As God has been reminding me of who I am, a pure and holy beloved child lavished in his grace and love (the same for you if you're saved!!) I've also been at a place of deep disturbance with what my understanding of what it means to be a Christian has been up to this point in my life. I will elaborate on this later.
Throughout my last post I touched a bit on how I've slowly been broken over the past so many years. Now I don't suggest that God brought pain and suffering upon me, because I am fully aware that satan exists for this sole purpose: to kill and destroy mankind. But in Romans 8:28 it says that 'in all things God works for the good of those who love him' or 'works together with those who love him to bring about what is good.' Marcel Marneau said "Jesus isn't all you have, until Jesus is all you need." And I see now the importance of a desperation, a deep reliance upon Jesus, this need that we so rarely experience in our fully self-suffecient western culture. I'm thankful that God allowed me to reach the end of myself before he came and extended his hand. Mind you... there were some close calls.
Yesterday I heard something from a friend. A man had been praying to God for rescue and it seemed as though God wasn't answering. Weeks from his initial prayer an angel finally showed up and said, "Sorry it took so long, we had to fight through many demons to get to you." This got me thinking about how throughout this past year of 'living as my own', often I would pray "God help me... Come rescue me... I need you..." But then continue on living in the sick selfish place that I was at. Filling myself with whatever would bring a temporary relief and satisfaction... Continuing to distance myself from the heart of God... a distraction from the call I know God has called me and all of us as believers too. My lips were saying one thing, but my heart and actions were saying 'God I got this... I'm cool... I don't you right now I got my booze, or my friends, or my video games, or my work...' could be many different things for different people.
C.S.Lewis in Beyond Personality talks about a man who had a powerful experience with God in the desert. He felt him, sensed him, felt his love, his peace and his joy. Lewis then goes on to say how sure that's great, but nothing comes of it. It leads nowhere. "In fact, that is just why a vague religion-all about feeling God in nature, and so on-is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work; like watching the waves from the beach. But you will not get to Newfoundland by studying the Atlantic that way, and you will not get eternal life by simple feeling the presence of God in flowers or music." (ch1 Beyond Personality)
I read through the book of Amos this morning, and my spirit is troubled. So much of what Amos spoke, not only to the surrounding nations but ISRAEL, Gods 'chosen people', I see in our culture today... even in our church culture. The message puts it this way:
3-6Woe to you who are rushing headlong to disaster!
Catastrophe is just around the corner!
Woe to those who live in luxury
and expect everyone else to serve them!
Woe to those who live only for today,
indifferent to the fate of others!
Woe to the playboys, the playgirls,
who think life is a party held just for them!
Woe to those addicted to feeling good—life without pain!
those obsessed with looking good—life without wrinkles!
They could not care less
about their country going to ruin.
7But here's what's really coming:
a forced march into exile.
They'll leave the country whining,
a rag-tag bunch of good-for-nothings.
Amos 6:3-7
10-12People hate this kind of talk.
Raw truth is never popular.
But here it is, bluntly spoken:
Because you run roughshod over the poor
and take the bread right out of their mouths
Amos 5:10-12
21-24"I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want.
Amos 5:21-24
4-5God's Message to the family of Israel:
"Seek me and live.
Don't fool around at those shrines of Bethel,
Don't waste time taking trips to Gilgal,
and don't bother going down to Beer-sheba.
Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow
and Bethel is all show, no substance."
6So seek God and live! You don't want to end up
with nothing to show for your life
But a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground.
For God will send just such a fire,
and the firefighters will show up too late.
Amos 5:4-6
I am so selfish. I am so self-reliant. I am so prideful. I am so far from where Jesus is. God break me.
Hey James, some times it's only in the wilderness, the desert...when the grand stage of life life is stripped bare, only then we encounter the reality of God. Maybe being a musician, you get this...it's like we are instruments is the orchestra of life. We just live ourselves over to him the musician, each of us has a song in our hearts, He's put there. We need to let go and let him play...to discover your song, and my song. God is not a cookie cutter, that's the beauty of grace...we don't need to pretend, to be the same. I love these words from Romans...
ReplyDeleteSo here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Sometimes, I think we get faith mixed up with church, and a trendy worship service. It's life James, all of it...and god's in every speck and every crumb. Live your life in the fullness of know that Jesus dwells with in man. Man you've been genetically altered...this from Galatians.
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Man, breath that in like string coffee in the morning, and through out the day breathe deep...inhale let it saturate your being.
The life you live is no longer yours...Jesus lives in you bro', and let him play that song in your heart, and listen...dance. Live life to the fullest.
Man! I love you James Liira...we have to get together for lunch, or coffee.
Ron! That was awesome thanks for your wisdom. I love those verses you shared, what translation are they from? And ya I'd love to get together sometime.
ReplyDeleteJames the translation is from Regent College Professor Emeritus, pastor, prolific author...The Message. And, I'm away most of next week visiting my dad in an extended care facility on the mainland. But the week after, I'd love to take you out for lunch. I'll send you a message so stay tuned. Blessings Ron:<><
ReplyDelete