No One like Him!

Today Tozer’s words direct my thoughts to God in a way that is deeper than normal. He writes about holiness and says the original root word was about something beyond, strange, mysterious and awe-inspiring. That is, the holiness of God is heavenly, awesome, yet mysterious and fear-inspiring. I sit for a moment thinking about this — and worship. Who is like our God? No one. There is no one like Him.

Then Tozer says, “Now, this is supreme when it relates to God, but it is also marked in men of God and deepens as men become more like God . . . Holiness is not a condition wrought in us. It is simply the Holy One in us ruling, filling.”

When I read the command to be holy as God is holy, my mind cannot comprehend it. God says it and it must be possible, yet my knowledge of myself would produce laughter if this were not such a serious matter. As incredulous as it seems, it explains why the monks isolated themselves from the world and why many Christians stop at this point and throw their hands in the air. Capitulating to ‘being like everyone else’ is far easier and far more appealing than being a holy person like God. Who can imagine being mysterious, heavenly, and awe-inspiring?

Yet God says this is for each of His children — holiness and blessed in Jesus Christ . . .

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3–6)

The first phrases of this passage may be the clue to taking a better stab at it. Paul says, “Blessed be the God . . . who has blessed us . . .  chose us . . . predestined us . . . to the praise of His grace.”

My eyes are more often on myself and my performance. I focus on what I must do — be holy and blameless — and who I am rather than on the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ who makes all these things possible. It isn’t about my efforts or plans or glory; it is about what He does and can do and will do. It is about praising Him, bowing to His will, and giving Him glory.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You have granted every spiritual blessing so Your followers can be holy and blameless. I am Your child for the purpose of fulfilling Your plans and giving You glory. I must decrease. You must increase. Forgive the self-focus and keep my eyes, thoughts, words and all I do turned toward You.

My empty platter

When I was a child, I had an illness that was life-threatening. The doctors told my parents that I would die before my 16^th birthday. Because of that, I was sheltered and not given much instruction on how to live.

Years after proving the doctors wrong, I felt like I was missing out. I didn’t know how to deal with many issues of life and was unprepared for things that happened in school and after school. Constantly feeling like I was flying by the seat of my pants was at first ‘normal’ but after a while I realized that for me, this was a deeper issue than it was for my siblings and others. I continually felt as if I had nothing to offer.

During a class at Bible school, when I was already a grandmother, this verse made an impact on my life. I suddenly became aware that the way I felt was not as bad as it seemed. In fact, it was good preparation for a life of following Jesus Christ . . .

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us. (Psalm 123:2)

As Chambers says, this verse is a description of entire reliance upon God. I’d felt like a servant with an empty platter, but realized all God wanted from me was to wait for Him to fill it, then deliver what He put on it to others. What a relief!

Of course that emptiness was partly due to being a spoiled child. My parents thought I would die young and over-compensated by indulgence. After I became a Christian at age 29, I thought God would do the same. Feeling empty was not a good motivation for telling God what to give me. I also needed to realize that God was always the One to decide what I should do. He knew what I needed to fill my sense of uselessness. I only thought I knew what I needed.

I learned the hard way that the human spirit has this “I will do it myself” attitude that God calls sin. Feeling empty didn’t fix that; it only made me try harder, at least for awhile. At the same time, God gave me a desire to serve Him and do it according to His way, not my way. These also have been difficult lessons.

In the final analysis, God says I must keep my eyes on Him — like the servant looks to his Master — and when He fills my empty platter, that is a mercy; I do not deserve nor can I earn even the least of His blessings.

Dancing to God’s Music

Most of us like to be encouraged and to encourage others. However, I’ve noticed that the people who have encouraged me the most did not realize they were doing it. Their focus was not on my need or their performance. They were excited about truth and shared it. Had they been made aware of the effect they were having on my heart, it would likely have downplayed or even ruined their efforts.

To be strong and useful to God, the human spirit must keep its eyes on Jesus. Otherwise, the Christian’s heart is so easily weakened by self-examination. This is one of the reasons Jesus said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

Poverty of spirit means total recognition and awareness that I have no strength of will, no control of emotions, no wisdom, no nobility of disposition, no trust in myself or my abilities, yet at the same time I am not focusing on my nothingness — for that is self-centered just as much as boasting. Instead, the focus is on the One who gives me all that I need by grace through faith.

Again, the people who have influenced me the most are not those who realize what they have done, but those who have no idea that they were a blessing. In their minds, they are insignificant, yet not even conscious of that.

This attitude is difficult to explain. Perhaps a child at play is the best illustration. The music starts and the child whirls and dances, lost in what he or she is doing. The moment someone says, “Oh, how cute you are” the child immediately becomes self-conscious and loses that wonderful poverty of spirit, that selflessness that was blessing both the child and those who watched.

The kingdom of heaven in the most generic of terms refers to the realm of God’s rule. That said, God is in the dance, the selfless activity of a spirit set free to simply love Him and live in the delight of that love. This is a joyful combination of being poor in spirit and totally trusting the Lord so that I am free to be who I am without self-examination or any of that ‘am I doing the right thing’ anxiety.

I’ve known only a few people who live with this poverty of spirit. Those who watch are either blessed and thanking God for them, or they assume that whirling child is a fool and walk away shaking their heads in scorn.

I’m thinking I’d rather risk that kind of rejection than miss out on dancing to God’s music.

Walking on water?

A friend asked me to design a cross stitch pattern for her. It said: “Stress — when my heart says no and my mouth says yes.”

We can get ourselves into the most stressful situations. My sister called me last week after saying yes to someone who needed computer expertise, but after volunteering, she realized she did not have the necessary skills. “Now what do I do?” At least she was laughing.

When Jesus asked Peter to walk on water, he didn’t have the necessary skills either, but he stepped out anyway . . .

(Jesus) said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:29–30)

Peter’s stress came when he took his eyes off Jesus and realized what he had said yes to and the danger he was in. While we excuse him by saying “at least he got out of the boat” — there is a sense of both identification and envy in my heart when I read this story.

How many times has God asked me to do something beyond my skills? How many times have I said yes and took that step? How many times have I made excuses and said the thing was beyond my skill level?

I like what Peter did, even that he became fearful in the middle of it. He was walking with Jesus and had enough faith to take risks and to discover the power of God, even when he had no power himself. That is living. It is an adventure beyond any other. If those who crave excitement followed Jesus, there would be no need for shooting the rapids in a kayak, taming wild horses, driving fast cars, walking tightropes, or jumping out of airplanes. Life would be rich in adventure.

This is where the envy comes in. I’m basically a coward. Walking with Jesus on level, solid soil is often a challenge, never mind following Him on water or even into unfamiliar territory. BUT the few times that I have said yes when my fearful self was saying no taught me the power of God. He never lets me down or drown.

Of course, like Peter it is important to keep my eyes on the Lord. However, even if I don’t (and falter), that turns into a learning experience. I find out what I am really trusting (myself in some way or another) and have another thing to confess. Because of His great promise, this becomes a cleansing and growing experience . . .

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Some might say taking my eyes off Jesus is not a sin, but I think it is. Sin is going my own way and doing my own thing. There is no better place for it to show up then when Jesus calls me to walk His way and I decide that I’d rather not!

Pity-parties

This morning I’m having a pity-party. My current course is not difficult, but putting my seat in the chair is becoming increasingly difficult. I’ve not a lot of time to spend with other people. My hubby is in great demand at work, which is taking most of his energy. I’ve no sense of “what next” or even if there is a “next” after I graduate in May. There are still four courses to go and that seems mountainous. I’m having dreams I’d rather not have, and am struggle with temptation to just do something other than take care of daily responsibilities. This is not burn-out; it feels more like rebellion.

Then I read about Paul. He told Timothy to be faithful at his task for the time would come when no one would listen to him. He said of himself that he was being “poured out as a drink offering” (that does not sound like fun) and that “the time of my departure has come.” He had “fought the good fight . . . finished the race . . .  kept the faith” and looked forward to “the crown of righteousness” the Lord would award to him and to all who “loved his appearing.”

At this late stage of his life, he kept going, more concerned about the lives of others than his own. He had been imprisoned, harmed by others, and abandoned. He said, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:1–18)

From this short account, I see things about Paul that kept him from having pity parties. He was a trooper who kept to the task, no matter what, because he . . .

·      Realized God’s timing for his work was important

·      Was willing to give of himself right to the end of his life

·      Had no desire to lose the battle so kept moving forward

·      Kept his eyes on the finish line

·      Trusted Jesus every step of the way

·      Thought about his eternal rewards

·      Looked forward to seeing Jesus

·      Did not resent those who had abandoned him

·      Recognized that the Lord was always with him

·      Drew on the Lord’s strength, not his own

·      Considered that sharing the Gospel with others was more important than anything else

·      Knew that his real enemy was Satan (who is like a roaring lion), not people

·      Knew that the Lord would rescue him from all evil

·      Was confident about his eternal destiny

·      Was determined to glorify the Lord and not himself

My challenges are paltry compared to Paul’s, but I worship and serve the same God. The Lord’s timing, trustworthiness, and promises are the same for me as they are for anyone else He has brought into His family and given a task. He is with me. My enemy is not flesh and blood, or even my own attitude. It is that evil and stealthy lion who is trying to devour me.

But the same Savior who stood by Paul also stands by me. He will rescue me from my inward thinking and my reluctance to keep on. This task is for His glory, not for my comfort, so I need to put my eyes on Him and stop feeling sorry for myself.