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!

Seeing Jesus

Exodus 33; Proverbs 9; John 12; Ephesians 2

John’s gospel is precious to me because it reveals Jesus as the Word made flesh, God coming to us as a man. John 1:14 says that He “dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 

Exodus seems to be a contradiction to John’s statement; it says that seeing God is deadly . . .

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18–23)

However, earlier Moses and others DID see God.

Moses, Aaron, his sons and seventy of the elders went up a mountain “and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God and ate and drank.” (Exodus 24:10–11)

The OT describes others who saw God including Jacob, Gideon, Manoah and his wife who were parents of Sampson. How can this be? Could this be referring to ‘a way of seeing’ rather than the idea of mere eyes being able to see? John 12 tells of some who wanted to ‘see’ Jesus. For them, seeing meant ‘having a visit’ with Him, but did they know what they were asking?

Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (John 12:20–21)

What does it mean to ‘see’ Jesus? Lots of people did view Him with their eyes, but He talked about a greater ‘seeing’ that changed the lives of those who saw Him that way . . .

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:44–46)

Jesus uses a different word for ‘see’ that is more about a closer look than the Greeks asked for. My Bible dictionaries indicate that this is more challenging to describe. It is like gazing at something that is so startling that the viewer sees nothing else. From my study and reading, looking at Jesus this way is about seeing who He really is and being transformed by that incredible vision.

What then is this “those who see Me will die” that God said to Moses? Sinners are said to be dead in sin but isn’t it true that we are not ‘dead enough’ to stop sinning? Isn’t seeing Jesus part of what is needed to die thoroughly to sin and be given new life? If that is so, then seeing Him does produce a death, a good kind of death that sets people free to live!

I know that my old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if I have died with Christ, I believe that I will also live with him. I 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 I also must consider myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:6–11, personified)

Thank God this is the reality: seeing Jesus and fully believing in Him means death but also new life . . .

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)

APPLY: I’m in awe at this. Singing songs about seeing Jesus take on new implications. What am I really asking if not to see Jesus — and die — to self, to wanting my way, to thinking I am the center of my world! Seeing Jesus face to face takes more than a ‘visit’ — it is about intentionally and deeply looking at Him and His saving work of putting to death all that is selfish that He might more fully live in me.

NOTE: Our church is doing podcast services. Today, the pastor suggested that Covid-19 is not the end of the world — but a dry-run for the church to bring out in us what God wants us to be for one another and for His glory. Amen!

Self-view affects behavior

In studying ‘self-esteem’ I learned that the views I have affect the way that I behave. For instance, when I thought I knew more than my parents, at times I was rude to them. When I decided they were wise, my behavior changed. When I thought I was not as smart as everyone else, I worked hard in school to prove otherwise. When I thought I was not lovable, I acted like an unloved person.

In those growing up years and the years of studying self-esteem and related issues, it became important to understand what is true. I didn’t want to believe lies and act as if they were true. After putting my faith in Christ, He showed me that I needed to believe what He said about me, not what I thought, or what I thought other people thought. I believe that His view is the correct view — which also is a behavior-changer!

“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)

A dead person cannot respond to external circumstances. Temptation has no effect. Sin holds no interest. The problem is that everything but God tells me that I am not dead to those things but very much alive!

In contrast, the Word of God says my old life died with Christ. That is how I am to think — not that I am alive to sin but alive to God. This is not an easy way to think.

In the above passage, the word ‘consider’ is an accounting term in the Greek language. It means to reckon, conclude, and is related to taking inventory or keeping records. If I line up the data, I’m to put how I think and feel alongside what God says and determine which information is correct. That is, does my estimation of myself speak truth — or is what God says about me the truth?

Pride interferes with the obvious. Of course God speaks the truth, but why then do I hang on to my version of it? Is it because I think I know better? Or is it because I want to keep my ‘freedom’ to sin in the equation? Or is it because I’ve not disciplined myself to think as He thinks, putting that view of me as a dead-to-sin person deep into my sense of self? Probably all three.

^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, You are patient with me which is wonderful, but I am too content with this status quo of a self-view that avoids thinking I am dead to sin. It is like sin itself and puts me in slavery to a life that has no ‘life’ instead of real life in You. My scattered mind has always struggled with meditation but that is only an excuse. Focus me on the reality of who and what I am in You.

Jesus is enough

An odd thing happened; I read today’s devotional yesterday, so have yesterday’s reading for today. Since I’m using a digital book, I’m not sure how this occurred. Did my brain go to sleep? 
 

Actually, this morning I feel very sleepy. I want to put my head on my desk. My mind is wandering. This sense of being less than fully alert ties in to the verses for the missed reading. They are about a willing spirit in a sleepy body.

And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (Mark 14:37–42)

Some say Jesus’ question, “Are you still sleeping and resting?” is not an inquiry, but a criticism. The disciples knew they were supposed to be praying. Others say Jesus is making a statement of fact. That is, “It is enough” was used in ordinary life to mean “It is paid.” So Jesus is saying that Judas has received his money and the betrayal is at hand, a statement of fact. Their sleepiness is also a statement of fact. 

“The hour” is the hour Jesus prayed to avoid. Soon the “cup” will be given Him. This cup represents the wrath of God for all sin for all time. He’d asked if He could avoid it, but then said, “Not my will, but Thine be done” and willingly accepted it. 

Perhaps if the disciples had stayed awake and prayed with Him, they would have realized the significance of the next events. They would have known that Jesus would be arrested and crucified. They would have understood what He was doing and why He was doing it. Instead, they slept and those events surprised and shocked them.

“It is enough” could mean that prayer had settled the issue; Jesus was going to the cross to drink the cup. It could mean that He had enough time to do the Father’s will and now the end has come. It could also mean that the disciples had enough sleep and it was time for them wake up and move on to what would happen next. 

As I read and reread this passage, I get the impression that these disciples had given in to their fatigue just long enough to realize the weakness of their flesh. They wanted to pray with Jesus, but they did not have spiritual rule over their own desires. Jesus could have granted them grace to stay awake, but they needed to see and recognize their own need for His sacrifice for their sin.

I can imagine the disciples without this realization. They would tout themselves as being “His special men” and in spiritual pride, lift themselves above the rest of humanity. But they did not do this. Sleeping when Jesus needed them the most insured that they would never forget one important fact; they were sinners also.

I bow my head with this understanding. I too have betrayed my Savior, letting Him down in some very important times when I knew better, when my spirit was willing, but my flesh ruled instead. I hear Jesus say to me, “Are you still failing? It is enough. I have been betrayed by you too. I have suffered and died for you too. Your spirit has been willing only because My Spirit lives in you, but your flesh is still unable. You are a sinner, saved and forgiven, but nevertheless a sinner.”

Watchman Nee, a Chinese martyr, said that the problem with the flesh is not that it is too weak, but that it still has “a little” power. That little power continually tries to run things. However, the Word of God condemns the flesh (my old self). Instead of giving it strength for that “weak” condition, God’s solution is to crucify it with Christ.

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)

Jesus asks me to worship Him and serve with Him. I fall asleep. I fail. Will I ever come to the place where I’ve truly learned that even my best efforts are insufficient, that my flesh is weak? Will Jesus ever say to me, “It is enough” and fill me with the sense of being finished with trying to serve Him in my own weak strength?

Yet even as I ask them, I recall that these words can also be translated “It is paid” and what else can that mean now (after the garden prayer and after the cross) that Jesus has paid for my sin and failures. No matter how many times my weak flesh interferes with His will, what He did at Calvary is enough.

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Lord, what can I say? The disciples didn’t understand what was going to happen, but I understand what did happen after that sleepy night. You gave Your life to cover my sin, even the sin of falling asleep when I should be awake, and the sin of being weak (even apologizing to You for it) when I’m supposed to consider myself dead. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might serve and love You with all my heart and soul.