where Jesus tells us there is a cost to following him. We like listening to those who want us to believe there is value in all this other stuff. We want to live heaven now among things that are mere shadows of what is coming by giving them substance, allowing them value, allowing them to lay claim to us.
Oneness with Jesus is his expressed prayer for us. In this oneness his will is all we desire. In this oneness we understand value. In this oneness we gladly accept as he moves smokey things in and out of our lives. What is that to us? The only thing of value to us is he himself and he isn't going anywhere. He promised. He is the air in our lungs, the reason for the beat of our heart and the cause of the electrical pulsing of our brain.
If only we could grasp this. If only we would decide to live in his realty for us and leave the shadowy things where they belong. If only we would live with a heart fully possessed by the one who longs to possess it. If only we could walk in a concrete world as citizens of the land of oneness with Christ.
Oneness requires us to be free from everything that would lay claim to us. It does not mean that we have no interaction with these things. We just lower their importance to the place where they have no power over us and we can take or leave them at will.
Oneness is taking place as we come to realize, accept and revel in the fact that everything we require to exist, flourish and become our potential is found only in Jesus Christ. This means that everything else becomes mere shadows, lacking importance or substance to us. We are content with whatever we have in the moment with no fear of not having it in the next because the one thing we need and can never afford to lose can never be taken from us because he promised he wasn't going anywhere.
This is the reason why Jesus said it is hard for those who are rich to enter in. They cannot imagine being without their wealth. To enter in, this wealth must become like smoke to them, no substance and the only thing to have substance must become their only reality. But this is true of many things that lie to us, that tell us we can't live without them.
Family.
Drugs.
Friends.
Alcohol.
Sex.
Careers.
Social media.
Education.
Books.
Sports.
Politics.
Television / Movies / Music / Dance / Theatre / Art
If these are not like smoke to you; if you cannot imagine being without them in the next moment; if you can't imagine existing in a world without them, how do you expect to enter in? Oneness with Jesus comes at a cost but those who discover the truth of the relationship are willing to pay any price to possess it.
But we don't see it this way. We don't see our love for Jesus reducing everything else to wispy smoke.
We live in a fantasy of having the world and Jesus. We live in the illusion of a divided heart. We conveniently skip over the parts where Jesus tells us there is a cost to following him. We like listening to those who want us to believe there is value in all this other stuff. We want to live heaven now among things that are mere shadows of what is coming by giving them substance, allowing them value, allowing them to lay claim to us.
Oneness with Jesus is his expressed prayer for us. In this oneness his will is all we desire. In this oneness we understand value. In this oneness we gladly accept as he moves smokey things in and out of our lives. What is that to us? The only thing of value to us is he himself and he isn't going anywhere. He promised. He is the air in our lungs, the reason for the beat of our heart and the cause of the electrical pulsing of our brain.
If only we could grasp this. If only we would decide to live in his realty for us and leave the shadowy things where they belong. If only we would live with a heart fully possessed by the one who longs to possess it. If only we could walk in a concrete world as citizens of the land of oneness with Christ.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Holy Spirit Smack Down
We think we are living an authentic Christianity. We think we are okay. We think we are getting by on the faith that we have. We think it's good enough.
We are lying to ourselves.
It's not good enough.
Grace is seen as a free ticket, but for those who are pursuing Jesus as they should, it is a great power propelling us forward, giving us a desire to go higher, deeper and wider with Jesus.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
I dare you to read that with your eyes open,
not half asleep,
not skimming through but
with eyes wide open.
... who do not walk according to the flesh
but according to the Spirit.
Who is in control of your day? How much thought do you give to Jesus? Who are you living for? What desires are propelling you forward?
Who do not walk according to the flesh.
We don't even know enough to ask ourselves the right questions. We actually think we are okay; that what we are doing (which isn't much) is somehow pleasing and honouring to Jesus.
As if the God who gave us his everything is pleased to accept our nothing.
Are you ready for this?
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5)
"What? I don't understand. What you are saying? Are you saying I am carnally minded?"
You tell me.
"What about grace?"
Grace is not a free ticket to let you do whatever you want because whatever you want is always going to come from the flesh and if you live by the flesh then you have nothing to do with Jesus.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
There is more.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8)
"Well I think I am okay. I don't think I am carnally minded."
That's because most of us don't give it a thought. We do what we think is best, which is a pretty good definition of what it is to live by the flesh. We think that a half-effort is good enough.
Jesus said it isn't. He said all or nothing. Yes, that is right. To live by the Spirit means that we have held nothing back and our only longing is the will of the Father.
Does that describe your day?
No? Mine neither but the Spirit smacked me across the head with this scripture and I for one am paying attention.
This is not fun and games boys and girls. This is life and death for eternity. This is serious relational stuff. Jesus has called us to something higher and greater than what we have been willing to live.
What will you do with this? Whatever you do, don't go back to getting by.
We are lying to ourselves.
It's not good enough.
Grace is seen as a free ticket, but for those who are pursuing Jesus as they should, it is a great power propelling us forward, giving us a desire to go higher, deeper and wider with Jesus.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
I dare you to read that with your eyes open,
not half asleep,
not skimming through but
with eyes wide open.
... who do not walk according to the flesh
but according to the Spirit.
Who is in control of your day? How much thought do you give to Jesus? Who are you living for? What desires are propelling you forward?
Who do not walk according to the flesh.
We don't even know enough to ask ourselves the right questions. We actually think we are okay; that what we are doing (which isn't much) is somehow pleasing and honouring to Jesus.
As if the God who gave us his everything is pleased to accept our nothing.
Are you ready for this?
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5)
"What? I don't understand. What you are saying? Are you saying I am carnally minded?"
You tell me.
"What about grace?"
Grace is not a free ticket to let you do whatever you want because whatever you want is always going to come from the flesh and if you live by the flesh then you have nothing to do with Jesus.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
There is more.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8)
"Well I think I am okay. I don't think I am carnally minded."
That's because most of us don't give it a thought. We do what we think is best, which is a pretty good definition of what it is to live by the flesh. We think that a half-effort is good enough.
Jesus said it isn't. He said all or nothing. Yes, that is right. To live by the Spirit means that we have held nothing back and our only longing is the will of the Father.
Does that describe your day?
No? Mine neither but the Spirit smacked me across the head with this scripture and I for one am paying attention.
This is not fun and games boys and girls. This is life and death for eternity. This is serious relational stuff. Jesus has called us to something higher and greater than what we have been willing to live.
What will you do with this? Whatever you do, don't go back to getting by.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Living The Extraordinary In The Ordinary
Is this going to be an ordinary or extraordinary day for you? According to Scripture every day should be extraordinary as you carry out the mission of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are on a mission, not to please yourself but to make disciples for Jesus. The first step is for them to hear your testimony and to understand the situation they are in. The problem is, we are not very good at what Jesus commanded us to do.
Unfortunately we are too caught up in church "stuff", disagreements, spouting off personal doctrine, or just pursuing the "american dream". We have generations of people who do not understand that they are a condemned people, heading to certain death. In fact, the Church has toned down over the years so that church has just become a community that we belong to, one that defines who we are. But the world doesn't need to know who we are. These dying generations need to know who Jesus Christ is because he is the only one who can rescue them from their doom.
This is the reality:
When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. (2 Timothy 4:1)
Every person you see today, unless they know Jesus, is condemned and heading for judgement. It's just a formality because without Jesus covering them they are already condemned. It is simply the passing of the sentence that awaits them. How can we live with this knowledge? How can we not be overwhelmed with sorrow for them? How can we not be desperate for them to know? I'll tell you how: It isn't our reality.
I don't care how we try to excuse it away, Jesus is not our reality. This world, with all its pleasures and trappings is our reality. We say the right words, read the right books, quote the right verses but we are still caught up in the affairs of this world. Our anchor is still in this place. We are still dependent on what this world considers to be valuable. Our minds and hearts are polluted and Jesus is nothing more than an emotional concept. How else can we explain how the majority of Christians can die without ever leading anyone to Jesus?
We convince ourselves that we care because we feed the homeless, build hospitals, run clean water projects, give money to orphanages. These are all great projects of compassion that should be part of our mission but they should only lead to the heart of our mission. If we forget the heart then we will have well dressed, well feed, well cared for sinners standing in judgement before God, being condemned for eternity. Above everything else, and I mean everything, must be our compassion for the lost souls and compassion drives us to present Jesus to everyone.
You and I are only play acting. We have taken on a role and we are fulfilling it to the end and it doesn't do anyone any good. "He will judge everyone" should move us to action, reaching out, pursuing, testifying, telling others about the great news, that they too can be sinners saved by grace, a new creation, gloriously saved from the coming destruction. How many are going to hell because we don't take Jesus at his word and because we are too busy with ourselves? Everyone of us should be convicted of the fact that our neighbour needs Jesus and we should be provoked by the love of Jesus to do something about it.
So, ordinary or extraordinary day?
Unfortunately we are too caught up in church "stuff", disagreements, spouting off personal doctrine, or just pursuing the "american dream". We have generations of people who do not understand that they are a condemned people, heading to certain death. In fact, the Church has toned down over the years so that church has just become a community that we belong to, one that defines who we are. But the world doesn't need to know who we are. These dying generations need to know who Jesus Christ is because he is the only one who can rescue them from their doom.
This is the reality:
When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. (2 Timothy 4:1)
Every person you see today, unless they know Jesus, is condemned and heading for judgement. It's just a formality because without Jesus covering them they are already condemned. It is simply the passing of the sentence that awaits them. How can we live with this knowledge? How can we not be overwhelmed with sorrow for them? How can we not be desperate for them to know? I'll tell you how: It isn't our reality.
I don't care how we try to excuse it away, Jesus is not our reality. This world, with all its pleasures and trappings is our reality. We say the right words, read the right books, quote the right verses but we are still caught up in the affairs of this world. Our anchor is still in this place. We are still dependent on what this world considers to be valuable. Our minds and hearts are polluted and Jesus is nothing more than an emotional concept. How else can we explain how the majority of Christians can die without ever leading anyone to Jesus?
We convince ourselves that we care because we feed the homeless, build hospitals, run clean water projects, give money to orphanages. These are all great projects of compassion that should be part of our mission but they should only lead to the heart of our mission. If we forget the heart then we will have well dressed, well feed, well cared for sinners standing in judgement before God, being condemned for eternity. Above everything else, and I mean everything, must be our compassion for the lost souls and compassion drives us to present Jesus to everyone.
You and I are only play acting. We have taken on a role and we are fulfilling it to the end and it doesn't do anyone any good. "He will judge everyone" should move us to action, reaching out, pursuing, testifying, telling others about the great news, that they too can be sinners saved by grace, a new creation, gloriously saved from the coming destruction. How many are going to hell because we don't take Jesus at his word and because we are too busy with ourselves? Everyone of us should be convicted of the fact that our neighbour needs Jesus and we should be provoked by the love of Jesus to do something about it.
So, ordinary or extraordinary day?
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Religious Of The End Times
Sincere faith is not nice if we manage it; sincere faith is vital. What is faith? Faith is the lifeblood of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Without faith we cannot see God. Faith is not believing there is a God. That's not faith, it is simply belief. I can believe a lot of things without them impacting my life. It is impossible to have a faith that does not impact our lives.
Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1, CEV)
What we have today is a lot of religious people who are very faithful at practicing their religion. We do not have a lot of people who have made the decision to live by faith. What do we think God is saying to us when we read:
But we live by faith, not by what we see. (2 Corinthians 5:7, CEV)
We don't have time today to go through all the scripture related to living faith but we need to understand that Jesus even reflected on this as he wondered out loud:
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith? (Luke 18:8, CEV)
When I was young I had no idea why Jesus would say such a thing but now that I am older and I see what passes for faith, I understand. Within myself there is a war that rages because it is easy for me to do things in my own strength and intelligence. I am a very capable man but Jesus never asked me to do anything within my own ability because my ability is too limiting to him. He wants to achieve things through me that I cannot achieve in myself, not for me benefit but for his. He wants me to live a surrendered and obedient life so that I will listen to his words without question and act on them. Faith means obedience.
Paul warned Timothy that the end times would be filled with a lot of religious people but not so many living by faith:
Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won’t be real. Don’t have anything to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:5, CEV)
Let me ask you this: How much time have you spent studying Jesus' life and words? We are guilty of spending a lot of time studying methods, history, all kinds of different topics but what about just Jesus? Just his words? Just his actions? Just his promises? Just his commands? We want to look at everything except for our responsibility in this relationship. Our responsibility is to have faith and this faith produces trust and obedience. This faith provokes us into actions that go beyond what we can do in our own abilities. This faith changes everything we see, everywhere we go, everything we put our hand to and everyone we encounter.
Honestly, if we were living by faith there would not be a word of complaint on our lips. If we were a people of faith, fear would be replaced by faith. Fear will try to press in but faith will be our shield. If we are a people of faith, there would be nothing in this earth that can come between us and Jesus. Faith destroys fear, depression, lostness, despair. More than that, faith gives us hope, strength, joy, amazement, purpose because Jesus is real and present with us. Faith makes obedience to Jesus' commands as our purpose and priority. Can we say that of ourselves? Can we honestly?
Look around. Will Jesus find anyone with faith on his return? Perhaps we should make a declaration like Joshua: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord! We need to bring the reality of faith into our lives so that we will have the determination not to disappoint Jesus when he calls us to him. It's frustrating to see what we are making of it, playing church and being faithful to our religion but leaving the reality of it untouched. Sincere faith, we must live by it.
Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1, CEV)
What we have today is a lot of religious people who are very faithful at practicing their religion. We do not have a lot of people who have made the decision to live by faith. What do we think God is saying to us when we read:
But we live by faith, not by what we see. (2 Corinthians 5:7, CEV)
We don't have time today to go through all the scripture related to living faith but we need to understand that Jesus even reflected on this as he wondered out loud:
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith? (Luke 18:8, CEV)
When I was young I had no idea why Jesus would say such a thing but now that I am older and I see what passes for faith, I understand. Within myself there is a war that rages because it is easy for me to do things in my own strength and intelligence. I am a very capable man but Jesus never asked me to do anything within my own ability because my ability is too limiting to him. He wants to achieve things through me that I cannot achieve in myself, not for me benefit but for his. He wants me to live a surrendered and obedient life so that I will listen to his words without question and act on them. Faith means obedience.
Paul warned Timothy that the end times would be filled with a lot of religious people but not so many living by faith:
Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won’t be real. Don’t have anything to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:5, CEV)
Let me ask you this: How much time have you spent studying Jesus' life and words? We are guilty of spending a lot of time studying methods, history, all kinds of different topics but what about just Jesus? Just his words? Just his actions? Just his promises? Just his commands? We want to look at everything except for our responsibility in this relationship. Our responsibility is to have faith and this faith produces trust and obedience. This faith provokes us into actions that go beyond what we can do in our own abilities. This faith changes everything we see, everywhere we go, everything we put our hand to and everyone we encounter.
Honestly, if we were living by faith there would not be a word of complaint on our lips. If we were a people of faith, fear would be replaced by faith. Fear will try to press in but faith will be our shield. If we are a people of faith, there would be nothing in this earth that can come between us and Jesus. Faith destroys fear, depression, lostness, despair. More than that, faith gives us hope, strength, joy, amazement, purpose because Jesus is real and present with us. Faith makes obedience to Jesus' commands as our purpose and priority. Can we say that of ourselves? Can we honestly?
Look around. Will Jesus find anyone with faith on his return? Perhaps we should make a declaration like Joshua: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord! We need to bring the reality of faith into our lives so that we will have the determination not to disappoint Jesus when he calls us to him. It's frustrating to see what we are making of it, playing church and being faithful to our religion but leaving the reality of it untouched. Sincere faith, we must live by it.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
It Is Time To Hit The Reset Button
Your biggest struggle is produced by your mis-perception of reality. We all interpret truth through the filters we have put in place over the years. How we see ourselves is seldom the truth but instead it is a perception of ourself that we have created for whatever reason. Sometimes that perception is that we are worthless and incapable of doing anything. Why would anyone love me? Sometimes, it is the opposite where we think of ourselves too highly, but more often than not it is the former.
Positive thinking is not that answer. "I know I can, I know I can" is not the answer. Self help books are not the answer. Meditation is not the answer. Loving yourself is not the answer. Seeing yourself as God sees you is.
We need to hit the reset button, to wash away the years and layers of filters we have put in place. We need to come to understand that God has declared us to be holy and blameless. He declared it. He changed the reality of our truth by simply speaking a new reality into being. Just as he spoke light into existence he spoke you into a new creation:
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4)
That is our new reality. Wait, there is more.
Not only has he declared us to be creatures of the light, holy and blameless in his sight, he has also made us creatures of great power.
It is not that the power belongs to us but he has filled us with power through the Holy Spirit in us. Not just any power. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave and seated him at the right hand of God. This is the resurrection power that pumps through our veins:
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right handin the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:18-20)
That incomparable great power is the reality we live with. You may look in the mirror and see a weak failure who hasn't a clue what tomorrow will bring, but Jesus looks at you and sees a holy and blameless vessel filled with God's resurrection power. He has given you authority and power to face the darkness of this world and overcome. Your part in it is to live and operate according to the reality of Jesus, not according to this foul world.
God has filled you with his strength to overcome his enemy. Because Jesus has overcome we are now able to overcome. Our duty is to take on evil and cast it out. Our duty is to pray and fight for those God loves. Our duty, our act of love, is to throw off any old and false perceptions of self and put on the new garment that Jesus has clothed us in. We stand as champions of the Light, warriors, members of the royal family.
We walk this earth as prince and princesses of the Kingdom, ready to do battle with anything that would come against the name of the King. We speak in the authority of the King, to vanquish those dark spirits of the enemy's realm. You do not fight in your own name but in the name of Jesus. You do not fight in your own strength but in the strength of Jesus. You do not do what you think is best but what God has directed you to do. You do not get tangled in the affairs of this world but press on with God's agenda which is the salvation of this world.
Stop looking in that mirror with your eyes and instead make the decision to start perceiving with your spirit the new creation God has called into existence. You are far more than what you see, know and understand. You are filled with the strength of God, the same strength that the Father exerted in Jesus when he raised him from the dead. A strength far beyond anything this world can harness. Man uses what little power he has to hate and destroy. God uses all his power to love and restore, to build up and increase. And he uses you for that task.
Simply ask God to melt away your mis-perceptions and to allow you to clearly see the new reality he has clothed you with. You are beautiful, holy, blameless and filled with strength because God has spoken this truth into reality. Time to hit the reset button.
Positive thinking is not that answer. "I know I can, I know I can" is not the answer. Self help books are not the answer. Meditation is not the answer. Loving yourself is not the answer. Seeing yourself as God sees you is.
We need to hit the reset button, to wash away the years and layers of filters we have put in place. We need to come to understand that God has declared us to be holy and blameless. He declared it. He changed the reality of our truth by simply speaking a new reality into being. Just as he spoke light into existence he spoke you into a new creation:
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4)
That is our new reality. Wait, there is more.
Not only has he declared us to be creatures of the light, holy and blameless in his sight, he has also made us creatures of great power.
It is not that the power belongs to us but he has filled us with power through the Holy Spirit in us. Not just any power. This is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave and seated him at the right hand of God. This is the resurrection power that pumps through our veins:
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right handin the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 1:18-20)
That incomparable great power is the reality we live with. You may look in the mirror and see a weak failure who hasn't a clue what tomorrow will bring, but Jesus looks at you and sees a holy and blameless vessel filled with God's resurrection power. He has given you authority and power to face the darkness of this world and overcome. Your part in it is to live and operate according to the reality of Jesus, not according to this foul world.
God has filled you with his strength to overcome his enemy. Because Jesus has overcome we are now able to overcome. Our duty is to take on evil and cast it out. Our duty is to pray and fight for those God loves. Our duty, our act of love, is to throw off any old and false perceptions of self and put on the new garment that Jesus has clothed us in. We stand as champions of the Light, warriors, members of the royal family.
We walk this earth as prince and princesses of the Kingdom, ready to do battle with anything that would come against the name of the King. We speak in the authority of the King, to vanquish those dark spirits of the enemy's realm. You do not fight in your own name but in the name of Jesus. You do not fight in your own strength but in the strength of Jesus. You do not do what you think is best but what God has directed you to do. You do not get tangled in the affairs of this world but press on with God's agenda which is the salvation of this world.
Stop looking in that mirror with your eyes and instead make the decision to start perceiving with your spirit the new creation God has called into existence. You are far more than what you see, know and understand. You are filled with the strength of God, the same strength that the Father exerted in Jesus when he raised him from the dead. A strength far beyond anything this world can harness. Man uses what little power he has to hate and destroy. God uses all his power to love and restore, to build up and increase. And he uses you for that task.
Simply ask God to melt away your mis-perceptions and to allow you to clearly see the new reality he has clothed you with. You are beautiful, holy, blameless and filled with strength because God has spoken this truth into reality. Time to hit the reset button.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Reality Check
It can be frustrating sometimes to help people understand the new reality of being a Christian. It's not like we just joined the local Boy Scouts or Girl Guides and now have a pledge to live up to and a motto to follow. It's not like attending a concert where we enjoy the moment, hold on to the memories but the experience fades. Being a Christian is not like anything anyone can experience in any other way. It is a transformation, something we are changed into, a new creation, nothing that can be housed in our old way of thinking.
So many people think that being a Christian is a birth right; their parents were Christians so they are Christians. Others believe it is just a matter of joining a church and practising some ceremonies. Some don't have a clue what it is but they claim to be one, spouting off opinions about moralities they can't even begin to fathom. But here is the reality of being a Christian:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10)
Now, without getting into the heavy duty theology of it, let me put it very simply: When you became a Christian you became one with God. You were changed so that God took up residence in you and you took up residence in God. The entire Christian life is about coming to grips with this reality, where we learn to live in this oneness. It makes for a good study. You should especially study the gospel of John the teaching on the Vine and what Jesus prayed before being arrested. But you have to go beyond the study and live the experience, daily. I want to explain the consequences of this new reality.
Unlike worshipping a person or an idol, a Christian life is a "working out" of this oneness with God. We want to live in a way that honours this relationship, where we do not offend God in us by using our body for sin or filling our mind and heart with things that pollute and distract us from this relationship. It is not a matter that Christians follow a moral code, although we do have a list of things that reveal the character of God so we know what offends him. But our new reality is that this "law" is written on our hearts by the Spirit of God, so that even if we have not known the written law the Spirit makes it known to us. As Christians we are without excuse.
The Christian life is about learning to surrender ourselves to Jesus every day. When we fail; when we ignore the Spirit's direction; when we allow our old nature to lead is in wrong directions, it is a matter of returning to the point of the relationship, asking for and receiving forgiveness, and getting back to it. It is not about trying to follow a list of rules but allowing the purpose of such rules to become part of the fibre of our being.
The Christian life is about growing in our awareness and understanding of God as he lives in us and we in him. It goes beyond great books, great sermons, wonderful teaching videos. It goes beyond self-improvement, self-help, self-discipline. It is coming to grips with the fact that all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form in Jesus and that we in turn have been given fullness in Christ. It is living the reality that Jesus is the head over every power and authority. That means when you speak in that authority every power and authority obeys because that authority lives in you.
This seems to be the new reality that most of the Church is trying to deny. We love our own little sub-culture that we are developing, with our own clothing line, music and video production, with our own lingo. We enjoy our conferences, seminars, Bible Colleges, curriculum development, our morality teaching but we are leaving out the authority and power, the Christ in us. We enjoy acting the part without the responsibility of living the power and authority.
Your new reality should be such that in this new relationship with God in you, nothing else has power over you; not sin, circumstances or disease. You should have more determination and joy that anyone you know. There should be no words of defeat in your vocabulary as you live the reality that all things are possible because of he who dwells in you and gives you strength. There is power in this relationship. There is power to overcome and you are one with the King who holds this power. You do not worship some distant god; Jesus Christ lives in you and you have abundant life through him. This is your reality, the reality of the Christian life.
So many people think that being a Christian is a birth right; their parents were Christians so they are Christians. Others believe it is just a matter of joining a church and practising some ceremonies. Some don't have a clue what it is but they claim to be one, spouting off opinions about moralities they can't even begin to fathom. But here is the reality of being a Christian:
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10)
Now, without getting into the heavy duty theology of it, let me put it very simply: When you became a Christian you became one with God. You were changed so that God took up residence in you and you took up residence in God. The entire Christian life is about coming to grips with this reality, where we learn to live in this oneness. It makes for a good study. You should especially study the gospel of John the teaching on the Vine and what Jesus prayed before being arrested. But you have to go beyond the study and live the experience, daily. I want to explain the consequences of this new reality.
Unlike worshipping a person or an idol, a Christian life is a "working out" of this oneness with God. We want to live in a way that honours this relationship, where we do not offend God in us by using our body for sin or filling our mind and heart with things that pollute and distract us from this relationship. It is not a matter that Christians follow a moral code, although we do have a list of things that reveal the character of God so we know what offends him. But our new reality is that this "law" is written on our hearts by the Spirit of God, so that even if we have not known the written law the Spirit makes it known to us. As Christians we are without excuse.
The Christian life is about learning to surrender ourselves to Jesus every day. When we fail; when we ignore the Spirit's direction; when we allow our old nature to lead is in wrong directions, it is a matter of returning to the point of the relationship, asking for and receiving forgiveness, and getting back to it. It is not about trying to follow a list of rules but allowing the purpose of such rules to become part of the fibre of our being.
The Christian life is about growing in our awareness and understanding of God as he lives in us and we in him. It goes beyond great books, great sermons, wonderful teaching videos. It goes beyond self-improvement, self-help, self-discipline. It is coming to grips with the fact that all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form in Jesus and that we in turn have been given fullness in Christ. It is living the reality that Jesus is the head over every power and authority. That means when you speak in that authority every power and authority obeys because that authority lives in you.
This seems to be the new reality that most of the Church is trying to deny. We love our own little sub-culture that we are developing, with our own clothing line, music and video production, with our own lingo. We enjoy our conferences, seminars, Bible Colleges, curriculum development, our morality teaching but we are leaving out the authority and power, the Christ in us. We enjoy acting the part without the responsibility of living the power and authority.
Your new reality should be such that in this new relationship with God in you, nothing else has power over you; not sin, circumstances or disease. You should have more determination and joy that anyone you know. There should be no words of defeat in your vocabulary as you live the reality that all things are possible because of he who dwells in you and gives you strength. There is power in this relationship. There is power to overcome and you are one with the King who holds this power. You do not worship some distant god; Jesus Christ lives in you and you have abundant life through him. This is your reality, the reality of the Christian life.
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