Bear with me for a moment, and let me tell you who you are.
You are chosen. You are designed with a purpose. Not a single feature on your face is a mistake. You're smile was specifically created just for you, though it was meant to be shared.
You were so beautifully designed that Someone fell in love with you. In fact, He fell in love with you before you were even born. He knew who you would be. He knew every mistake you would ever make. He knew every hair that would be on your head every second of every day. He knew all the times you would fall down; all the times you would reject His love; all the times you would spit in His face in unbelief; all the times you would walk away, feeling unworthy, unlovable, unforgivable; all the times you would turn your head away in sadness, unwilling to believe that He could wipe away every tear; all the times you would think someone else was more important than Him; all the times you would refuse to trust Him; all the times you would turn away from Him and never even give Him a thought.
But He fell in love with you nevertheless. And when you heard what He thought about you, that He believed you were beautiful and special, you couldn't believe it. It defied logic. It was too silly. Too ridiculous. It made no sense. This perfect One, falling in love with...you?
And then it got even more ridiculous. Seems this perfect Man actually died for you -- and not just died, but died an excruciatingly painful death. He suffered horribly. It was senseless. He'd done nothing wrong. You were the one who messed up. But He willingly stepped in and took your place, because He adored you. And the worst part was -- He could have come down at any moment. He could have called thousands of angels to His command. But He could see into the future, and see that one day, He would have a chance of winning your heart, if only He would stay, suffer, and die now. And so He stayed. He stayed, and He died.
But it did not end the day that He died. It began. And it got even more ridiculous. This perfect Man actually came back to life. He knew that one day, you would look at this amazing thing, this "death of death," and take it for granted. But He knew it would save you -- and so He did it anyway. He knew that His heart would break because of it, when you would go through days at a time without even thinking about it. But He did it anyway, because He was so in love with you.
And then He waited. He waited for the day you would be born. He was so, so excited. He had a beautiful life planned for you. It would not be easy. You would struggle. You would cry. You would face loneliness, rejection, depression, failure, loss, pain. But He was waiting to face it with you. He knew that if you would continually keep running back to His arms, all the pain you were experiencing would pale in comparison to His great, great love for you. In those moments with Him, you would forget this world, and you would remember that one day, the two of you would be perfectly, eternally together. And you would never hurt again.
But the world that He had created -- filled with beauty, because He wanted to fill your heart with the joy of a sunrise and the peace of a rainbow -- became distracting. You forgot that He was much, much more lovely than the world around you. And without Him in every day, the world started to lose its enchantment. Instead of the difficult but beautiful walk with Him that He had planned, you walked away, trying to face the problems set before you on your own. You knew He was still there, and you still talked to Him; but you did not understand the passionate relationship He wanted. And so while His words affected your decisions, His presence was not constantly felt in your daily life.
And so you began taking on things that He never wanted you to deal with on your own. The life He had designed to be so joyful, even in the face of adversity, was drudgery. The circumstances you were never meant to carry by yourself nearly overwhelmed you. The losses He wanted so desperately to help heal became aching, festering sores. Your heart wandered further and further away from Him as you wondered how Someone who had the ability to overcome death could allow these things to happen to you.
But this was not the way it was supposed to be. This was not the way it had to be. He made you more than a conqueror, if only you would claim His strength and your weakness each and every morning. If only you would give your life completely over to Him, to guide as He would. He would take you places you could never imagine. Not all of them would be "fun"; not all of them would be easy; and He might lead you even to death. But He would be there. And He would prove Himself far more than enough.
And so He continues waiting. He waits for you to run back. He waits for you to understand how overwhelming His love is for you. He waits for you to realize that He wants so much more than just a part of you, because He made all of you, and He loves it. He waits for you to remember that though the world is beautiful, it is fleeting, but He will always be there. He waits for you to accept His pursuit, to fall into His arms, to give Him everything that you've been carrying.
And as soon as you do, He holds you close and weeps over you. He rejoices over you as though you are the only one in the world. He heals your shattered heart. He dries your tears and does everything He can just to see you smile again. He picks up the weight that was meant to fall on His back all along. He gives you a reason to get up in the morning. He reminds you that you are His, and that though you may have left Him, though you may have tried to live without Him for a time, He never left your side. He was there, pursuing, loving, waiting. And He is so happy you came back, He will spend the rest of eternity quieting you with His love and rejoicing over you with singing. He is so excited to help you discover the life He had planned for you from the beginning of time; the life that was in His mind when He was dying; the life He loves.
Your past does not matter. Your future rests in His hands. And right here, right now, you are crazily loved.
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Ephemeral Insignificance
"The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth his effort." ~A.W. Tozer
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it." ~Luke 9:23-24
Christianity -- real, hardcore, discipleship Christianity -- is not for the faint of heart. We are called to die daily; to take up our crosses; and follow hard after a worthy Christ. No wonder Jesus' message wasn't all that popular.
So many times, the same people who beautifully want to be blessings have, hidden in the back of their minds, a desire to be recognized. We are content with suffering for Christ's sake, content with putting our own needs aside to meet the needs of others, and with "forsaking all" as long as we are commended by the world. We say, "Oh, look at me! I'm so selfless!" And then we are slightly offended when no one comments on and compliments that "selflessness."
I can't imagine that Jesus is okay with that. I'm not saying that when people thank or compliment us we should shudder and run away, exclaiming, "No! I'm not worthy! Look not upon me!" I'm saying we should live with absolutely no expectation of ever being thanked. We should die daily, waste our lives, spend ourselves, and never expect to be noticed. Thanks should be superfluous; appreciated, met with a gracious smile, but never expected or needed.
We have been given so much. Do you realize that? The "poor" in our country are, for the most part, far richer than the destitute halfway around the world. We are free to worship our beautiful God, while others must live in fear of rejection or even punishment if they are discovered to worship the Almighty. Not only do we have the Bible in our own language, we have over four hundred and fifty versions -- while millions of people have not even a single word of God's love letter to them in their own language.
And yet a large percentage of American teenagers declare that their primary ambition in life is to be famous. Jesus' blood is sufficient to save the entire world; and yet "how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?" And how can we be sent unless we are willing to be forgotten; to be temporarily insignificant so that even one soul may be eternally snatched back from hell?
In order to live a life of eternal significance, we must be willing to live for the forgotten, and be forgotten. The forgotten may not be halfway around the world for you; they may be as close your own neighborhood, but they're there. And though in a dozen years they may forget your name, they will never forget the Savior you're willing to sacrifice to introduce them to.
"Wasting" our lives does not sound entirely attractive, I know. But Jesus declares that whatever we do for the least of these He places in our lives, we do for Him. When we serve those the world has deemed unimportant, we are the closest we shall ever be to seeing the face of God this side of heaven. By ignoring the world's applause, we are more in tune to the applause of heaven -- applause that is much sweeter and that lasts.
"A servant of God has but one Master. It ill becomes the servant to seek to be rich, and great, and honored in that world where his Lord was poor, and mean, and despised." ~George Mueller
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it." ~Luke 9:23-24
Christianity -- real, hardcore, discipleship Christianity -- is not for the faint of heart. We are called to die daily; to take up our crosses; and follow hard after a worthy Christ. No wonder Jesus' message wasn't all that popular.
So many times, the same people who beautifully want to be blessings have, hidden in the back of their minds, a desire to be recognized. We are content with suffering for Christ's sake, content with putting our own needs aside to meet the needs of others, and with "forsaking all" as long as we are commended by the world. We say, "Oh, look at me! I'm so selfless!" And then we are slightly offended when no one comments on and compliments that "selflessness."
I can't imagine that Jesus is okay with that. I'm not saying that when people thank or compliment us we should shudder and run away, exclaiming, "No! I'm not worthy! Look not upon me!" I'm saying we should live with absolutely no expectation of ever being thanked. We should die daily, waste our lives, spend ourselves, and never expect to be noticed. Thanks should be superfluous; appreciated, met with a gracious smile, but never expected or needed.
We have been given so much. Do you realize that? The "poor" in our country are, for the most part, far richer than the destitute halfway around the world. We are free to worship our beautiful God, while others must live in fear of rejection or even punishment if they are discovered to worship the Almighty. Not only do we have the Bible in our own language, we have over four hundred and fifty versions -- while millions of people have not even a single word of God's love letter to them in their own language.
And yet a large percentage of American teenagers declare that their primary ambition in life is to be famous. Jesus' blood is sufficient to save the entire world; and yet "how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?" And how can we be sent unless we are willing to be forgotten; to be temporarily insignificant so that even one soul may be eternally snatched back from hell?
In order to live a life of eternal significance, we must be willing to live for the forgotten, and be forgotten. The forgotten may not be halfway around the world for you; they may be as close your own neighborhood, but they're there. And though in a dozen years they may forget your name, they will never forget the Savior you're willing to sacrifice to introduce them to.
"Wasting" our lives does not sound entirely attractive, I know. But Jesus declares that whatever we do for the least of these He places in our lives, we do for Him. When we serve those the world has deemed unimportant, we are the closest we shall ever be to seeing the face of God this side of heaven. By ignoring the world's applause, we are more in tune to the applause of heaven -- applause that is much sweeter and that lasts.
"A servant of God has but one Master. It ill becomes the servant to seek to be rich, and great, and honored in that world where his Lord was poor, and mean, and despised." ~George Mueller
Friday, November 12, 2010
Back to the Decapolis
"In the Kingdom of God, there are those who are great, and those who are...well, they're just not so great."
In the sense of "those who are first shall be last, and those who are last shall be first," this is true. But in another sense, this is a flat-out lie.
One of the many, many miracles that Jesus worked in His time on earth was the healing of a demon-possessed man. This man dwelt in the hills, lived among the tombs. This man was a cutter who harmed himself no matter what people did to prevent him. This man had enough demons in him to possess two thousand pigs when they were cast out. Yes. Two thousand. That's a really super-possessed guy right there.
Obviously, his healing was a huge deal. Not only did his life completely change, but he ruined thousands of ham dinners! Not that anyone back then was eating ham dinners, but still...
Anywho. The point is, that was an astounding thing that Jesus did for this man. This guy has an awesome testimony. He would be a perfect candidate to join Jesus' ministry, follow Him everywhere He goes, and shout, "Hallelujah!" at the opportune moments.
And so, we get the following story: "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, 'Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."
If anyone would be an amazing missionary, the first to travel to foreign lands and tell about this incredible Man named Jesus, it would be this guy. If anyone would be the perfect thirteenth apostle, it'd be this guy. If anyone should be selected to accompany Jesus on the rest of his ministry, it would be this guy, boldly proclaiming what God had done for him to all who doubted.
But Jesus says, "No. Go home."
At this point, I think I would've broken in saying, "But -- but -- but Jesus!! I want to do amazing, awesome, incredible, impossible things for you! I want to come with you! You've done so much for me, and You just want me to go home? I'm sorry, but that's not quite along the lines of the death-defying ministry I was picturing in my head..."
But Jesus says, "Go home." And the man obediently returns to the Decapolis and proclaims the Name of Jesus there. And guess what? People were amazed. He had an awesome, effective ministry, just by going home.
It is a common misconception that everyone who becomes a Christian, in order to be a real Christian, needs to go into ministry. Needs to move oversees to be a missionary. Needs to adopt seven children from China. Not so. Have you ever considered that it might be your calling to stay home? To support a husband as he works for God's kingdom, to raise children to honor their Heavenly Father? To work at a grocery store and encourage every person who comes through your line?
Absolutely everything you do can be an offering to God. Whether it's washing dishes, serving tables, teaching, or being a biologist -- there are so many opportunities to be a missionary right where you are. Not everyone is called to go to Africa; not everyone was called to be a pastor. Every single person is called to be a missionary, and to be in ministry -- but your mission field might be Anywhere, Pennsylvania. Who knows what incredible plans God has for you whatever He calls you to do?
We hear very little of Andrew in the Bible; but we do hear a great deal about his brother Peter. Peter's the one who gets all the stories, all the letters, all the remembrance. But if it weren't for Andrew, Peter never would have even met Jesus. Andrew was the first to meet Jesus, and was so excited about it that he went and took his brother to meet this remarkable Man.
Are you willing to be an Andrew, whose greatest achievement was bringing someone else to be great for Christ? Are you willing to recognize that your life can have a ripple effect, with results that you might not ever see? Are you willing to understand that every task that seems mundane can be an offering, and can have impact of eternal significance?
You are important. Your Father in heaven has amazing plans for you. They may not seem like much -- but just wait until heaven, when you get to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your Master's happiness!"
In the sense of "those who are first shall be last, and those who are last shall be first," this is true. But in another sense, this is a flat-out lie.
One of the many, many miracles that Jesus worked in His time on earth was the healing of a demon-possessed man. This man dwelt in the hills, lived among the tombs. This man was a cutter who harmed himself no matter what people did to prevent him. This man had enough demons in him to possess two thousand pigs when they were cast out. Yes. Two thousand. That's a really super-possessed guy right there.
Obviously, his healing was a huge deal. Not only did his life completely change, but he ruined thousands of ham dinners! Not that anyone back then was eating ham dinners, but still...
Anywho. The point is, that was an astounding thing that Jesus did for this man. This guy has an awesome testimony. He would be a perfect candidate to join Jesus' ministry, follow Him everywhere He goes, and shout, "Hallelujah!" at the opportune moments.
And so, we get the following story: "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, 'Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.' So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."
If anyone would be an amazing missionary, the first to travel to foreign lands and tell about this incredible Man named Jesus, it would be this guy. If anyone would be the perfect thirteenth apostle, it'd be this guy. If anyone should be selected to accompany Jesus on the rest of his ministry, it would be this guy, boldly proclaiming what God had done for him to all who doubted.
But Jesus says, "No. Go home."
At this point, I think I would've broken in saying, "But -- but -- but Jesus!! I want to do amazing, awesome, incredible, impossible things for you! I want to come with you! You've done so much for me, and You just want me to go home? I'm sorry, but that's not quite along the lines of the death-defying ministry I was picturing in my head..."
But Jesus says, "Go home." And the man obediently returns to the Decapolis and proclaims the Name of Jesus there. And guess what? People were amazed. He had an awesome, effective ministry, just by going home.
It is a common misconception that everyone who becomes a Christian, in order to be a real Christian, needs to go into ministry. Needs to move oversees to be a missionary. Needs to adopt seven children from China. Not so. Have you ever considered that it might be your calling to stay home? To support a husband as he works for God's kingdom, to raise children to honor their Heavenly Father? To work at a grocery store and encourage every person who comes through your line?
Absolutely everything you do can be an offering to God. Whether it's washing dishes, serving tables, teaching, or being a biologist -- there are so many opportunities to be a missionary right where you are. Not everyone is called to go to Africa; not everyone was called to be a pastor. Every single person is called to be a missionary, and to be in ministry -- but your mission field might be Anywhere, Pennsylvania. Who knows what incredible plans God has for you whatever He calls you to do?
We hear very little of Andrew in the Bible; but we do hear a great deal about his brother Peter. Peter's the one who gets all the stories, all the letters, all the remembrance. But if it weren't for Andrew, Peter never would have even met Jesus. Andrew was the first to meet Jesus, and was so excited about it that he went and took his brother to meet this remarkable Man.
Are you willing to be an Andrew, whose greatest achievement was bringing someone else to be great for Christ? Are you willing to recognize that your life can have a ripple effect, with results that you might not ever see? Are you willing to understand that every task that seems mundane can be an offering, and can have impact of eternal significance?
You are important. Your Father in heaven has amazing plans for you. They may not seem like much -- but just wait until heaven, when you get to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your Master's happiness!"
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Only Me When I'm With You
Why are you looking for love? Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
About a week into my first "relationship," I attended a birthday party. The people at this birthday party were dear friends, people who bring out the best in me, people I absolutely love. Two weeks previously, I would have had the time of my life at this party. But I sat around and moped until I felt sick -- all because the all-important him was not there. It was a Saturday. I would see him again on Monday. Yes. A grand total of two days apart. How dreadful.
I think that's pretty ridiculous, sad, immature, and silly... And no, I don't have any qualms about calling myself that. Because that's what I was. I was the definition of teen angst, of the "ridiculous" that Jane Austen so often mocks, and of one of the greatest problems with dating relationships today.
Two individuals, while they are single, can be just that -- individual and single. They know precisely who they are. They have particular friendships, beliefs, activities, etc. And then these two individuals meet, fall in "like," and *POOF!* There goes individual identity. Suddenly they have no idea who they are when the other person isn't with them. (Even worse, there are the scenarios in which somebody never understands who he or she is as an individual, and is constantly looking to another person to give them identity.)
I understand completely why parties -- especially parties with most of the people I know -- would be very depressing if you didn't have your boyfriend or girlfriend with you. I'm not condemning missing someone. I'm condemning a much bigger problem. Obviously, God created us to enjoy each other's company, and it's perfectly natural to feel a little down when we miss out on the company of someone we love. But we cannot get to the point where it is nigh impossible to have fun without that person at our side -- so long as that person is, well, a person.
Psalm 16:11 declares, "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever." This verse is incredibly clear: God's presence brings about full, complete joy. It's not, "There is fullness of joy as long as I have God and my boyfriend." No. It's just God. Just His presence.
I am fully convinced that if we truly allow God to write our love story, He will not give us that love story until we don't need it anymore. He will not allow us to give our hearts away to someone else until they are completely in His hands. He will not allow us to glorify Him hand-in-hand with a husband or wife until we have learned to glorify Him on our own. Until we have come to a point of being completely willing -- even delighted -- to be single, He will not purposely distract us from pursuing Him more by beginning to write our love story right then and there.
Until we've fallen head over heels in love with Jesus, we should not fall in love with anyone else. Because let's face it -- they won't always be there. They won't be able to satisfy every single desire we have. They will mess up and disappoint us. But Jesus Christ will always be there. He can satisfy our every need. He will never mess up. We cannot love people properly; we cannot have reasonable expectations of someone else, until all of our needs have been met by God.
Because at the end of all things, we should know exactly who we are without our boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, because they might one day be demanded of us. But we should not know who we are without Jesus Christ. A day without Him should be impossible. Living apart from Him for even a single breath should break our hearts.
Is Jesus enough to satisfy, even if our earthly desires are never met? He says He is. And it all comes down to trusting that He is, and allowing Him to strip away everything until we are completely satisfied by Him and Him alone. Only when our love story with Him is complete can He give us an earthly love story. And I promise, it will be so, so much more beautiful.
About a week into my first "relationship," I attended a birthday party. The people at this birthday party were dear friends, people who bring out the best in me, people I absolutely love. Two weeks previously, I would have had the time of my life at this party. But I sat around and moped until I felt sick -- all because the all-important him was not there. It was a Saturday. I would see him again on Monday. Yes. A grand total of two days apart. How dreadful.
I think that's pretty ridiculous, sad, immature, and silly... And no, I don't have any qualms about calling myself that. Because that's what I was. I was the definition of teen angst, of the "ridiculous" that Jane Austen so often mocks, and of one of the greatest problems with dating relationships today.
Two individuals, while they are single, can be just that -- individual and single. They know precisely who they are. They have particular friendships, beliefs, activities, etc. And then these two individuals meet, fall in "like," and *POOF!* There goes individual identity. Suddenly they have no idea who they are when the other person isn't with them. (Even worse, there are the scenarios in which somebody never understands who he or she is as an individual, and is constantly looking to another person to give them identity.)
I understand completely why parties -- especially parties with most of the people I know -- would be very depressing if you didn't have your boyfriend or girlfriend with you. I'm not condemning missing someone. I'm condemning a much bigger problem. Obviously, God created us to enjoy each other's company, and it's perfectly natural to feel a little down when we miss out on the company of someone we love. But we cannot get to the point where it is nigh impossible to have fun without that person at our side -- so long as that person is, well, a person.
Psalm 16:11 declares, "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever." This verse is incredibly clear: God's presence brings about full, complete joy. It's not, "There is fullness of joy as long as I have God and my boyfriend." No. It's just God. Just His presence.
I am fully convinced that if we truly allow God to write our love story, He will not give us that love story until we don't need it anymore. He will not allow us to give our hearts away to someone else until they are completely in His hands. He will not allow us to glorify Him hand-in-hand with a husband or wife until we have learned to glorify Him on our own. Until we have come to a point of being completely willing -- even delighted -- to be single, He will not purposely distract us from pursuing Him more by beginning to write our love story right then and there.
Until we've fallen head over heels in love with Jesus, we should not fall in love with anyone else. Because let's face it -- they won't always be there. They won't be able to satisfy every single desire we have. They will mess up and disappoint us. But Jesus Christ will always be there. He can satisfy our every need. He will never mess up. We cannot love people properly; we cannot have reasonable expectations of someone else, until all of our needs have been met by God.
Because at the end of all things, we should know exactly who we are without our boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, because they might one day be demanded of us. But we should not know who we are without Jesus Christ. A day without Him should be impossible. Living apart from Him for even a single breath should break our hearts.
Is Jesus enough to satisfy, even if our earthly desires are never met? He says He is. And it all comes down to trusting that He is, and allowing Him to strip away everything until we are completely satisfied by Him and Him alone. Only when our love story with Him is complete can He give us an earthly love story. And I promise, it will be so, so much more beautiful.
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