Tag: understanding

How You Make it Work

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

Philippians 2:1-3

 

Being connected to Jesus sets us up for a way so much more then we thought.  Encouragement comes from being comforted.  It makes us stand back in amazement.  We are brought to this wonderful place, and personal growth begins to show exceptional results. 

There are a lot of ‘anys’ that are imbedded in these verses.  They take us to a point of extracting something of eternal value and worth, and then seeing it translated into our lives.  I certainly couldn’t come up with this on my own.

We grab this basic fact, we are just devoid of anything of real value.  We simply do not have the roots that will sink down into these wonderful things.  Our connection into Him however, puts us into a completely different place.  We discover we have this incredible ability from drawing out life into our beings.  He sets us up so we extract ‘life’ from our silly, feeble efforts.

We draw so much from the presence of Jesus.  When it’s hooked in, our ‘abundance meter’ kicks us up several notches.  Paul is asking us to draw out significant things from our contact with these things of wonder.  Verse 2 develops for us a sense of unity with our brothers and sisters.  Truth had better deal with us in this way. 

My newfound faith means I must connect with others in a new and a powerfully exceptional basis.  The Gospel had better effect me in this capacity, because, whether we know it or not, faith just doesn’t connect me with God– it connects me to His people.

‘One love, and one spirit and one mind’.  The unity that is to be developed springs from a knowledge of who we really are spiritually.  There is an idea of ‘commonness’, that suggests that we all have a direct unity with each other.  We all are drawing from the same source.  Just the very idea of this should, and could break down barriers and walls that exist.  It seems to be a new awareness of having all our extension cords using all the same electricity.  There is never any shortage, but we do need to consent to being hooked up to the same root.

This realization of the dramatic unity of Christ’s work should bring us to a deepness of the Spirit that has eluded us for generations.  Quite simply, He is the well spring that we all draw from.  Deep down, He is who we connect to, our roots extend to Him.  Baptist, Assembly of God, Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal, and Roman Catholic and more.  The big bunch of us have plunged our roots into Jesus.  We all draw from Him, and He imparts to us life that lasts forever.

Humility has become the virtual currency of the Kingdom.  We are issued as much as we need.  But we must act with what we take.  Our brokenness over our self (and our arrogance) must drive us to a gentleness with each other.  We simply don’t have the resources and the intellect to make the decisions that we have been making.  Humility is the wonderful key that will open the doors to the King’s castle.  If you have it, you get in.  But without it, you will go nowhere.

Pride on Rollerskates

 

  Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father.

1 John 2:16, CEV

 

You and me– We are trying very hard to escape from the evil found everywhere in this world system.  Satan’s access point is our own ‘built-in’ pride.  He can reach right into our hearts using that particular spot.  We all have this thirst for recognition and worship (of course, with a small ‘w’).  John calls this ‘foolish’.  And we are fools!  And yet it is so hard for us to be small.

‘Our selfish desires’ are very difficult to unplug.  We have a thirst for things and we will spend a great deal of time and effort to get the ‘item of the moment’.  We see something new or novel, and we must get one for ourselves.  It’s like a compulsion.  When we get our prize, it starts to collect dust in our closet.  It rarely lives up to our lofty expectations.  Funny thing, is we feel deprived if we can’t possess it.  Even though the consistent pattern is to lose interest in our ‘prize’ once we have it.

‘Our desire to have everything we see’ is John’s evaluation of people in general.  It’s been thousands of years, but John is timeless.  He ‘zaps’ us and lifts the curtain to what is really inside our hearts.  WE WANT IT ALL!  Everything that ‘tickles’ our fancy, is to become ours.  I want all of it!  If I see it, desire it, it is mine.  Step back, and think about the wickedness of this.  If we ‘x-ray’ pride, do a CAT scan on it, we will discover 1 John 2:16 opened up and wiggling right there in front of us.

We must come to the place were we want to look at who we are, deep down.  We can so easily avoid truth.  ‘Just keep moving’, and don’t think about it.  And then we run right smack dab into this solid marble pillar of 1 John 2:16.  We pick ourselves up, check for broken bones, and start to wonder about this thing that can’t be eroded away.  It stands, untouched through time.  That stands before us as eternal truth.  It causes us to come to the point of making a real decision.

Is John making sense?  Is he communicating clearly?  I believe he is.  I have no significant reason to set aside his observations.  As a matter of fact, he confirms my suspicions and gives me some intelligence and guidance on how life unfolds.  This verse, all that it is contains, is the property of the Holy Spirit.  It is a completely saturated ‘sponge’, that is overfilled with the presence of the Lord.  I must encourage you, the reader, to look again at John.  Let that book press into your very being.

We Have No Control

Lord, I know that a man doesn’t control his own life.
      He doesn’t direct his own steps.

Jeremiah 10:23

 

As we step into what matters, we find this simple verse.  Simply put, we have no idea about control.  We step out in ignorance, we don’t understand this concept of turning one’s life over to someone else.  This grates against everything we profess to understand.

There is no control.  He declares Himself to be completely and utterly in charge.  At this point, we must back-off and just assume that He is in charge. There has been a determination at the highest of points.  We always are available to connect with Him at these levels.  We simply come and ask for all mercy that has been stated.

I don’t turn anything off.  I most certainly open my heart to all that is available and retrievable.  I can’t dwell on anything above and beyond this.  When He comes, He generates a dynamic that works its way into our hearts.

The simple fact is that we have been brought to a definite assurance of a divine life.  It is freely given.  We do nothing to deserve it.  We advance with this concept and idea cemented into our hearts.  Nothing can be offered, it has already been done so.  All we can do is to absorb the kindness that has been offered and then step tentatively forward.

My trust is in His character.   He comes to me and it makes perfect sense.  I start connecting the dots. And it makes me understand His goodness.  His love has been extended to me, and all I can do is turn to Him, and let Him in.  There is nothing but His love for me that can affect me in this way.

Victory Over Affliction #4

So we plow on in this miniseries on “Victory in Our Affliction”. 

 

This is part 4.

****

 Part 1 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/09/23/victory-in-the-middle-of-affliction/ 

Part 2 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/10/19/more-victory-in-our-affliction/ 

Part 3 is here–https://brokenbelievers.com/2010/10/26/even-more-victory-in-our-affliction/

  

Afflictions Help Us Comfort Others

“Blessed be the(B) God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and(C) God of all comfort, 4(D) who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”   2 Cor. 1:3-4, ESV

 

Being afflicted with pain and suffering manuevers us into the place of being the source of comfort for others.  God’s comfort energizes us to touch others.  So many hurt.  They are overwhelmed by pain and live in misery. A dynamic is at work here.  My pain brings God’s comfort.  God’s comfort is transmitted to others by me.  They are blessed and are strengthened to go on and touch others.

But its all about the ‘proper use of afflictions’.  Will we ‘turn’ and become active in the special economy of God?  We must accept that God intends our affliction to be the way of blessing for others.  When we hurt so bad, we see that grace flows to those who need Him the most.

How Do We Respond to the Pain?

First of all, we cannot escape affliction.  It is inevitable.  But will it bless us and others?  Pain has an intentionally deliberate purpose for us.  Since we cannot escape the pain, it would behoove us to take it and manufacture comfort for others.  We must learn to make affliction fruitful. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together(A) for good,[a] for(B) those who are called according to his purpose. 

Rom. 8:28, ESV

Keeping the ‘valves and lines’ open involves special attention to the sins of bitterness and anger.  These two are responsible for a great deal of frustration and impotence in the Christian’s walk.

First, We Need to Praise the Lord.

Coming and then staying in this place is critical.  We need to learn to praise from the ‘ash heap’.  “Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.”  1 Thess. 5:18, CEV.  Your heart must not become bitter, you must keep it sweet and responsive. “My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy”  James 1:2

 

Second, We Should Pray.

James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” From the ash heap we should be in prayer.  Praying at this time should be as important as praise.  Our devotional life needs to lift a notch into these dual disciplines.  By the way, prayer is an immense blessing to our our pain.  Its like aloe vera to a bad sunburn.  Prayer has a soothing and restorative effect on our blistered spirit.

 

Third, We Should Feed at His Word.

We are instructed, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”  Ps. 119:67.  When you hurt, really bad it will make your time with the Bible and its promises so precious.  When I’m in pain the Word is the most precious thing I can think of.  A topical Bible can be very helpful.

“When I am hurting,  I find comfort in your Word that leads me to life.”  Ps. 119:50

“Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”  Ps. 119:92

 

Four, We Should Strive to be Patient and to Have Faith.

This is not a wooden or artificial issue.  We must deliberately choose this direction, daily.  Patience is foundational and fundamental.  With it, you will survive, without it things will get ugly quick.  “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”  Rom. 12:12

Faith and patience will bring us a confidence.  When we ‘believe’ with a dynamic faith, we will be able to absorb some intense issues.  If you have ever driven a car with blown shock absorbers, you will understand.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”  James 1:4