Pattern for Christian Growth

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah, I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:5–11)

This is a summary of the Christian life. It begins with an awareness of sin and failure, and with the Lord coming with forgiveness and giving great joy. It continues with repetition — sin exposed, forgiveness and cleansing, then great joy. 

This is not about being saved over and over, but being made clean, measuring up to the what He has already done. The sin He brings to my attention might be a current disobedience, or it might be a life-attitude that needs to go because it is hindering me from being like Jesus. Whatever the Holy Spirit reveals, I must acknowledge lest it continues to mess with this wonderful new life in Christ.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7)

 After discovering this pattern, I’ve long been convinced that this is God's way of transforming my life and the more I cooperate, the closer He seems.

Jesus. Thank You for being my Redeemer, for working on and in my life, for granting me the privilege of being Your forever child, and granting great joy even in the tough times. You are indeed all I need. 

Advantage of being weak…

God is revealing the answer to another puzzle that I’ve often thought about. It is in this passage:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8–10)

I get the last line, that He gives His strength to those who are weak and unable. The part that I’ve wondered about is being able to “boast all the more gladly” and be “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.” Like most people, those things are difficult to be content with, never mind gladly boast about them. However, this line redirects my thinking:

Who would not glory in being so weak and helpless that the Lord Jesus Christ should find no hindrance to the perfect working of His mighty power through us and in us?

With that, it is easy to see the possibility of glorying or boasting about weakness — because it means getting out of the Lord’s way, not being an obstacle to what He wants to do, even that He might use me to do it, but just getting out of His way is a big accomplishment. It means that I realize His power and wisdom are supreme and that my I-wants and efforts only hinder Him from doing the very best that can be done.

Today’s reading also says that because the work is Christ’s, the responsibility is His also. I don’t have to be concerned about the results; He can manage it all. My part is being contented like a child and guided in either leaving Him to do it, or willing to run errands at His requests.

I know a man who directs a ministry to the homeless. The work done brings glory to God and much opposition from non-Christians including government officials who are anxious to ‘fix’ the problem but do not want it done by faith-based ministries. While this makes no sense to me, the focus of this director is like the puzzle of being content with weakness, insults, and hardships. He is blasted continually yet smiles at his helplessness and puts the current calamity in the hands of the Lord. By this, God is free to work and miracles happen.

This solves another issue. Sometimes, when I am able to accept weakness and enjoy the rest in Christ that follows, I feel guilty that I am not burdened about anything. Being content sometimes seems that I’m not really serving God.

However, the emotions and actions that go with boasting in weakness are not about what I’m feeling but about the peace and contentment God gives to those who are trusting Him and not trying to ‘help’ Him or solve any issues apart from Him. It is not about taking it easy or about doing what He asks me to do. Obeying God can require complex planning and physical effort but not a sense of power, or confidence in myself, or any reactions to people or events around me. In that man who helps the homeless, I see the wonder of what God does in the life of someone who dares carry the workload Christ asks of him without carrying any mental burden. Nonchalant? Yes! Trusting Jesus? Entirely! Effective? Amazingly so!

PRAY: Jesus, this is the abundant life — working with great enthusiasm yet not being in charge or accountable for the power to do it or the results. All of that belongs to You. My job is simple: just trust You and do what You say.

Eternal Delight

What gives joy? Is it family? Creativity? Sports? Making money? Learning? None of these things are sinful in themselves, nor is it necessarily wrong to enjoy them.

Yet I am noticing about myself that the things I once enjoyed have taken on a different response in my heart. Some of them I enjoyed because of what they did for me. I liked to give out helpful information because it made me feel useful, or I liked listening to others because it created a bond between us. Now God is changing that. He wants me to delight in Him above all, and when I do that, selfish motivations (even those that appear noble) must vanish, and they do.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

In today’s devotionals, Stephan Charnock writes that, “The highest step of delight is a silencing of desire and the banquet of the soul on its desired object.”

This is a deep thought. In its context, he means God as that object of highest delight. It also seems to mean that God puts to rest all other desires as I delight myself in Him. Is this what is happening with my selfish reasons to do good things? They matter less and less as God matters more and more.

Charnock says we can delight in our desires, such as finding cheerfulness in our work, both in the process and the finishing of it. We can delight in hope, the hope that is “know so” rather than uncertainty. God’s Word assures me of spending eternity with Him. I desire that and that desire gives me delight as I contemplate thoughts of heaven and seeing the face of Jesus. Just as turning into my driveway brings home nearer, my delight in heaven increases with age because that day is closer than it was before. Even so, I can still delight in the journey.

One of my quilting friends came over yesterday. We talked about the delight of the process of making quilts. People say to us, “I don’t have the patience to make a quilt” without understanding that this creativity is not about having the finished product or being impatient to have it. It is about the journey to get there.

Life with God and delighting in Him is something like that because the journey is supposed to be a joyful journey. I enjoy the process without being impatient to get there, to be done with life. But this delight isn’t just about the journey…

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away… (Isaiah 35:10)

One day I will experience the finish of this journey called life. Unlike a finished quilt that I enjoy but usually give to someone else, life’s finish means being with God forever and experiencing everlasting delight that is mine forever.