You know that ever popular question in religious circles concerning your spiritual growth that goes something like this, "What is the Lord teaching you these days?" I would have to answer that by saying that He is not necessarily "teaching" me as much as He is "freeing" me.
Day by day in my readings, meditation, pray, life, etc., I am slowly feeling another link in the chain of religious bondage being removed by my loving Savior. I believe He would prefer to just rip them off and be done with it, trading the weight of performance and people pleasing for His much lighter yoke of love, grace and acceptance. But alas, He has me to contend with in the process.
You see, there is a twisted sense of comfort in being bound. The very weight that holds me down and threatens to crush my spirit is the blanket I use to feel warm and secure, wrapping it tightly around my shoulders and holding on with a tight grip. As much as my soul yearns to walk in freedom with the Lord, it also fears such liberty. Why? Because, up until this point in my life, such weighlessness has been unknown to me. The unknown is scary and requires faith, and unfortunately I am realizing that mustard seed would be a generous description of mine.
Still finding it hard to believe that a person would prefer institutionalization to freedom, just remember Brooks and Red from The Shawshank Redemption (one of my all-time favorite movies). One killed himself because he could not handle being free; the other dreamed of breaking parole in order to return to his bondage.
And so it is with me. Jesus gently and lovingly removes a portion of chain, then I panic and put it back on. This is the dance we have been doing lately. Thankfully, He is patient, perseverant and long-suffering not to mention totally in love with me as part of His Bride so I am confident that He will not give up until I am totally free. It just breaks my heart that I make it so difficult for Him, and therefore, for myself. However, I have purposed in my heart as much as possible to enjoy the process and our time together dancing and battling these chains.
You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free. May it be so in your life as well.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Identity, Security and Unity in Christ
Why do I have the overwhelming urge to always prove that I am right, especially when it comes to "spiritual" matters? Why, when I am engaging a Catholic brother in a conversation, do I feel the hairs on the back of my neck go up and then allow myself to go on the defensive regarding my beliefs? Who am I really trying to convince when I vehemently debate doctrinal issues that have nothing to do with whether or not God accepts a person?
Could it be that I am finding my identity and security in doctrine instead of the Person of Jesus Christ?
Scary thought, considering, "None of us has a corner on the truth. And if a person thinks he does, he's deluded. In the words of Paul, 'We know in part' (1 Cor. 13:9, from Viola)."
More on this matter from Reimagining Church by Frank Viola:
"People are accepted by God because they have repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, if a person belongs to the Lord, he or she is part of the body of Christ. And on that basis alone are we to accept them into fellowship."
"I believe that spiritual discernment is one of the most pressing needs among Christians today. But it's fundamentally unbiblical and profoundly unchristian to go about scrutinizing our fellow brethren with a critical eye.
The Bible warns against those who are ruled by a prideful, faultfinding spirit (OUCH!). This is the very spirit that marks the accuser of the brethren - the master divider of Christ's body (Jude 15; Rev. 12:10 - OUCH, again!). If we make the Lord our sole pursuit, He will show us when falsehood is present. But if we're always seeking to smell the whiff of error in others, we'll be sure to miss the Lord when He is speaking through one of His little ones."
"With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:2-3).
May my life have only one pursuit, one obsession, one goal, and one grand purpose: to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that pursuit and obsession may I find the strength to lay down the mantle of needing to be right (whatever that means) in order to experience true communion with ALL my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Could it be that I am finding my identity and security in doctrine instead of the Person of Jesus Christ?
Scary thought, considering, "None of us has a corner on the truth. And if a person thinks he does, he's deluded. In the words of Paul, 'We know in part' (1 Cor. 13:9, from Viola)."
More on this matter from Reimagining Church by Frank Viola:
"People are accepted by God because they have repented and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, if a person belongs to the Lord, he or she is part of the body of Christ. And on that basis alone are we to accept them into fellowship."
"I believe that spiritual discernment is one of the most pressing needs among Christians today. But it's fundamentally unbiblical and profoundly unchristian to go about scrutinizing our fellow brethren with a critical eye.
The Bible warns against those who are ruled by a prideful, faultfinding spirit (OUCH!). This is the very spirit that marks the accuser of the brethren - the master divider of Christ's body (Jude 15; Rev. 12:10 - OUCH, again!). If we make the Lord our sole pursuit, He will show us when falsehood is present. But if we're always seeking to smell the whiff of error in others, we'll be sure to miss the Lord when He is speaking through one of His little ones."
"With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:2-3).
May my life have only one pursuit, one obsession, one goal, and one grand purpose: to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that pursuit and obsession may I find the strength to lay down the mantle of needing to be right (whatever that means) in order to experience true communion with ALL my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Back to the Quotes
From The Relinquished Life by Oswald Chambers:
"When one really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ."
"It is the things that are right and noble and good from the natural standpoint that keep us back from God's best. To discern that natural virtues antagonize surrender to God is to bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle."
Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence."
From Followers, Not Admirers by Soren Kierkegaard:
"It is well know that Christ consistently used the expression, 'follower.' He never asks for admirers, worshippers, or adherents. No, he calls disciples. It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is after."
"What then, is the difference between an admirer and a follower? A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires."
"The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in word he is inexhaustable about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, will not reconstruct his life, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires. Not so for the follower. No, no. The followers aspires with all his strength to be what he admires. And then, remarkably enough, even though he is living amongst a 'Christian people,' he incurs the same peril as he did when it was dangerous to openly confess Christ. And because of the follower's life, it will become evident who the admirers are, for the admirers will become agitated with him. Even these words will disturb many - but then they must likewise belong to the admirers."
From Truth to Tell by Barbara Brown Taylor:
"Jesus stood at the center of the stage like a mirror in which all those around him saw themselves clearly for who they were.......and they were so appalled by what they saw that they smashed it. The smashed him every way they could."
"I remember being at a retreat once where the leader asked us to think of someone who represented Christ in our lives. When it came time to share our answers, one woman stood up and said, 'I had to think hard about that one. I kept thinking, Who is it who told me the truth about myself so clearly that I wanted to kill him for it?'"
"What happened then goes on happening now. In the presence of his integrity, our own pretense is exposed. In the presence of his constancy, our cowardice is brought to light. In the presence of his fierce love for God and for us, our own hardness of heart is revealed. Take him out of the room adn all those things become relative. I am not that much worse than you are nor you than I, but leave him in the room and there is no room to hide. He is the light of the world. In his presence, people either fall down to worship him or do everything they can to extinguish his light."
A cross and nails are not always necessary. There are a thousand ways to kill him.....insert your personal method here - we all have at least one (italics mine).
From Shared Hells by Peter Kreeft:
"Calvary is Judo. The enemy's power is used to defeat him."
"We needed a surgeon, he came and reached into our wounds with bloody hands. He didn't give us a placebo or a pill or good advice. He gave us himself."
"He sits beside us not only in our sufferings but even in our sins. He does not turn his face from us, however much we turn our face from him."
"He came. He is here. That is the salient fact. If he does not heal all our broken bones and loves and lives now, he comes into them and is broken, like bread, and we are nourished. And he shows us that we can henceforth use our very brokenness as nourishment for those we love. Since we are his body, we too are the bread that is broken for others. Our very failures help heal other lives; our very tears help wipe away tears; our being hated helps those we love."
Amen and amen......may it be so.
"When one really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not the abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ."
"It is the things that are right and noble and good from the natural standpoint that keep us back from God's best. To discern that natural virtues antagonize surrender to God is to bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle."
Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence."
From Followers, Not Admirers by Soren Kierkegaard:
"It is well know that Christ consistently used the expression, 'follower.' He never asks for admirers, worshippers, or adherents. No, he calls disciples. It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is after."
"What then, is the difference between an admirer and a follower? A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires."
"The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in word he is inexhaustable about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, will not reconstruct his life, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires. Not so for the follower. No, no. The followers aspires with all his strength to be what he admires. And then, remarkably enough, even though he is living amongst a 'Christian people,' he incurs the same peril as he did when it was dangerous to openly confess Christ. And because of the follower's life, it will become evident who the admirers are, for the admirers will become agitated with him. Even these words will disturb many - but then they must likewise belong to the admirers."
From Truth to Tell by Barbara Brown Taylor:
"Jesus stood at the center of the stage like a mirror in which all those around him saw themselves clearly for who they were.......and they were so appalled by what they saw that they smashed it. The smashed him every way they could."
"I remember being at a retreat once where the leader asked us to think of someone who represented Christ in our lives. When it came time to share our answers, one woman stood up and said, 'I had to think hard about that one. I kept thinking, Who is it who told me the truth about myself so clearly that I wanted to kill him for it?'"
"What happened then goes on happening now. In the presence of his integrity, our own pretense is exposed. In the presence of his constancy, our cowardice is brought to light. In the presence of his fierce love for God and for us, our own hardness of heart is revealed. Take him out of the room adn all those things become relative. I am not that much worse than you are nor you than I, but leave him in the room and there is no room to hide. He is the light of the world. In his presence, people either fall down to worship him or do everything they can to extinguish his light."
A cross and nails are not always necessary. There are a thousand ways to kill him.....insert your personal method here - we all have at least one (italics mine).
From Shared Hells by Peter Kreeft:
"Calvary is Judo. The enemy's power is used to defeat him."
"We needed a surgeon, he came and reached into our wounds with bloody hands. He didn't give us a placebo or a pill or good advice. He gave us himself."
"He sits beside us not only in our sufferings but even in our sins. He does not turn his face from us, however much we turn our face from him."
"He came. He is here. That is the salient fact. If he does not heal all our broken bones and loves and lives now, he comes into them and is broken, like bread, and we are nourished. And he shows us that we can henceforth use our very brokenness as nourishment for those we love. Since we are his body, we too are the bread that is broken for others. Our very failures help heal other lives; our very tears help wipe away tears; our being hated helps those we love."
Amen and amen......may it be so.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Just a few quotes
As I continue to ponder in my heart the wonderful things that God is showing me, I wanted to share a few quotes that have moved my soul lately.
From The Crucified by Kahlil Gibran:
"Jesus was not sent here to teach the people to build magnificent churches and temples amidst the cold wretched huts and dismal hovels. He came to make the human heart a temple, and the soul an altar, and the mind a priest."
"Thou art, on the Cross, more glorious and dignified than one thousand kings upon one thousand thrones in one thousand empires."
From Turning by Henry Drummond:
"When God speaks he speaks so loudly that all the voices of the world seem dumb. And yet when God speaks he speaks so softly that no one hears the whisper but yourself."
From Merchandising Truth by Meister Eckhart:
"Live as if you did not exist."
From The Divine Scandal by Emil Brunner:
"In the Bible it is not we who find a way to God; it is God who comes to us."
"What is impossible for us is what God wants - all love to him and to our fellow humans."
From To Know the Cross by Thomas Merton:
"We can deny ourselves rigourously for the wrong reason and end up by pleasing ourselves mightily with our self-denial."
"To believe in suffering is pride: but to suffer, believing in God, is humility."
The critter is awakening, so I will finish in another post tomorrow.
From The Crucified by Kahlil Gibran:
"Jesus was not sent here to teach the people to build magnificent churches and temples amidst the cold wretched huts and dismal hovels. He came to make the human heart a temple, and the soul an altar, and the mind a priest."
"Thou art, on the Cross, more glorious and dignified than one thousand kings upon one thousand thrones in one thousand empires."
From Turning by Henry Drummond:
"When God speaks he speaks so loudly that all the voices of the world seem dumb. And yet when God speaks he speaks so softly that no one hears the whisper but yourself."
From Merchandising Truth by Meister Eckhart:
"Live as if you did not exist."
From The Divine Scandal by Emil Brunner:
"In the Bible it is not we who find a way to God; it is God who comes to us."
"What is impossible for us is what God wants - all love to him and to our fellow humans."
From To Know the Cross by Thomas Merton:
"We can deny ourselves rigourously for the wrong reason and end up by pleasing ourselves mightily with our self-denial."
"To believe in suffering is pride: but to suffer, believing in God, is humility."
The critter is awakening, so I will finish in another post tomorrow.
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