LizG – Page 30 – Pressing On In His Footsteps

On Being An Eyewitness

1 John 1:3-7 MSG We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy! ⁵This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him. ^6-7If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

Observation

Shouldn’t we be full of joy when we are full of God, basking in the love and grace of God, adopted by Him as His own? So often we forget to celebrate our exalted place in Him and are distracted and deceived by the “benefits” offered by the world around us, which then become idols we worship in place of God.

The Old Testament prophets predicted God executing judgment on nations that were arrogant, comfortable, faithless – “You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes? But it won’t help you now.” (Jeremiah 48) That is one of the hazards of resting in or getting comfortable believing blessing will continue indefinitely – taking for granted what God provides – thinking that God is soft and has forgotten how to administer tough love for the sake of salvation or redemption.

When we forget the source of our blessing and think that we have somehow earned our status in the throne room, God will love us enough to allow us to fall or wander into trouble, trial or persecution so we recognize where we will end up on our own without His protection, grace, provision, power. Doing what we know to be right in order to be blessed is not the best but will do. The best is to return God’s love freely and abundantly by trusting Him absolutely, being like Him by loving the unlovely and lovely alike, by letting Him be in charge of our lives – whether pleasure or pain, whether comfortable or uncomfortable, whether easy or hard – and letting Him weigh the cost to us according to His plan, purpose and will.

Impact on Me

To me, the love God wants returned to Him is one of obedience rooted in faith – saying yes before He asks, without requiring explanation, knowing that He is faithful, trustworthy, and loving. So, in this I celebrate that I am chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed – His treasure. I rejoice that my life is hid with Christ in God – what a thought! How safe is that? Should I hide this treasure, this joy, this amazing free gift or put it all on display? If God is light, should I hide Him under a bushel as though I were ashamed or let Him shine so that others may also come out of the same darkness I did? Shouldn’t I share this hope so that others can embrace this treasure, too? How do I value this light and life if I don’t share it?

Prayer

Lord, I do not want to stand before You on That Day and hear, “You got too comfortable and took Me for granted,” or “You did not value the treasure of Me enough to ache for others to know Me, too,” or “You were ashamed of Me.” I want to hear You say that I gave You joy in Your heart through my words and actions, that many came to know You because they met You in me, and that I was a good, faithful servant who followed through gladly on Your requests of me. I want to hear that You are pleased with the way I loved and cared for both the Body of Christ and those who did not know You. I want the fragrance of my life and worship to fill the house so that everyone will be drawn to the aroma and find Christ. Lord, I want to come to You with nothing left – because I withheld nothing from You, because I was constantly refilled by Your Spirit, because I allowed Your strength to flow through my weakness. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Make it so.

On True Worship

John 4:23-24. MSG. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT. ¹⁶I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. ¹⁷Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, ¹⁸yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! ¹⁹The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.

Observation

Merriam Webster defines worship as (1) reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; (2) an act of expressing reverence; and (3) to adore, idolize, esteem worthy, give homage. The worship Jesus and Habakkuk describe in these verses surpasses the mere visible act of showing reverence by raising hands or singing or even serving others. These verses elevate worship to an attitude of the very heart rooted in faith, trusting in God’s wisdom, His goodness, and His plan, unshaken by circumstances, undaunted by whatever enemies or authorities arise to exert power over or control us.

This worship is one that can “count it all joy” and find God sufficient in all circumstances.
This worship does not hinge on how blessed we feel or appear, or the godliness or godlessness of the authorities which rule over us, or our physical comfort and well-being or whether we like the way the church looks, the style of music during the service or what else the church provides.
This worship permeates our lives, flows from within rooted in a deep and abiding gratitude, love, hope and trust, and brings us to a place where we can submit completely to being an instrument in the hand of God to fulfill His will and purpose regardless of the cost to ourselves (Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Yet not My will, but Your will, be done. – Luke 22:42).

If we truly want to be like Jesus, this worship is what we must seek to embrace, allowing it to flow outward from spirit through soul to be evidenced in our lives 24/7/365.

Impact on Me

In 2000, we were in a church that was transitioning from a long-time pastor to a very young new one. We were on the leadership team and many of our members were honestly burnt out, tired, and discouraged. The new pastor chose to find long distance advice and support which encouraged him to reject the current leadership team and go it on his own. This caused a great deal of upheaval, confusion and hurt for all of us who were highly invested in that fellowship. As John and I prayed, the Holy Spirit was firm in insisting we stay in that fellowship without complaining UNTIL we were healed of our offense and able to honestly bless and encourage the new ministry.

During our healing process (we found out that this is really God’s prescribed treatment) we were to pray for the pastor and congregation and ourselves to grow in godliness, continue to bless, edify, and encourage the pastor and others until we came to a place of love, grace, mercy, compassion where we could truly bless the new pastor as we left. May I say that this was not the answer we wanted to hear or the plan we would have chosen on our own!!! However, the Holy Spirit taught me so much in those months about true worship.

I learned that true worship will not be impacted by my circumstances, feelings, surroundings, or outside influences because true worship is between God and me alone; the depth, quality, authenticity, and truth of my worship hinges on my relationship with my Savior, my submission to Him as Lord, and my desire, commitment, and faithfulness to glorify Him in all I do. This requires that I offer up my pride, my plans or need to have my own way, as a sacrifice, trusting in God’s plan, provision, or prescription instead of my own – REGARDLESS of what the cost is to me. The book of Habakkuk is his journey from doubt to this kind of worsip, this unshakeable faith and hope.

I can only speak for myself, but I find that my pride always dies kicking and screaming, telling me that the price is too high or that I will have to give up too much. I hear the voice saying I deserve to be offended at being treated unfairly or being disrespected. I hear that I have a right to hold a grudge or work revenge against one who has wronged me. It is my choice whether I embrace God’s plan or my own. However, when I choose His, as I go through the process and stand over another dead piece of my pride, I find that I feel lighter, cleaner, freer, more peaceful, more hopeful, more grateful, more joyful, more secure in Christ. After 5 months, we were able to ask the pastor to release us without any rancor in our souls and move on. While I really don’t desire to walk that path again, I treasure the lessons learned, the depths of relationship gained.

Prayer

Lord, may I learn to rejoice in You always regardless of my current circumstances, regardless of what the future seems to hold, regardless of those who rule over me, regardless of how I feel or the results I want. When I am tempted to listen to the voice of my pride and my selfish desires, remind me of Your prayer in the garden as You faced the horror of the Cross for my sake and the sake of all mankind. Give me the courage, wisdom, strength and grace to worship You 24/7/365 so You may be glorified in all I do. I pray that others may come to know You because they meet You in me. I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.

On Forsaken

Psalm 22:1-5, 22-24 NIV ¹My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? ²My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. ³Yet You are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the one Israel praises. ⁴In You our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and You delivered them. ⁵To You they cried out and were saved; in You they trusted and were not put to shame…²²I will declare Your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise You. ²³You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! Revere Him, all you descendants of Israel! ²⁴For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

Matthew 27:45-46 NIV ⁴⁵From noon until three in the afternoon darkness^(B) came over all the land. ⁴⁶About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Observation

I have heard many speculations about what these words of Jesus on the Cross mean. These words cannot mean that God turned away or separated Himself from Jesus because a holy God cannot look on sin because He looks on sin and sinners every day. “²⁴For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” If God cannot look on sin, how did Satan, the embodiment of evil, stand in God’s presence when they discussed Job (Job 2:1-2 NKJV). What the Word does tell us that God cannot look favorably upon sin. If “forsaken” means that the rest of the Trinity has severed relationship with Jesus, then the Cross was meaningless because Jesus was just a man at that point and unable to pay the price. The Word tells us that Jesus was fully man and fully God (Colossians 2:8-10 NIV). That never changed. “Forsaken” in the psalms generally means that God has allowed one to fall into the control of the enemy. This certainly fits here.

The most astounding part of this redemptive sacrifice is that God, in the person of His Son Who was fully God and fully Man, put Himself on the Cross to pay the required price and suffer the wrath for the sake of all sinners to have the choice to be rescued, restored, redeemed. Jesus endured unspeakable anguish and agony as He absorbed God’s judgmental wrath (in God’s presence) so that we would never have to absorb the wrath we deserve in His presence. This mystery of the triune God – 3 persons in one – must mean that the Father and the Holy Spirit participated in this sacrifice, fully present with Jesus on the Cross and in the Resurrection to come.

Impact on Me

I still had questions as to why Jesus cried out that He was forsaken. I have learned that Psalm 22, 23 and 24 are called the “Shepherd Psalms” and are memorized by Jewish boys for their Bar Mitzvah. When Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1, it was like me saying, “Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name….” I know what follows those words; you probably do, too! The religious leaders certainly knew what Jesus meant. I started reading the 3 psalms together as one piece and found that they are about God’s care for His creatures and Jesus’ victory, not defeat or abandonment. This just reminded me about the critical importance of context, of seeking to understand cultural customs and idioms, those unspoken you-understood phrases and actions that are foreign to me but fully understood by those of Jesus’ time.

I came to understand that God, Who is Love and the Creator of us all, Who promised to never leave or forsake us, poured out His wrath upon Himself so that I can avoid His wrath and choose grace by embracing Christ as Savior. This is the most remarkable offer and would be too good to be true if God was not the One making it. I don’t know why the Cross was the price but I am grateful that my God was willing to pay it.

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, Father, Son and Spirit, I bow to Your plan and purpose for my life even when the circumstances seem to scream “DEFEAT!” I know that You are not the author of war, famine, pain, sickness and all the other evils of this world AND I know that You are working all things together for good regardless of what I think. I would not have put Jesus on the Cross as a way to salvation and victory, and yet it is the pivot point of history, providing me with a choice between life and death when the only choice before was death. Search me and know me, guide me and lead me in righteousness. I submit to Your plan. In Jesus’ name, make it so.

On Who Would Have Thought

Isaiah 53:1-12 MSG Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field.  There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look.  He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.  One look at him and people turned away.  We looked down on him, thought he was scum.  
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.  We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures.  But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!  He took the punishment, and that made us whole.  Through his bruises we get healed.  
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.  We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.  And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him.

^7-9He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn’t say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off—and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true.

¹⁰Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

^11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul, he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many “righteous ones,” as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—the best of everything, the highest honors—Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

Observation

“Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?…it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed…He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people…Even though he’d never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn’t true. Still, it’s what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.”

The popular image of Messiah in Jesus’ time was a warrior king who would set His people free from the oppression of Roman rule. This chapter was obviously ignored and/or misunderstood. How often do we do the same thing? We look for scripture passages that reinforce our fix for the circumstances we deem need to be changed, telling God how we think He should move in a situation, and ignore the ones we don’t understand, don’t fit our plan or might be taxing emotionally or physically. I am sure the followers of Jesus would not have understood or agreed with the Savior-On-A-Cross plan as a way to salvation and deliverance. Because their insight, like ours, is limited (temporal, short-sighted by eternal standards), they (and we) often forget that God has an eternal perspective and a plan that is not shaken or adjusted or challenged by circumstances or what people might think.

Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was the pivot point of history. How difficult it must have been for His disciples to be faced with the enigma of a crucified Savior, something so incongruous, so mutually exclusive. Yet, this was and continues to be God’s one and only plan carried out to perfection.

Impact on Me

Good Friday, the day we commemorate the sacrifice in this chapter of Isaiah, is such a holy day for me. I am so grateful, forever grateful, that God made a way to restore the relationship He established in the Garden of Eden through paying a price none of us could pay. I am overwhelmed by the love, the undeserved grace and mercy available because of Jesus’ willingness to suffer and die for all those who embrace this sacrifice!

It is so astounding to me that God’s plan made Jesus the sacrifice – the innocent dying for the guilty. My mind cannot fathom the depth of that kind of mercy. Then, to add to the staggering nature of His grace, He adopts me as His child rather than holding me as His servant until I could pay the price of my freedom. All for free because Jesus took the redemption price on Him, on Him. Will I be asked to sacrifice, to change, to leave my sin habits behind, to walk by faith into unknown places with unknown consequences, YES, but I will also know that Jesus goes with me always.

I know that you cannot separate the Crucifixion from the Resurrection, the crucified from the risen Savior, because both are key to God’s plan to redeem, restore and reconcile humankind to Him. However, if you are looking for me, go to the Cross. I want to embrace the Cross in such a way that I become bloody so that when I hug someone else, they become bloody, too. I want them to be changed and redeemed, forever grateful as am I.

Prayer

Father God, You are so merciful, so wise, so loving, so gracious. How many times I have questioned Your ways, Your response in desperate and destructive situations, Your seeming slowness to respond! Forgive me for thinking that I can fix anyone or any situation without getting in sync with Your plan first. Help me to understand and surrender to Your will and Your purpose for me so that You can use me as an instrument of redemption. Thank You for the Cross and the Resurrection. May I always be grateful and respond in kind with Your mercy and love. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

On Forgiving My Enemy

Matthew 5:43-48 MSG ^43-47“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. ⁴⁸“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

Luke 23:34 MSG Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Observation

The Word of God was given to us not for what it would mean to us (trying to rationalize through human experience), but, rather, for what it would mean for us in revealing the Lord’s perspective. In other words, His words are not to be interpreted from my “humanly possible” perspective, but, rather, to give me insight into His “nothing is impossible” one. These passages are a perfect example of how God’s perspective challenges me to be less human and more supernatural – trusting in Him and allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to make me more like Jesus so I function as He intends in the Body of Christ.

So, returning love to those who hurt, attack, despise and use you (or someone you care for) seems impossible from a human standpoint. It is incredibly difficult to look past the face and actions of an enemy to see the chains that bind him or her. But Jesus did just that on the Cross. “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” Jesus said this about the man who drive the nails in His hands, the man who held the whip, Pontius Pilate, the religious leaders, those who yelled, “Crucify!” and all of us who were yet to come.

Loving our enemies does not mean submitting to physical abuse or enabling them to avoid the consequences of their actions. “When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves.” Loving them requires us to forgive them and pray for their healing and deliverance – a nearly impossible feat without choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s perspective in our most human moments and choosing in His strength to journey in that direction. The road may seem long, steep and treacherous, but it is worth the taking.

Impact on Me

I confess that there are people that I find hard to forgive because of the wounds they have created by word and deed. I have rationalized wishing harm on someone who hurt me (or others for whom I care dearly) and clothed it in my mind as justice. I am sure there are people that feel the same toward me. We are none of us without fault. But, if we want to be more like Jesus, then we need to see others through God’s perspective. “He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. “

So, I want to learn to look past the visible or invisible wound to me and attempt to see the soul, gaining compassion for those so wounded that they would choose to attack or harm another – verbally or physically. I want to be to others as Jesus has been to me – so gracious and generous when I did not deserve it. “Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” I have not yet arrived at this place, but I sincerely want to go there.

Prayer

Good, gracious, generous, loving God, how easily I forget the undeserved grace I received when I am wounded by another. How difficult it is for me to forgive those who make themselves my enemy and spitefully use me, but You say this forgiving, this grace and mercy, makes me more like Jesus, more effective in His Body, more beneficial to Your kingdom. So, I ask You to search me and find those ungracious and stingy thoughts, those wounds that need to be healed, so I may allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in me so I can fulfill Your will and purpose in my life. Make it so, in Jeus’ name.