A bold prayer
It seems like life is a road of one trial after another. But do I view that right? Am I not supposed to share in Christ’s sufferings as I share in His joy, peace and love? Or, as Job put it, can we take the good from the Lord and not the bad? (Can I take the good, the bad and the ugly? J )
I am learning to lean on Him. I am learning to turn to Him first, to use His guidance as the filter from which I perceive all things. I am learning to stand on truth rather than my seemingly all-controlling feelings. None of this is easy; it takes discipline, a surrendering of my self and truly understanding that most things are a choice, not a mere feeling or chance.
I am tired of underestimating the power of the Spirit in me, and failing to grasp that the gospel is more than salvation for eternal life. It is salvation from myself (my will, my flesh, my crooked thoughts and wayward spirit). The abundant life is for NOW through Christ. He died on that cross to change me, to FREE me from myself, to live in the knowledge and truth that I am new. All else is…well, lies. A good friend of mine was sharing that the Greek meaning of “believe” in the New Testament is a continuous action tense. This means that it is not merely about saying I believe and praying the prayer once, but day in and day out putting that belief into action. Billy Graham once said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. THAT is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” This isn’t just doing things we shouldn’t, but NOT doing things we should. Or, in technical terms, the sins we commit are not merely sins of commission, but also of omission. It’s not sharing the gospel when the Spirit prompts me to or not encouraging a good friend because my pride is rearing its ugly head.
Our walk is not so greatly enriched by comfort or prosperity as it is by adversity and hardship. For in adversity, we find the true measure of our faith, our surrender and our willingness to go “through the wilderness” with God. Let us not dress Christianity like the culture. It is different; Christ lived differently. Let us not justify our drinking habits; our desire to “not miss out on fun”, by saying it is ministry. When was the last time you shared the gospel downtown? We are to be a lily among thorns. We are to be the salt among the earth and the light in the darkness. Are we blending in? Yes, Jesus was with sinners, but He never forgot WHY He was there and always spoke love and truth simultaneously.
This entry seems to be jumping all over, but I think there is a connection. Through adversity I have been refined in the fire and seen that which had to be removed. It was quite a bit of the culture, of pride, of justification on my part, of blending in; more than I would like to admit. We usually don’t see our sin for what it worth until we shed the skin of self and walk in the Spirit of Christ. Being human, I refused to shed that skin until the harsh winds of adversity removed it.
So let us pray a bold prayer, let us ask that we would be broken, tested and tried so that we may come out less like ourselves and more like Christ in the end. Let us not settle for complacency. He wants more of us. Shouldn’t we?
His, Kate
I am learning to lean on Him. I am learning to turn to Him first, to use His guidance as the filter from which I perceive all things. I am learning to stand on truth rather than my seemingly all-controlling feelings. None of this is easy; it takes discipline, a surrendering of my self and truly understanding that most things are a choice, not a mere feeling or chance.
I am tired of underestimating the power of the Spirit in me, and failing to grasp that the gospel is more than salvation for eternal life. It is salvation from myself (my will, my flesh, my crooked thoughts and wayward spirit). The abundant life is for NOW through Christ. He died on that cross to change me, to FREE me from myself, to live in the knowledge and truth that I am new. All else is…well, lies. A good friend of mine was sharing that the Greek meaning of “believe” in the New Testament is a continuous action tense. This means that it is not merely about saying I believe and praying the prayer once, but day in and day out putting that belief into action. Billy Graham once said, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. THAT is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” This isn’t just doing things we shouldn’t, but NOT doing things we should. Or, in technical terms, the sins we commit are not merely sins of commission, but also of omission. It’s not sharing the gospel when the Spirit prompts me to or not encouraging a good friend because my pride is rearing its ugly head.
Our walk is not so greatly enriched by comfort or prosperity as it is by adversity and hardship. For in adversity, we find the true measure of our faith, our surrender and our willingness to go “through the wilderness” with God. Let us not dress Christianity like the culture. It is different; Christ lived differently. Let us not justify our drinking habits; our desire to “not miss out on fun”, by saying it is ministry. When was the last time you shared the gospel downtown? We are to be a lily among thorns. We are to be the salt among the earth and the light in the darkness. Are we blending in? Yes, Jesus was with sinners, but He never forgot WHY He was there and always spoke love and truth simultaneously.
This entry seems to be jumping all over, but I think there is a connection. Through adversity I have been refined in the fire and seen that which had to be removed. It was quite a bit of the culture, of pride, of justification on my part, of blending in; more than I would like to admit. We usually don’t see our sin for what it worth until we shed the skin of self and walk in the Spirit of Christ. Being human, I refused to shed that skin until the harsh winds of adversity removed it.
So let us pray a bold prayer, let us ask that we would be broken, tested and tried so that we may come out less like ourselves and more like Christ in the end. Let us not settle for complacency. He wants more of us. Shouldn’t we?
His, Kate
posted by Kate at 11:47 AM
8 Comments:
I shared Christ downtown tonight! As most nights. Rip into that if you like, but it's effects on eternity are as much as if I wouldn't have gone. Although I like what you say about the greek form of "believe" because I did a study on it a number of years ago and I found the same thing. It is a life of worship and action, and not just a prayer or a fleeting feeling!
I am replying to the bold prayer at the end of your entry. "Let us ask that we can be broken." I want to get to the point where I can embrace my weaknesses. I want to see myself as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Even though he asked God to remove the thorn in his side, God replied with a no: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I want to be able to "boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." I want to get to the point where I can DARE Satan to try to tempt me only to be crushed by the power of the Lord. I want to embrace my weaknesses to the point where I look forward to being incompetent only to see Him work through my leaky spots. God knows that I have weaknesses and He will use those for His glory. He won't necessarily take away my insecutires or weaknesses because through those He can be all that much more glorified! I have struggles, but I am going to embrace them and tell Satan that instead of letting him use those weaknesses to consume me, I will let my God use them to comfort me. To show me that everything will be ok because His grace is sufficient for me, and while I am imperfect His power can be made PERFECT!
A reply to the first commenter,
I seemed to have offended you. I have no desire to "rip into that". Instead I say, well done, if you shared Christ, His death and ressurection and our need for Him downtown! I have heard of few who truly do go downtown for the purpose of sharing Christ, and many more who go downtown with the purpose of having fun and using Christ as a justification.
My words were a challenge for those who do go downtown, to look at their real motives.
Kate
Way to go Kate! Occaisonally i go downtown to share the gospel witih people. I think the difficult things is to realize the old cliche; actions speak louder than words. We must be careful when we are sharing Christ with our mouths to not be sharing the work of satan with our lives, i've seen that rip people to shreds and cause them to go back on things they had once said. Nice use of the Billy Graham quote! Don't give him a foothold, he's stronger than me, but not at all greater than Him who is in me! I boast in Christ, who is the lilly among thorns, my Redeemer, my Lord, the One who has given me everything and is my everything. What else is there?
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4
I just kinda wanted to get back to the begining of the blog, and talk about suffering. The longer I have lived, and the more I get to know Jesus, I see suffering as one of the most basic and essential parts of the Christian faith. I know as well as anybody that Kate has suffered ALOT within the past couple years, and I also know how much she has grown and matured through it. Seeing her life change through Gods sovereign grace in suffering, has shown me part of Gods heart with having us suffer. I life devout to God will include suffering, whether its by persectution, sickness, death of a loved one, jail, or shipwreck (Paul had many of these), and God even promises suffering too us in Acts 9:16 when he says about Paul, "I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." This verse shows us a few things, first of all, we are going to suffer and second it will by the Hand of God. I think this is where "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God" comes from (Hebrews 10:31)... not really, but God power is a fearful thing, for the believers and unbelievers alike.
Suffering is done for our good, and we go through it for Gods glory. James 1:2-4 shows Gods reasoning for suffering, and gives us how we should react to the suffering. God is making us complete and lacking nothing, which is a good thing. As I just heard in a song (I find this more profound than you probobly will, but I love it) recently, "broken all the chosen so we know in God we trust."
The path through suffering is hard, and counting it joy is even harder. And yet, God calls us to have joy. A seemingly impossible request, but SUB KOOCH HO SAK-EE DEY (all things are possible with God). I know Paul found joy in all circumstances. So, I guess I would like to ask the question out to anyone who reads this, how do we find joy through and even because of suffering? Any and all comments are very welcome.
Jeremy
This is an excellent question Jeremy! I don't know a lot but I do know that suffering is a blessing if we stand on the rock that is Christ Jesus. There is such a strong connection between suffering and true joy. I say TRUE joy because it is not happiness we are after but holiness and joy in Him. I believe the connection is because we are striped of all false joy and all that is left is Who God is. Why does it take suffering to bring us to the point where we KNOW He is all we have and more importantly He is all we need?
I think we can also find joy in the fact that we are made into a display of His glory if we cling to Him through the suffering. Our ultimate aim is to be His glorification-and He will chose how that is best done in the life He has given us.
Many times I have had to cling to the promise that I will be made more like Christ in my sufferings and "come forth as gold" as Job says it. Joy because of suffering comes from the realization that through it I am becoming less of me and more of Him. That is indeed a VERY joyous thing!!!
I must explain that I often fail in finding joy through trials. But He picks me up and proves again to me that His grace is sufficient. I have hit rock-bottom many times through the past 2 years; but I have found Him there to carry me.
The question should not be WHY we suffer, but THANK YOU Lord for counting me worthy through Christ to share in His sufferings. This is my daily challenge.
In Him, Kate
Most Honoured Brothers and Sisters,
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you all through the name of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.
Most wonderful post and comments (save for the first one) and I thank you all for the edification and encouragement they have offered. I write in response to the whole concept of suffering and how that fits into the pious obedient life and more specifically to Jeremy’s question. God knows that I have not faced trials of many kinds, nor have I truly taken on the sufferings of Christ in any real tangible way, for my sufferings are all too often a direct result of my own sin, but I write hopefully with the backing of scripture to which I must make all appeals. I think firstly, the Christian (and I will not say the reprobate for they have no reason to rejoice in suffering) should be thankful simply because God meets us through suffering. So often, the prayers of the beloved is that God would come to us, that he would speak to us, and often God chooses suffering as that means. We should be eternally grateful whether God speaks to us with a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12) or with rod and staff (Psalm 23:4) that indeed he has spoken to us. It is often stated that Martin Luther would beseech the Lord to speak in any way he pleased, so long as he did not remain silent. Should this not also be our prayer? Should this not also be that which we cry out in faith? How joyful should our souls be whenever God chooses to meet with us!
Secondly, I think that joy is found in suffering when we view it through an eternal perspective. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God,” (Romans 8:18-19). Creation itself longs and eagerly awaits the day when the Lamb shall descend Mount Zion and the elect shall be called to the wedding feast, the mountains and the hills break forth in singing and the trees of the field clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12) as this day approaches. The rocks on the riverbed, the ant that crawls upon the ground, the spider that spins its web in lofty halls, the horse that runs through the open field, the bird that perches in the branches, ALL of creation awaits this day. Can we not gain a perspective on this? Can we not view our own sufferings through the lenses of eternity? Because when we do, surely we shall say with Paul that our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that that we shall see.
Thirdly, our joy lies in another quarter, it lies in the fact that if we do indeed suffer for the name of Christ, then truly we have been marked as a participant in the divine covenant of grace, through the atonement of Christ. “He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in him,” (1 Corinthians 5:21). Through faith we have been justified and all our iniquities and our sins have not only been infused but have been imputed to our blessed Saviour, and likewise all of Christ has been imputed to us, his good works, his merits, his righteousness, and yea even his sufferings. Count yourself blessed if God has chosen to make you suffer for but a time, for we know that it is preparing us for a crown of righteousness, blessed be his name.
We often look at suffering as a negative thing, we often account someone cursed who has undergone ailments and affliction and yet quite possibly perhaps these are the most saintly people about us. For God the Father who spared not his own blessed Son from suffering should find it necessary and proper to afflict us with suffering how blessed we are! And remember what the author of Hebrews says, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” (vs 7-9). So let those of us who are weary in suffering lift our feeble heads, for the day of our reckoning is near. Surely the time is coming swiftly when we shall step from this land into that which is eternal and we shall look back upon all that we have been through, trials, persecution, sufferings, and affliction and we shall see then clearly, no longer a dim reflection, that if Christ had chosen to do otherwise with us we would not have come to his glorious throne.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28).~Reformed Tulip
If we had to come up with a definition, how would we define suffering? Is it anything that doesn't go right? Is it anything that exemplifies the fallen condition of this world? Is it any hardship with spiritual ramifications? Is it all or none of these things?
Post a Comment
<< Home