Jesus is my endurance…

 

In “Streams in the Desert” the author tells of a deep trial in which God revealed to her the why of the agony she experienced. An old oak log in her fireplace began to ‘sing’ releasing noises that was trapped in its knotty hardened growth. She realized that those sweet sounds would not have been released if the log had not been in the fire.

This was the Lord’s way of showing her that His sweet music was like the songs of praise that flow out of hearts that are purified by trials, something like the singing of Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16) but even more — like Jesus who died on the Cross and out of that great pain brought forth the sweetest music of all time, the song of forgiveness and eternal life.

This story speaks to me of two things. One is that my trials are to produce the music of Jesus, His very goodness comes forth when my hard heart is totally yielded to Him in that fire.

It also speaks to me of the yielding. That log had no choice. It was in the fire and it could burn without a sound, but it yielded a song. I can be the opposite — silently enduring, making no music. Or I can deny myself and let the trial be my cross, my place of dying to self where music can come forth.

Today’s devotion says that trusting Jesus is both simple and very difficult. The old nature continually resists. When Jesus said to take up my cross, He was not talking about the challenge of obedience being a difficult cross, but the challenge of death to self and being willing to obey, even dying for Jesus.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24–26)

Some have assumed that “taking up the cross” means doing the will of God and the challenge of obedience is the ‘cross’  but that is not the main idea. While obedience means giving up what I want to do, the heavy burden is not in obeying God but dying to sin. That old nature resists death rather than welcomes it. As for obedience, Jesus said:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

He never indicated that taking up His cross is about serving Him. Instead, it is about leaving me, myself, and I out of it. Doing His will is a delight and the abundant life. Denying myself is a battle and all about death.

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:38–39)

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:6–11)

This is where I always need to remember that facts pull the train and faith follows facts, not feelings. The old nature bases its desires on what feels good or what I think will feel good. The new person in Christ bases its desires on the will of God and considers the old nature a bothersome noise and a slave to sin. But that slave is dead.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

PRAY: Lord, that old nature already died on the cross in You. I need to take up that cross and quit trying to retain anything of that old life. This is a wonder and a joy. May I stop fighting to keep a dead thing alive, always remembering I was crucified with You, but also that “if I endure, I will also reign with You” (2 Timothy 2:12) — and not only that, You are my endurance!

Want to be a king?

 

The Bible calls David “a man after God’s own heart” a description that many Christians desire for themselves. However, David was special in another way; God made a COVENANT with him and only his descendants. They were given the right to the throne in Jerusalem and that line of kings would culminate in the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

The first promise put an emphasis on Solomon, the repeat below puts the emphasis on the Messiah:

And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’ ” (1 Chronicles 17:10–14)

This dynasty would be eternal beginning with Solomon, not any of David’s other sons, and he would build the temple, not David. Earlier, Saul sinned and the throne was taken from him. Even though Solomon’s sins were more serious, this kingdom remained in David’s line, showing the nature of an unconditional covenant. This throne would later belong to a sinless Son who rules forever.

In the Edenic Covenant, the Messiah would be of the woman’s Seed, then in Abrahamic Covenant, the Messiah would be the Seed of Abraham, then later limited to a member of the tribe of Judah, then the family of David. Many Scripture passages confirm this covenant.

In it, the Davidic king takes the role of God’s vice-regent. In other words, the earthly sovereign’s rule is to be an expression of God’s sovereign will. The Israelite kings did not have absolute authority over anything; their rule must always be subordinate to Yahweh’s will as revealed through the Torah and the prophets.

When Jesus came, He often spoke of doing His Father’s will. He prayed: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) His attitude was that of a servant, not ‘the boss’ because, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) as He said, “Not my will but thine be done.”

Because of His obedience, the Father gave “all things into His hand” and exalted Him above all yet, “When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)

These verses tell me the amazing attitude of Jesus and describe what it means to be like Him. The snake in Eden told Eve if she disobeyed God, she would be like God yet no human can be like God. He is omnipotent, everywhere present, knows the hairs on every head. But the Bible affirms that God’s people, when we see Jesus, we will be like Him, God the Son:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. As this verse says, seeing Jesus transforms lives. One day, I will fully see Him and be like Him —without sin (what a glory) which is now impossible for none of us are totally subordinate to the Father’s will. Even though the Davidic Covenant required this of the kings, they also failed. Yet God kept His part of the covenant and finally put a perfect King on the throne, not only for Israel but for His kingdom in this world and in the heavenly realm.

And this is another promise from God: “If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us.” (2 Timothy 2:12) On that day when I and all of His servants see his face, “His name will be on our foreheads. And night will be no more. We will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be our light, and we will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:4–5) The promise was to David’s line leading to the One who now lives in me and makes me an heir to all that is His, even reigning with Him. But all that is for later. For now, He tells me to purify myself, which seems a never-ending task yet His keeps His promises; I will reign with Him!