Have I mentioned that I love the books of the prophets? Today's word is "look" and I picked a verse from my favorite book of the Bible. It's Lamentations 5:1, which says "Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look and see our disgrace!" (ESV)
This verse is a reminder that God is the God who sees. What's interesting is that this verse is inviting God to look upon our disgrace- the very thing we normally try to hide from God and others. Yet if we are to repent and find healing from God, we have to acknowledge the damage that sin's done in our lives and we have to invite God into it. It is in telling God how desolate and desperate Israel's situation is and begging for Him to see it that Jeremiah begs the Lord to restore Israel to Himself. The more I realize the damage sin inflicts in my life, the more I seek God's restoration.
I'm also drawn closer to Christ as I imagine Him praying something similar on the cross. He bore our shame. Crucifixion was a disgracelful death and He died that death with a crowd looking at that disgrace. Our disgrace. But He took it upon Himself and I'm sure He called on God to look at what was happening to Him and to remember and restore His life.
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Gather
Another season of lent where I commit to blogging has begun. This year I am adapting a lent idea that was to take and share a photo each day based off a word. Instead, I will take some time each day to look up Bible verses containing the word, reflect, and blog some thoughts.
Today's word is "gather". The verse I've chosen is Job 34:14-15, which says, "If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust." (ESV) I read this at my church's Ash Wednesday service shortly after having the ashes placed on my forehead and hearing the words, "From dust you came; to dust you shall return."
Fortunately, this is not what God has set His heart to, and that is the grace of this season. I've been doing Beth Moore's Bible study about the Holy Spirt called "Breath". We've examined verses similar to the one in Job linking words like "breath", "spirit", and "life", which is one of the reasons this stood out to me. Another reason is the passage we studied in the last session.
I encourage you to read Ezekiel 37:1-14. It's the passage about the dry bones being brought to life. In short, God asks the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?". Ezekiel replies, "O Lord GOD, you know." God tells him to prophesy life over the bones. As he did so, the bones came together and were covered with flesh, but there was no breath. He was then commanded to prophesy to the breath to breathe on the slain so they might live and they did. The passage ends with God's promise to raise His people from their graves and place His Spirit in them so they might live.
I go to a church where communion is usually only taken once a month, except for special occasions. Communion happened to fall the day after this lesson. As I watched everyone go up for communion, I reflected on this passage. "Can these dry bones live?" God seemed to still be asking. "O Lord GOD, you know," I thought as I watched person after person receive the sacraments that said, "Yes." Bones metaphorically coming together and being covered with sinews and flesh. God breathing new life into His people that were once dead in their transgressions. While advent looks forward to the birth of Christ, lent looks forward to God breathing life into dry bones.
From dust we came; to dust we shall return. Praise the God whose heart is not sent on leaving us that way. The God who instead chose to open our graves and breathe life into us a second time. He could have gathered His breath instead. We'd had our chance and blown it. Yet He chose to give His last breath so that we might once again have breath. This is the beauty of lent and Easter.
Today's word is "gather". The verse I've chosen is Job 34:14-15, which says, "If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust." (ESV) I read this at my church's Ash Wednesday service shortly after having the ashes placed on my forehead and hearing the words, "From dust you came; to dust you shall return."
Fortunately, this is not what God has set His heart to, and that is the grace of this season. I've been doing Beth Moore's Bible study about the Holy Spirt called "Breath". We've examined verses similar to the one in Job linking words like "breath", "spirit", and "life", which is one of the reasons this stood out to me. Another reason is the passage we studied in the last session.
I encourage you to read Ezekiel 37:1-14. It's the passage about the dry bones being brought to life. In short, God asks the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?". Ezekiel replies, "O Lord GOD, you know." God tells him to prophesy life over the bones. As he did so, the bones came together and were covered with flesh, but there was no breath. He was then commanded to prophesy to the breath to breathe on the slain so they might live and they did. The passage ends with God's promise to raise His people from their graves and place His Spirit in them so they might live.
I go to a church where communion is usually only taken once a month, except for special occasions. Communion happened to fall the day after this lesson. As I watched everyone go up for communion, I reflected on this passage. "Can these dry bones live?" God seemed to still be asking. "O Lord GOD, you know," I thought as I watched person after person receive the sacraments that said, "Yes." Bones metaphorically coming together and being covered with sinews and flesh. God breathing new life into His people that were once dead in their transgressions. While advent looks forward to the birth of Christ, lent looks forward to God breathing life into dry bones.
From dust we came; to dust we shall return. Praise the God whose heart is not sent on leaving us that way. The God who instead chose to open our graves and breathe life into us a second time. He could have gathered His breath instead. We'd had our chance and blown it. Yet He chose to give His last breath so that we might once again have breath. This is the beauty of lent and Easter.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
The Hope On Which Our Faith Rests
Happy Easter, everyone! He is risen! The grave is empty. Death has been defeated. The curse that led to death has been broken by the new Adam who brings life to all who believe in Him. This is the hope on which all of our faith rests. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." If Christ had not been raised, our faith would be completely useless. But because He has been raised, we can have a true hope in redemption that will be worked out in this life and ultimately when we see Him face to face.
The fear of death no longer has power over us. This is how the world was transformed. Christians were willing to die instead of rejecting Christ because they trusted that He had been raised and trusted His promise that He was only the first of many who had put their faith in Him. It's kinda hard to stop someone who whole-heartedly believes that.
Christ died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Simple words and so easy to take for granted. Yet they are the deep foundations of our faith. God Himself came down as a man, died, was raised to life in the same body that was crucified, and will return. Simple words, yet altogether life altering when we realize just what they mean and choose to believe them.
The fear of death no longer has power over us. This is how the world was transformed. Christians were willing to die instead of rejecting Christ because they trusted that He had been raised and trusted His promise that He was only the first of many who had put their faith in Him. It's kinda hard to stop someone who whole-heartedly believes that.
Christ died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Simple words and so easy to take for granted. Yet they are the deep foundations of our faith. God Himself came down as a man, died, was raised to life in the same body that was crucified, and will return. Simple words, yet altogether life altering when we realize just what they mean and choose to believe them.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Control
Control. It's something we all need yet something that can cause major problems if misunderstood or used in the wrong way. There are many times where we think we have more control than we actually do and many times that we think we have less. Not being realistic about how much control we have and what we rightly have control over can be extremely destructive to ourselves and others.
Sometimes we try to control God by bargaining with Him. If He gives us what we want then we will give Him what He wants. But this mistakes several things about God's character. First, it assumes that the same God who was willing to give His only Son as a sacrifice doesn't care about our needs and desires when He in fact cares about them more than we do. However, He sees the whole picture and knows what is best. But sometimes it is hard to trust that. Second, it assumes that obedience is a way to get God to give us things, but in reality, God already has good things planned for us, but obedience is to His will is the only way that those things are capable of being received by us.
Sometimes we have to acknowledge that we are powerless in certain circumstances and can do know more than leave the situation in God's hands to deal with. This doesn't mean that we're powerless; it just means that our power is found in prayer and trusting God to work in the situation. I've found that some of my best moments with God have been some of the most difficult in my life when I acknowledged how powerless I was and submitted to a God who I trusted was for me and would see me through.
Sometimes we try to control our circumstances by controlling other people instead of ourselves. This is wrong and if it is habitual it is usually deemed as abuse. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that we have as much control as we do. This is wrong also and can lead to victimization. Boundaries is an excellent book that I have found very helpful in helping me realize what things I am responsible for and to and what things I am not. It offers help for both side of the equation. Often the two go hand-in-hand in relationships and the cycle requires at least one person in the relationship to have a clear picture of responsibility and control and make change based on that understanding in order to be broken.
I think a lot could be changed in our relationships with God and others if we learned what our responsibilities to God and others are and what we have control over and used that control appropriately. Perhaps that is a crucial part of what it means to love God and love others. It involves taking responsibility for the way we choose to exercise the gift of free will. I think that one of the core things of love is using our free will for the benefit of another, and not to harm them. It's a choice not a feeling. And sometimes it's a very difficult choice. Jesus talked a lot about submision, probably because it is required in fulfilling the top two commandments, which all the other commandments happen to fall under. His whole life was about submission to the will of God, even death on a cross to reconcile us to God. I think Paul says it well in Phillipians 2:
Sometimes we try to control God by bargaining with Him. If He gives us what we want then we will give Him what He wants. But this mistakes several things about God's character. First, it assumes that the same God who was willing to give His only Son as a sacrifice doesn't care about our needs and desires when He in fact cares about them more than we do. However, He sees the whole picture and knows what is best. But sometimes it is hard to trust that. Second, it assumes that obedience is a way to get God to give us things, but in reality, God already has good things planned for us, but obedience is to His will is the only way that those things are capable of being received by us.
Sometimes we have to acknowledge that we are powerless in certain circumstances and can do know more than leave the situation in God's hands to deal with. This doesn't mean that we're powerless; it just means that our power is found in prayer and trusting God to work in the situation. I've found that some of my best moments with God have been some of the most difficult in my life when I acknowledged how powerless I was and submitted to a God who I trusted was for me and would see me through.
Sometimes we try to control our circumstances by controlling other people instead of ourselves. This is wrong and if it is habitual it is usually deemed as abuse. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that we have as much control as we do. This is wrong also and can lead to victimization. Boundaries is an excellent book that I have found very helpful in helping me realize what things I am responsible for and to and what things I am not. It offers help for both side of the equation. Often the two go hand-in-hand in relationships and the cycle requires at least one person in the relationship to have a clear picture of responsibility and control and make change based on that understanding in order to be broken.
I think a lot could be changed in our relationships with God and others if we learned what our responsibilities to God and others are and what we have control over and used that control appropriately. Perhaps that is a crucial part of what it means to love God and love others. It involves taking responsibility for the way we choose to exercise the gift of free will. I think that one of the core things of love is using our free will for the benefit of another, and not to harm them. It's a choice not a feeling. And sometimes it's a very difficult choice. Jesus talked a lot about submision, probably because it is required in fulfilling the top two commandments, which all the other commandments happen to fall under. His whole life was about submission to the will of God, even death on a cross to reconcile us to God. I think Paul says it well in Phillipians 2:
"2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
I think that submission to the will of God is the key to true and healthy control.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
When The Old Can't Hold The New
Sometimes being broken isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it just means that the old can't hold the new. It hurts all the same, but sometimes God allows us to break in order to make room for the new and allow it to grow. It may still be caused by sin on some level in these cases, and likely that sin is what would have hindered our growth if things would have remained as they were.
The strange thing is, that the more we've encountered Christ and His love and the more ready we are to grow, the less it hurts. When I've experienced all that Christ has to offer and how much better it is than what anyone or anything else has to over, the more I am willing to embrace that brokeness if it leads me closer to Christ. I become more ready to throw off everything that hinders me in my walk with Him and to keep my focus on Him. He is my prize. Even if I lost all else, He would still remain. And He is greater than all else. He satisfies even the deepest longings of the heart. If He's leading me out of something, I can trust that it's for my good and that He's leading me into an even better place to bear fruit. And there's a strange sense of peace that accompanies this brokeness, a peace that helps me let go and move on.
The strange thing is, that the more we've encountered Christ and His love and the more ready we are to grow, the less it hurts. When I've experienced all that Christ has to offer and how much better it is than what anyone or anything else has to over, the more I am willing to embrace that brokeness if it leads me closer to Christ. I become more ready to throw off everything that hinders me in my walk with Him and to keep my focus on Him. He is my prize. Even if I lost all else, He would still remain. And He is greater than all else. He satisfies even the deepest longings of the heart. If He's leading me out of something, I can trust that it's for my good and that He's leading me into an even better place to bear fruit. And there's a strange sense of peace that accompanies this brokeness, a peace that helps me let go and move on.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Catalyst
There are a few common phrases that I absolutely hate when it comes to things that are contrary to God's will. They include phrases like, "It's normal," "Everybody does that," "That's life," and "That's just who I am." These are all phrases that serve to take away our responsibility and pretend like we don't havepower to do anything about whatever is being spoken of. I don't think God will accept these answers when asked why we didn't do anything to help change some of the things that are contrary to His will but have come to be seen as normal.
Porn has become normalized. Instead of fighting it, it is common for people just to expect that men will view porn and in many cases view them as odd if they don't. Not appropriatley dealing with conflict has been normalized. It has the power to damage and even end relationships, but it's viewed as a normal part of life and rarely seen as something that needs to be changed unless perhaps violence is involved. Only investing in the people we want to invest in and not those that God puts in our paths that might be a challenge to love is seen as normal and totally accepted. Being so busy that we don't have time for what's actually important and not having solid priorities is seen as normal and even as a good thing. It's seen as just a part of the way the world works when some people suffer from lack while others have beyond what they need, and I'm not just talking about material things here. It's also not uncommon for us to rationalize having more by saying that we did something to earn it and the other person didn't. Rarely is failing to keep one's word thought of as an issue, and if someone is hurt by that, they're considered to be too sensitive. This is just a small list of things that have become rationalized as being normal.
We have the power to change these things and that power begins with acknowledging that they're not just normal. They may be normal in the sense that sin is normal, but that doesn't mean that God approves of them. We have the power to refuse porn and there is help for those who need it. There are healthy ways of conflict that can help build relationships if we are willing to learn and practice them. Loving is a command- a call to action that is based on God's love and not our feelings about a person; we can show His love to the people that are difficult for us to love. We can choose our priorities and fix our schedule around them. We don't have to be so busy all the time. It may require sacrifice, but we don't have to be so busy. We can generously give to those who lack what we have extra of. We can do what we say were going to do and be more aware of what we commit to. Al of these things require sacrifice on our part.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to help us change these things- His life. The Holy Spirit work in us to change these things. Jesus gave us an example of how to live that flew in the face of everone's definition of normal in some way, both then and now. Jesus was a catalyst. He didn't care about normal; His mission was to change people's hearts and have them embrace Kingdom values instead of the norms of a fallen world. Sometimes they're the same, but sometimes they're not. I've focused on the things that are normal that need to be changed, but there are also things that may not be normal that should be embraced. Sometimes those go hand in hand with rejecting the things that are normal and not beneficial. Jesus challenged the status quo and not just for the sake of challenging it. He wants for His followers to be catalysts as well. His disciples did an excellent job of this and turned the world upside down. We can do the same if we are willing to examine the Bible and our traditions and rely on God's truth instead of norms. The Holy Spirit is waiting to help us.
I want to be redeemed from anything which is considered normal but is not like God's character. I believe Christ died to redeem me from that. I alo believe that redemption is meant to lead me to participate in Christ's redemptive work in the world in whatever ways He leads me. I believe that as I become healthier in my walk with Him, it will affect those around me. Some may not like it and choose to leave. Others may stick with me and God may use it to redeem areas of their lives as well and we can grow together. I think that's a beauty of Christianity that we miss out on because of "normal".
Porn has become normalized. Instead of fighting it, it is common for people just to expect that men will view porn and in many cases view them as odd if they don't. Not appropriatley dealing with conflict has been normalized. It has the power to damage and even end relationships, but it's viewed as a normal part of life and rarely seen as something that needs to be changed unless perhaps violence is involved. Only investing in the people we want to invest in and not those that God puts in our paths that might be a challenge to love is seen as normal and totally accepted. Being so busy that we don't have time for what's actually important and not having solid priorities is seen as normal and even as a good thing. It's seen as just a part of the way the world works when some people suffer from lack while others have beyond what they need, and I'm not just talking about material things here. It's also not uncommon for us to rationalize having more by saying that we did something to earn it and the other person didn't. Rarely is failing to keep one's word thought of as an issue, and if someone is hurt by that, they're considered to be too sensitive. This is just a small list of things that have become rationalized as being normal.
We have the power to change these things and that power begins with acknowledging that they're not just normal. They may be normal in the sense that sin is normal, but that doesn't mean that God approves of them. We have the power to refuse porn and there is help for those who need it. There are healthy ways of conflict that can help build relationships if we are willing to learn and practice them. Loving is a command- a call to action that is based on God's love and not our feelings about a person; we can show His love to the people that are difficult for us to love. We can choose our priorities and fix our schedule around them. We don't have to be so busy all the time. It may require sacrifice, but we don't have to be so busy. We can generously give to those who lack what we have extra of. We can do what we say were going to do and be more aware of what we commit to. Al of these things require sacrifice on our part.
Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to help us change these things- His life. The Holy Spirit work in us to change these things. Jesus gave us an example of how to live that flew in the face of everone's definition of normal in some way, both then and now. Jesus was a catalyst. He didn't care about normal; His mission was to change people's hearts and have them embrace Kingdom values instead of the norms of a fallen world. Sometimes they're the same, but sometimes they're not. I've focused on the things that are normal that need to be changed, but there are also things that may not be normal that should be embraced. Sometimes those go hand in hand with rejecting the things that are normal and not beneficial. Jesus challenged the status quo and not just for the sake of challenging it. He wants for His followers to be catalysts as well. His disciples did an excellent job of this and turned the world upside down. We can do the same if we are willing to examine the Bible and our traditions and rely on God's truth instead of norms. The Holy Spirit is waiting to help us.
I want to be redeemed from anything which is considered normal but is not like God's character. I believe Christ died to redeem me from that. I alo believe that redemption is meant to lead me to participate in Christ's redemptive work in the world in whatever ways He leads me. I believe that as I become healthier in my walk with Him, it will affect those around me. Some may not like it and choose to leave. Others may stick with me and God may use it to redeem areas of their lives as well and we can grow together. I think that's a beauty of Christianity that we miss out on because of "normal".
Monday, March 2, 2015
When Freedom Hurts
What do you think of when you think of Christ setting you free? I think I'm beginning to realize that I usually tend to think of Him setting me free from things I don't like. I'm only beginning to realize that sometimes He also sets us free from things that we love and care about deeply, things that may even be good, but that hinder our growth. Those are often the things that can have the strongest grips on us and keep us in bondage merely by the fact that we don't want to leave. Yet if we don't leave, we may not experience all that Christ has in store for us.
Sometimes we may not even have to leave. We may just have to reach the point where we are free enough to be willing to leave and trust God with the results. Following Him into freedom may mean letting go of something we cherish or it might make it better. What's important to the freedom process is that fear is replaced with faith.
I love the song "Painting Pictures of Egypt" by Sara Groves. So often, we like the Israelites, paint pictures of Egypt and leave out what it lacks as God tries to bring us into a better place. Freedom didn't come easily for the Israelites. They had to leave all that was familiar to them for the unknown. All they had was what God had told them. All they needed was that and the faith to believe it. But they struggled and clung to the ways they knew and many of them never got to enter the Promised Land because of it. Freedom is difficult. How often do we hear that? How often are people truly set free from all that hinders them from what Christ has to offer, especially the things they want to cling to? When we reach the point where it hurts to stay but we're scared to go, will we stay and continue to be hurt or will we trust Christ and follow Him to freedom?
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Making The Abstract Practical
One of my philosophy professors hates the word freedom. He says he doesn't know what it means. He only knows that people talk about it a lot and are willing to die for it.
Sometimes I feel the same way about words that get thrown around the Christian community like freedom and love. We like to talk about how God has set us free. Free from what? What does this freedom look like? How does it affect our everyday lives? Is Christ setting us free a one time event or a process? We throw around the word free and people feel good because they're free in Christ and freedom is something to be valued. But if we never or rarely expand on what the Bible means by that, how many people will actually experience that freedom and not just a warm fuzzy feeling.
We talk about God loving us and us loving Him and others. What is love? Baby don' hurt me, no more. Seriously, though, everyone comes into a sermon, article, eye. with their own concept of what love means and unless they learn otherwise, that is the definition of love they will apply. How can we expect people to better comprehend God's love for them and to love God and others the way He commands us too if we don't also teach people the Biblical portrayal of love? It manifests itself in visible, practical ways. It's patient. It's kind. You can find a longer list in 1 Corinthians 13. We may need to expand on some of these things from time to time, too.
I think that if we want to see people's lives really being changed the way Gid meant for them to be, we need to move from the abstract to the practical. I'm a philosophy major and LOVE thinking about the abstract. But I also think there's equal value in learning how the abstract can be practical. The freedom and love and other things God wantsto give to us are not just great ideas. They are realities that are meant to be realized here and now in tangible ways bearing fruit.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Broken
One of the most powerful communion experiences I've ever had was one Sunday morning during the months before my trip to Niger in 2012. A song about following Jesus had been song either before or during communion. Fancy that, a song about following Jesus being sung at church. Who would have thought? Anyways, something struck me that morning that going on this trip would mean that I would need to be willing to possibly follow Jesus in having my body broken for the sake of the Gospel. Not necessarily to the point of death, but nonetheless, this trip would mean subjecting my body to a vaccine that had the potential to be fatal and subjecting it to the possibility of diseases such as malaria. This moment happened shortly before I received the yellow fever vaccine, the one that can potentially be fatal, and at the very least, typically causes a lot of pain. It was a moment of surrender. Of mentally offering my body as a living sacrifice before I was asked to physically do so. A moment of counting the costs and accepting them. A moment of choosing to follow Jesus even when it meant my body might be broken, all the while remembering the way that His was broken for me so that I might believe and be saved. Was I willing to offer mine to whatever might happen on this trip in the hopes that others might believe and be saved because Christ had done the same for me? I was. Communion that day felt like my acceptance of that.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
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