Every Day Jesus
God is not a talisman and nothing fashioned by human fingers can harness His power. There is no sign, encantation, or ritual that can call His power down from heaven. There is no sacrifice that will cause Him to serve our demands. Even if we pray in the Holy Name, Jesus, the human will won't be served but only the Will of the Living God. Our faithfulness to corporate worship does not impress Him; and neither does any work that we judge to be good buy us favor from Him. God does not serve men or women but we are served when we fully surrender to Him.
If I should pray asking God to make me strong, I am in error. If I should ask that I be found worthy of Him, I am also in error and seeking my own greatness and not the glory of God. He does not perfect me in my own strength and worthiness but instead has chosen to work in my weakness. When I deny my weakness and try to hide it out of shame, I have become unteachable. I have ceased to walk according to the Spirit and instead, begun to walk according to a religion of my own making. My religion being rituals and practices that, according to my own thinking, promise to make me holy in the sight of God. My religion is in vain for there is no religion that can make men and women worthy of God's love and favor. Even the religion given by God Himself to the Jews cannot make anyone holy. Therefore, there is no joy in religion but only guilt.
When I was young and new in the Lord, I made many vows to Him of all that I would to do for Him out of gratitude for my Salvation in Christ. I wanted to change the world for His Name's sake! I fought for Him! I stood fast for truth! I denied myself many things thinking that this would make me holy and that my testimony would shine as an example to others. For the sake of my testimony, I sought to hide all that was weak in me. I hid it from myself, my friends, my family, and any stranger that crossed my path. I often even sought hide my weakness from God. I was so full of my own works, there was no room left for God to work in me. I focused upon my own strength and goodness rather than the Power and Goodness of God.
The weakness of my flesh is undeniable and when it became undeniable to others, I would cry out in sorrow and shame asking to be strengthened that I might not fall again! I begged for endurance! I asked for these things that I might be glorious and be made capable of glorifying God through the power of my own actions. Though I was born again, my flesh did not want to die and fought hard to deceive me so that it might continue to live. Pride is the power of the flesh and my pride longed to devour for itself all that belonged to God in me. Many years later, my pride still longs for greatness but is greatly hindered as now I near the completion of my redemption and Jesus in me has grown and continues to grow stronger every day.
When I was young in Christ, I used swollen words of my own devotion and set my course, planning how I could best serve God; more correctly, how I could do God a favor. Thankful I am now that the Lord is patient and faithful with me. He has allowed death to shorten the time that flesh is able to live in a world that has fallen away from Him and death weakens my flesh daily. Now that I am older and much weaker, I no longer make vows to the Lord and take part in crusades in His Name. In my weakness, I have learned to hold up my arms that my Father may lift me and carry me where He Wills me to go. I have found contentment in, Jesus even in the midst of personal failure.
It is in my weakness that God is fully glorified in me; and His Glory is my glory. There is no greatness required of me but instead, the trust of a small child. I am a child with no strength and power of my own. Yet, I am living a life empowered by the Living God. I no longer pray for my strength but instead, that Jesus be strong in me. I know now that I will not find victory by my own strength of endurance but only endure by His Mercy. It is by dieing daily to the desires of my own flesh that I am learning how to live; not for a few years that will end quickly but for eternity. As I diminish, Christ in me is growing brighter. I am in constant and continual contact with my Father through prayer and my conversations with Him sustain me. I take all of my problems, concerns, and worries to God; but not with commands of how I desire Him to fix them. Instead, I am learning to lay them at His feet just as they are and seek His perfect Will in each situation. I am becoming dead to the desire of my own will being worked out through God.
Much of my life has not gone in the way that I desired it should go. Even so, I am not filled with regret but with joy for in Jesus, God's plan for me is His life perfected in me. This perfect plan is made of a sound substance that can't be corrupted. The substance is, Jesus and His living in me by faith. This is not my work but the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though I don't have great wisdom or riches, God's Will for me is His glory and that is glory for me. The abundant life that I am living is the glory of God in me by the Power of His own Mercy.
Look upon, Jesus! Look at all that God has done through the Son that we might find favor in the eyes of our Father and be fully restored to Him. In Christ, we are invited to walk hand and hand with the Living, Creator God! This is no religion. This is transforming relationship. In Jesus, the Father accepts us just as we are not only on the day of our Salvation, but everyday. There is nothing we can do or not do that will come between us and God ever again.
Jesus is the every day joy that fills all who call upon His Name and belong to Him.
If I should pray asking God to make me strong, I am in error. If I should ask that I be found worthy of Him, I am also in error and seeking my own greatness and not the glory of God. He does not perfect me in my own strength and worthiness but instead has chosen to work in my weakness. When I deny my weakness and try to hide it out of shame, I have become unteachable. I have ceased to walk according to the Spirit and instead, begun to walk according to a religion of my own making. My religion being rituals and practices that, according to my own thinking, promise to make me holy in the sight of God. My religion is in vain for there is no religion that can make men and women worthy of God's love and favor. Even the religion given by God Himself to the Jews cannot make anyone holy. Therefore, there is no joy in religion but only guilt.
When I was young and new in the Lord, I made many vows to Him of all that I would to do for Him out of gratitude for my Salvation in Christ. I wanted to change the world for His Name's sake! I fought for Him! I stood fast for truth! I denied myself many things thinking that this would make me holy and that my testimony would shine as an example to others. For the sake of my testimony, I sought to hide all that was weak in me. I hid it from myself, my friends, my family, and any stranger that crossed my path. I often even sought hide my weakness from God. I was so full of my own works, there was no room left for God to work in me. I focused upon my own strength and goodness rather than the Power and Goodness of God.
The weakness of my flesh is undeniable and when it became undeniable to others, I would cry out in sorrow and shame asking to be strengthened that I might not fall again! I begged for endurance! I asked for these things that I might be glorious and be made capable of glorifying God through the power of my own actions. Though I was born again, my flesh did not want to die and fought hard to deceive me so that it might continue to live. Pride is the power of the flesh and my pride longed to devour for itself all that belonged to God in me. Many years later, my pride still longs for greatness but is greatly hindered as now I near the completion of my redemption and Jesus in me has grown and continues to grow stronger every day.
When I was young in Christ, I used swollen words of my own devotion and set my course, planning how I could best serve God; more correctly, how I could do God a favor. Thankful I am now that the Lord is patient and faithful with me. He has allowed death to shorten the time that flesh is able to live in a world that has fallen away from Him and death weakens my flesh daily. Now that I am older and much weaker, I no longer make vows to the Lord and take part in crusades in His Name. In my weakness, I have learned to hold up my arms that my Father may lift me and carry me where He Wills me to go. I have found contentment in, Jesus even in the midst of personal failure.
It is in my weakness that God is fully glorified in me; and His Glory is my glory. There is no greatness required of me but instead, the trust of a small child. I am a child with no strength and power of my own. Yet, I am living a life empowered by the Living God. I no longer pray for my strength but instead, that Jesus be strong in me. I know now that I will not find victory by my own strength of endurance but only endure by His Mercy. It is by dieing daily to the desires of my own flesh that I am learning how to live; not for a few years that will end quickly but for eternity. As I diminish, Christ in me is growing brighter. I am in constant and continual contact with my Father through prayer and my conversations with Him sustain me. I take all of my problems, concerns, and worries to God; but not with commands of how I desire Him to fix them. Instead, I am learning to lay them at His feet just as they are and seek His perfect Will in each situation. I am becoming dead to the desire of my own will being worked out through God.
Much of my life has not gone in the way that I desired it should go. Even so, I am not filled with regret but with joy for in Jesus, God's plan for me is His life perfected in me. This perfect plan is made of a sound substance that can't be corrupted. The substance is, Jesus and His living in me by faith. This is not my work but the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Though I don't have great wisdom or riches, God's Will for me is His glory and that is glory for me. The abundant life that I am living is the glory of God in me by the Power of His own Mercy.
Look upon, Jesus! Look at all that God has done through the Son that we might find favor in the eyes of our Father and be fully restored to Him. In Christ, we are invited to walk hand and hand with the Living, Creator God! This is no religion. This is transforming relationship. In Jesus, the Father accepts us just as we are not only on the day of our Salvation, but everyday. There is nothing we can do or not do that will come between us and God ever again.
Jesus is the every day joy that fills all who call upon His Name and belong to Him.
4 Comments:
Hi Pam,
I find many excellent things here. Without mentioning everything I like, I will mention my favorite part:
"It is by dieing daily to the desires of my own flesh that I am learning how to live; not for a few years that will end quickly but for eternity."
I think this captures something very true about the phrase I find so questionable 'dying to self'.
You have made great progress in learning to boast in your weaknesses. Your affinity for the writings of Paul definitely shine through here.
In my own opinion there is nothing erroneous about asking God to be made strong. Paul asked to have his thorn in the flesh taken away, and I think it was exemplary for us that he did that. God definitely had a purpose too in declining Paul's request. And that says something about how good God is ...
You are learning how to use words to mean what you want them to mean, and I think that is marvelous. In my way of looking at it 'religion' can mean a lot of things -such as outward ceremonies which do nothing those who are perishing. When I think of the word 'religion' I think of the way James' uses it and about making Jesus Christ my religion instead of just "a religion". Words are tricky things. As soon as the Jews thought they had understood words like 'neighbor' and 'slavery' Jesus stole the meaning so that it would mean something completely different. I mention this because I sometimes put confidence in my flesh by thinking I have 'the right words' instead of God's Word.
Thanks for sharing this post with us, Pam. God has given you a gift to write in a very uplifting way. May He continue to display His strength in you and in all His chosen ones!
Hi BB,
If I had not learned to celebrate my weakness, I am not so sure that I might not have turned away from God. Even when I am trying very hard to do things right it seems that all I have done is wrong. The things I put the most into have also fallen short. I was angry for awhile and if I could have, I would have left God behind but He will not leave me. I am learning to be content with my life as it is. I will never amount to much but without, Jesus I'm absolutely nothing and really, I think that is the point.
When I think of true religion this verse comes into my mind "True religion and undefiled is this, to visit widows and orphans in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted by the world." This would be a truely Christlike practice of faith and He is the only one Who practiced it. We are all widows and orphans at some point in our life and we all need God's Mercy. We all are covered in the filth that is in the world that also comes from us. We all need Jesus. "I am weak but He is strong."
much here....this....Even if we pray in the Holy Name, Jesus, the human will won't be served but only the Will of the Living God.
really just spoke to what I've been reading and realizing.....thanks
Hi becky,
I am glad that what I've written blessed you. Your comment is also a blessing to me as I, like all Christians, need the reinforcement of like faith and journey in others.
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