Author: LizG

Hebrews  4:11-16  JBP – Let us then be eager to know this rest for ourselves, and let us beware that no one misses it through falling into the same kind of unbelief as those we have mentioned.  For the Word that God speaks is alive and active;  it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword:  it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being:  it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart.  No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.  Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has entered the inmost Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to our faith.  For we have no superhuman High Priest to whom our weaknesses are unintelligible – he himself has shared fully in all our experience of temptation, except that he never sinned.  Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.

Observation

“No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”  We forget this!  We think there are shameful and sinful motives and thoughts hidden within us that God cannot see and continue unrepentant in those areas either from arrogance or shame.  Arrogance misses the mercy and grace because it cannot lay down pride, release control, admit insufficiencies and the need for help; shame misses it because of fear that his/her value is so insignificant and that the offense is too great to be covered by the Cross. Both are foolishness and traps set by the Enemy to keep us from approaching the Throne.

God is no respecter of persons.  Salvation (being in Christ) is available to whosoever will come (John 3:16).  Nonetheless, all humans are fully known, all humans are welcome at the throne of grace and all who are in Christ will be represented there by Jesus, our High Priest and Advocate. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit stand ready to pour out on us the “mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need” – fully cognizant of our current condition, our past, our rebellions, our arrogance, our shame, our sin.  When we sincerely repent and approach the throne, they will embrace us in our failures and helplessness and release us restored and redeemed to wholeness – forever changed by the contact and, hopefully,

• hungry for more and deeper relationship,
• seeking opportunities to bring joy to God’s  heart,
• alive with gratitude and love for God’s redemptive sacrifice and
• searching for ways to respond to that love so other’s will have the courage to approach the throne and experience that same embrace.

Impact on Me

Before I gave my life to Jesus, I saw my interior self as a place full of closets with doors that lock.  All of my shameful and sinful thoughts, motives, intentions and acts were safely stored and locked away in a closet, unseen and unknown by those around me.  When I gave my life to Jesus, He asked me for the keys to all those locked closets so He could clean them out.  I was ashamed for Him to see what was inside until this scripture opened my eyes.  There was nothing I had locked away that He did not already know and for which He had provided forgiveness and redemption.  He died to redeem me from everything of which I was ashamed before I was even born. 

I have been to the throne room and found grace, mercy and help in my darkest hours and when I fail.  One sure way I find my way there is by soaking in the Word of God.  His Word will expose my innermost failures, my hidden faults, my unrepented sin and provide grace to cleanse and restore me.  His Word “strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being:  it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart.”  I have found that I do not need to be afraid to humble myself before that throne because I stand there in Christ, assured of the reception I will receive.

Prayer

Father God, when we are in Christ we are Your own children, favored in Your sight, able to approach even Your very throne when we fail or are in need, assured that we will receive grace and mercy.  I ask You to use that sword of Your Word on me to expose and cut away fear and all the unlovely, unproductive, clanging cymbal distractions of this life.  I desire to please You – first, foremost and always.  May I be ever more like Christ as He walked this earth – confident and humble, obedient and bold, servant and sacrifice – focused only on fulfilling Your will and purpose no matter what cost to me.  In Jesus’ name, make it so.

2 Cor 10:3-5  JBP  For I am afraid otherwise that I shall have to do some plain speaking to those of you who will persist in reckoning that our activities are on the purely human level.  The truth is that, although of course we lead normal human lives, the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level.  The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds.  Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy and every imposing defense that men erect against the true knowledge of God.  We even fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ.

1 Cor 10:3-5 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

Observation

The church in Corinth was splitting.  There was a faction that were faithful to Paul’s teaching and spiritual authority and an opposing group who denied Paul’s authority.  Chapters 10-14 are Paul’s reply to those who accuse him of operating “on the purely human level.”

We need that reminder, too.  We can’t choose to battle on a purely human level.  Our human tendency is to let what we see – the immediate results or circumstances – be signs of great victory or defeat.  However, this short-sighted view will distract us from the rest of the war, keeping our participation and prayer focused narrowly on our own wants and needs.   We will find ourselves expecting God to bless our approved plan for fixing and the acceptable final results.  This is likely contrary to God’s battle plan.  Warriors don’t always know why they are fighting a particular battle, having nothing personal to gain, but they trust their superiors to determine that it is a worthwhile fight toward winning the war. 

“The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds.”  Because the really important, eternal battles are spiritual, unseen, and outside our human comprehension, we should not be surprised that the unfathomable power of the weapons for battling in the spiritual realm is also incomprehensible to us.    We must remember that all we can humanly do is powerless compared to what Christ can do in and through us – if we will conform ourselves to His plan and direction.   Just obedience, doing what He teaches us to do, rather than following our flesh, what we want to do, has a high impact in the spiritual realm.  If we will really be so gracious and forgiving as to turn the other cheek rather than strike back out of offense, the enemy has lost his power and control over us in that place!

Impact On Me

“Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy and every imposing defense that men erect against the true knowledge of God.  We even fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ.”  So, I see from this that much of the battle is in my mind, what I believe, what I hear and accept, how I hold the line against anything that opposes the authority of Christ.  When Jesus walked this earth, He did this by filling His mind with the Word of God and doing only what He saw His Father do.  This was the weapon He used very effectively against the tempter in the wilderness.  I have never gone wrong by following His example. 

I must remember that human weapons are powerless against spiritual enemies, useless in eternal battles.  Jesus tells me that His word and my  trusting obedience, regardless of my circumstances or experience, what I can see or hear, the Goliath size challenge that I face, are far more powerful, even capable of “demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture…for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”   The challenges I face in this world, this culture, this life, would be overwhelming without the structure of life shaped by Christ in me.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, Father God, Amazing Holy Spirit, teach me to war with Your weapons.  Let my hope be in love, peace, grace, mercy and Your power in and through me to bring down everything in my life that is not rooted in the true knowledge of You.  Cause me to choose You to be my Commander.  I want to be faithful and accountable to you in all things.  Help me be intentional in the  weapons I choose for each battle, led and guided by You in how I fight, when I   fight, and the battles I choose to fight.  In Jesus’ name, make it so.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 PHILLIPS As far as we are concerned we do not wish to stand in anyone’s way, nor do we wish to bring discredit on the ministry God has given us. Indeed we want to prove ourselves genuine ministers of God whatever we have to go through—patient endurance of troubles or even disasters, being flogged or imprisoned; being mobbed, having to work like slaves, having to go without food or sleep. All this we want to meet with sincerity, with insight and patience; by sheer kindness and the Holy Spirit; with genuine love, speaking the plain truth, and living by the power of God. Our sole defence, our only weapon, is a life of integrity, whether we meet honour or dishonour, praise or blame. Called “impostors” we must be true, called “nobodies” we must be in the public eye. Never far from death, yet here we are alive, always “going through it” yet never “going under”. We know sorrow, yet our joy is inextinguishable. We have “nothing to bless ourselves with” yet we bless many others with true riches. We are penniless, and yet in reality we have everything worth having.

When It’s All Been Said and Done
Robin Mark Songwriters: Jim Cowan. For non-commercial use only.

When it’s all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth
Did I live my life for You

When it’s all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I’ve done for love’s reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord Your mercy is so great
That You look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

I will always sing Your praise
Here on earth and ever after
For You’ve shown me Heaven’s my true home
When it’s all been said and done
You’re my life when life is gone
Lord I’ll live my life for You

Observation

The Apostle Paul went through it without going under (2 Cor 11:22-30).  “ I have faced danger in city streets, danger in the desert, danger on the high seas, danger among false Christians. I have known exhaustion, pain, long vigils, hunger and thirst, going without meals, cold and lack of clothing.”   He encourages us to respond always “with sincerity, with insight and patience; by sheer kindness and the Holy Spirit; with genuine love, speaking the plain truth, and living by the power of God” – whatever the circumstances we face, trouble we meet or sacrifices required of us.  We could say that this is impossible, but Paul actually did it “living by the power of God.”

The power of God is the same power that flowed through Jesus to redeem, heal and even raise the dead – when Jesus was walking this earth in human flesh.  When we receive Jesus Christ as Messiah, Savior, the Love that Redeems, we begin to become like Him.  He was and is God in human flesh and, because He lives in us, we can choose to allow the power of God to change us into one who lives a life with and for Him.  How deep, wide and full we allow Him to live in and flow through us is up to us alone.  He died so we could be transformed from sinner into saint, finding His strength in our places of weakness and bringing out the gold from the miry clay of our lives.

Impact on Me

I have been considering how to be proven as “a genuine minister of God” when it’s all been said and done in my life.  While I don’t expect to share many of Paul’s experiences and sacrifices, there will be experiences and sacrifices I must have and make to live a life of integrity that honors and serves God and others.  I am sure my pride and selfishness will take a beating because they are major barriers to living with humility, integrity, generosity and kindness, to putting the needs of others before my own, to that patience endurance of which Paul speaks. 

When it’s all been said and done in my life, I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Servant (or slave) is not a popular word today.  It is seen as a word that strips us of rights and the ability to control our own lives.  In Paul’s time, slaves were completely subject to and at the mercy of their masters.  There was no guarantee of a good master.  As I submit each aspect of my life to Jesus and lay aside my rights in that area, I do have a guarantee of a Master Who I can trust absolutely because did the same for me on the Cross.  Why do I ever hesitate?

Prayer

Almighty God and Father, Redeemer, Loving Savior, I worship You and give You praise.  Help me to find and empty those pockets of pride and selfishness in me that keep me from submitting to You in all areas of my life.  I pray that I will be one who listens carefully for You to speak and quickly chooses to obey regardless of the cost to me.  Help me to live my life by Your power in and through me.  Make it so in Jesus’ name. 

Mark 15:42-45 MSGLate in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse.

John 19: 38-42 MSG After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So, Joseph came and took the body.  ^39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices.

Observation

It is believed that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were both serving in the Sanhedrin, the religious Jewish Council.  The Sanhedrin had as members both Pharisees and Sadducees.  The Sadducees only believed in the Law/Torah (the first five books of Moses), tended to be wealthy, ran the Temple business, bowed to the Romans to maintain their positions, and, in general, were not well liked by the common folk.  The Pharisees believed in the Law and the Prophets, and, being the scribes and lawyers, set about strictly defining and preserving the traditions of the Law.  They were commonly well-liked and respected by the people.  These two sects did not get along, but, as Jesus’ influence and teaching was a threat to both, they joined together to kill Jesus.

Joseph and Nicodemus had much to lose if they openly became disciples of Jesus.  The Romans often left crucified bodies exposed to the elements and wild birds for many days, but Jewish tradition required that the body be removed on the day of death and buried outside the walls of the city.  A crucified person was never buried in a family tomb because that would desecrate it.  Sabbath began a sunset and being even in the vicinity of a dead body would make Joseph and Nicodemus contaminated (unclean) for 7 days, preventing them from participating in any ritual of Passover Week.  So, claiming and burying the body of Jesus was risking public exposure as a disciple of Jesus, exclusion from normal life and possible loss of influence and power.  Jesus was dead.  If they did not publicly acknowledge Him alive, why risk so much now?

Impact on Me

I ask myself, “What had changed for these two?”  Certainly, there were some powerful signs at Jesus’ death – earthquake and darkness (eclipse?), the veil of the Temple torn from top to bottom.  Were these the straws that broke the back of their reluctance and fear of intimidation?  The miracles of healing, provision, deliverance and raising the dead should have been sufficient proof of His claim to Messiah and, combined with the signs at His death, may be what gave them the courage to come out publicly as His disciples.  They certainly risked it all.  These two were there at the Cross to honor and care for His body when His public disciples were nowhere to be found. 

“He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God.”  Joseph and Nicodemus were both this kind of man.  Their minds and lives were open to seeking the Kingdom of God, even if it showed up in a way that challenged them to be open to realities they didn’t understand or expect.  I have to wonder what choices I would have made in their same positions.  I want to live expectantly, always on the lookout for the kingdom of God.  Is that who I am?  Am I courageous enough to do so?  I have a different bucket load of traditions and expectations placed on me by my Christian community.  Will I be as willing to throw my position, my power, my community to the wind to follow God’s truth if it does not coincide with my current acceptable standards and traditions?  Sad to say, I am not absolutely sure.  I want to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit is asking of me, but it is my choice at every moment and in every circumstance to do so.

Prayer

God my Father, King, Redeemer, Creator, Teacher, Advocate, I worship You.  I want to be like You and live a life that honors and obeys You in all things.  I have grown up in a society that champions individual rights and achievements.  You ask me to trust You enough to be open to throwing away all of those if it is necessary to serve You and draw others to the knowledge of Christ.  Teach me to walk in Your ways, submit to Your requests of me, and be faithful regardless of the cost to me.  I want to live expectantly, always watching for Your kingdom, always open to hear Your voice.  Make it so, Lord Jesus.