I was doing some reading today about the Messiah, the One who would establish God's Kingdom on the earth, and I was struck by what the writer put forth; that Jesus was born to die.
Death was not a result of the Jews rejection of Him, it was understood from the beginning that Jesus would die. John the Baptist proclaimed, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!". Without the sacrifice on the cross there would be no payment made for my sin; it was the reason He came, and everything else He did was to testify that He was who He said He was.
So why is it that I, having identified myself with Jesus, with the knowledge that it is my joy to share in His sufferings, still labor so vigorously to protect myself from anything resembling discomfort, persecution, trial and death?
Graham Cooke has a great teaching about living with our problems. In it he talks about how we typically respond to adversity; we pray! But it is not the type of prayer that I'm sure the Father finds pleasing. Why? Because we are begging Him to take away the very thing that He designed to strengthen our faith. (Remember..."count it all joy when you face trials..."). Graham describes it this way: You want me to get you OUT of it!? I just spent three years and $30,000 getting you INTO it!!
Trials are not legal proceedings intended to determine our guilt, they are tests designed to measure our worth. When you test something you are trying to determine it's value, character and fortitude. Will it last? Is of good quality? God is testing the purification process being administered by the Holy Spirit. How are we doing? How much work is yet to be done before we will be able to endure the great and terrible day of His coming and not shrink back?
God is determined to prepare a Bride who is without spot or wrinkle, and occasionally He will put our faith to the fire to see how that process is going. It's not the fire of punishment, it's the fire of our perfection.
Jesus passed His many tests with flying colors; the colors of flesh and blood. The question is, are we passing our own tests; or are we praying our way out of them?
I is my humble opinion that the average Christian prays most often, and most fervently, when faced with the gift of testing. Unfortunately, their focus is on asking to be exempt from such an examination instead of being prepared by it.
Jesus was born to die so that He would be glorified for eternity. Perhaps it's time to join Him in the pathway of glorification!
Bless you all today,
Jon
Monday, 29 March 2010
Saturday, 6 March 2010
How Do You Hear It?
Lately I have been reading the letters to the seven churches found in the Revelation of Jesus; a read which I find most enlightening and enjoyable. But the other day as I read them I was challenged in my spirit regarding how I "hear" them.
What do I mean by that? Simply this, when I close my eyes and let my imagination create an internal movie of John's encounter; what does Jesus sound like?
For me, Jesus has always sounded very authoritarian; like the sound you would hear from a father when you've just broken curfew or smashed up the car..."I AM YOUR FATHER! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, BUT THIS I HAVE AGAINST YOU!!!"
Based upon the intense nature of the rest of the book, I wouldn't fault anyone for hearing it that way. I've heard it that way may whole life. But as I thought about it a bit more I began to re-evaluate my choice of soundtrack. And here's why:
The entire nature of the book is to reveal the heart of Jesus and His perfect plan for bringing this chapter of His glorious work in us, sometimes referred to "this age", to a magnificent end. The book by nature is a worship text for God's goodness, faithfulness, power, mercy and love. He is the One who "makes all things new" and He is coming back with the burning desire to participate in the biggest wedding banquet you could dare to imagine.
So the question is this, how would God, who is all confident in His ability to fulfill His plan and engage in the cosmic "wedding-to-end-all-weddings", send out His last minute instructions to the wedding party? Would they be written in the form of a harsh sounding rebuke? Or would they be written with a certain gracious and cherishing overtone?
The more I meditated on it, the more the Spirit testified that Jesus is most likely speaking like this:
"Hello my friends! I'm getting ready for the wedding and I'm very excited about it! I am writing you because I wanted to encourage you in your final preparations. I love you, but don't forget to keep your hearts steady as that great day approaches. I noticed a few things that you've been overlooking and I want to encourage you that they are of the utmost importance. Please ensure you are ready for my arrival because I don't want you to be left out of this celebration. I look forward to seeing you very soon! Love, Jesus."
I'd invite you to read, or re-read, these letters again today and imagine a Jesus who is mostly glad and not sad, full of joy, peace and confidence that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion.
Those are my thoughts for today.
Jon
What do I mean by that? Simply this, when I close my eyes and let my imagination create an internal movie of John's encounter; what does Jesus sound like?
For me, Jesus has always sounded very authoritarian; like the sound you would hear from a father when you've just broken curfew or smashed up the car..."I AM YOUR FATHER! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, BUT THIS I HAVE AGAINST YOU!!!"
Based upon the intense nature of the rest of the book, I wouldn't fault anyone for hearing it that way. I've heard it that way may whole life. But as I thought about it a bit more I began to re-evaluate my choice of soundtrack. And here's why:
The entire nature of the book is to reveal the heart of Jesus and His perfect plan for bringing this chapter of His glorious work in us, sometimes referred to "this age", to a magnificent end. The book by nature is a worship text for God's goodness, faithfulness, power, mercy and love. He is the One who "makes all things new" and He is coming back with the burning desire to participate in the biggest wedding banquet you could dare to imagine.
So the question is this, how would God, who is all confident in His ability to fulfill His plan and engage in the cosmic "wedding-to-end-all-weddings", send out His last minute instructions to the wedding party? Would they be written in the form of a harsh sounding rebuke? Or would they be written with a certain gracious and cherishing overtone?
The more I meditated on it, the more the Spirit testified that Jesus is most likely speaking like this:
"Hello my friends! I'm getting ready for the wedding and I'm very excited about it! I am writing you because I wanted to encourage you in your final preparations. I love you, but don't forget to keep your hearts steady as that great day approaches. I noticed a few things that you've been overlooking and I want to encourage you that they are of the utmost importance. Please ensure you are ready for my arrival because I don't want you to be left out of this celebration. I look forward to seeing you very soon! Love, Jesus."
I'd invite you to read, or re-read, these letters again today and imagine a Jesus who is mostly glad and not sad, full of joy, peace and confidence that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion.
Those are my thoughts for today.
Jon
Thursday, 4 March 2010
How To Live With Confidence In Uncertain Times
Have you ever been in a season of instability? A time in which you just can't seem to make sense of what is going on in and around you? I think we have all had one or two of those seasons in our life; times when we find it difficult to keep our hearts steady in the face of uncertainty.
Today, as I was studying the description of Jesus found in Revelation 1, I found myself reading the letters written to the seven churches of Asia (Rev 2-3). As I read, and observed each ones corresponding title (which has been added for our study benefit), I began to realize that each letter was crafted in a very deliberate way; having one main attribute of Jesus highlighted from John's description of Him at the beginning of the vision. But not only that, each attribute is specific to the struggle of each particular church.
For example, the letter to the "loveless" church (Ephesus) begins with a description of Jesus holding the seven stars in His right hand and His eyes like a flame of fire. Jesus calls the church to return to their first love. He wants them to love Him first and He has given them a revelation of His intimate nature to help motivate and stabilize their hearts in doing so.
Likewise, the persecuted church is given a revelation that Jesus was once dead, but is now alive forever and ever. They need to be able to remain steadfast under the threat of death and so Jesus reveals Himself as being the One who overcame death and gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.
And so it goes on from there, each church receiving a specific revelation of Jesus that will enable them to remain steady in the midst of their unique trial and difficulty.
As I read these letters my heart got excited! What an awesome demonstration of His perfect leadership and the importance of seeing Jesus for who He truly is. It is what A.W. Tozer calls the "knowledge of the Holy" and what Proverbs describes; that "without a vision (revelation) the people cast of restraint".
Jesus gives each church a specific revelation of His heart that will empower them to not cast of restraint or fall short of their calling. They must perserver until the end if they are to inherit their various rewards; the crown of life, the right to eat of the tree of life, to be pillars in the temple of the Lord and never leave His presence, and Jesus knows what it will take for them to remain steadfast in the face of uncertainty.
Beloved, there is only one thing that will stabilize our hearts as we face a world of ever growing uncertainty. It is not a balanced portfolio, it is not a secure career, nor is it found in the comforts of modern living and seemingly solid relationships. The one thing that is needed is an experiential knowledge of Jesus and the affection that He has for us.
In the words of the song writer; "When we see You we find strength to face the day, and in your presence all our fears are washed away." (Hosanna - Paul Baloche)
I pray that God would give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him today.
Jon
Today, as I was studying the description of Jesus found in Revelation 1, I found myself reading the letters written to the seven churches of Asia (Rev 2-3). As I read, and observed each ones corresponding title (which has been added for our study benefit), I began to realize that each letter was crafted in a very deliberate way; having one main attribute of Jesus highlighted from John's description of Him at the beginning of the vision. But not only that, each attribute is specific to the struggle of each particular church.
For example, the letter to the "loveless" church (Ephesus) begins with a description of Jesus holding the seven stars in His right hand and His eyes like a flame of fire. Jesus calls the church to return to their first love. He wants them to love Him first and He has given them a revelation of His intimate nature to help motivate and stabilize their hearts in doing so.
Likewise, the persecuted church is given a revelation that Jesus was once dead, but is now alive forever and ever. They need to be able to remain steadfast under the threat of death and so Jesus reveals Himself as being the One who overcame death and gives eternal life to those who believe in Him.
And so it goes on from there, each church receiving a specific revelation of Jesus that will enable them to remain steady in the midst of their unique trial and difficulty.
As I read these letters my heart got excited! What an awesome demonstration of His perfect leadership and the importance of seeing Jesus for who He truly is. It is what A.W. Tozer calls the "knowledge of the Holy" and what Proverbs describes; that "without a vision (revelation) the people cast of restraint".
Jesus gives each church a specific revelation of His heart that will empower them to not cast of restraint or fall short of their calling. They must perserver until the end if they are to inherit their various rewards; the crown of life, the right to eat of the tree of life, to be pillars in the temple of the Lord and never leave His presence, and Jesus knows what it will take for them to remain steadfast in the face of uncertainty.
Beloved, there is only one thing that will stabilize our hearts as we face a world of ever growing uncertainty. It is not a balanced portfolio, it is not a secure career, nor is it found in the comforts of modern living and seemingly solid relationships. The one thing that is needed is an experiential knowledge of Jesus and the affection that He has for us.
In the words of the song writer; "When we see You we find strength to face the day, and in your presence all our fears are washed away." (Hosanna - Paul Baloche)
I pray that God would give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him today.
Jon
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