Sunday, May 27, 2012
RANSOMED: What Stephen Saw-make that my Vision
RANSOMED: What Stephen Saw-make that my Vision: The other day I was reading reading Hebrews 12.1-2, though is not the first time I have read or studied this verse, but the Holy Spirit...
What Stephen Saw-make that my Vision
The other day I was reading reading Hebrews 12.1-2, though is not the first time I have read or studied this verse, but the Holy Spirit seemed to bring to light a portion of this Scripture. Christ is the author, and He alone is the finisher of my faith, in whom I should fix my eyes upon (vs. 2 NKJ). The NIV reads, "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." I love how this version says perfecter.
Lately in my journey with the Lord, I have had significant struggles with guilt and condemnation specifically with present sins. This guilt and condemnation can procure from a pre-occupation with myself and whether I am "succeeding" or "failing" in pleasing the Lord. Many people have said, "Turn to Jesus and rest in Jesus." Honestly, it was so hard for me to understand how to rest in Jesus as my sanctifier. I understand and fully rest in Him as my justification and salvation before God, but in some was working to achieve my sanctification. I had a distorted view of sanctification. My standard was perfection, and as expected I have grown weak, weary, defeated, joyless, and exhausted. In desperation, and desiring freedom from thoughts of guilt and condemnation, I confessed my unbelief to God agreeing with God that I was sinning by not trusting His word and the work of Christ to make me holy. I believed that Christ was enough and is enough to fully save me, but I was not resting and trusting in him for my daily sanctification to make me more like Him.
I am now learning what it is to rest in Christ. There is a beautiful verse in the song, "Before the Throne," it says, "When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within upward I look and see Him there." For a long time, I thought- how does a thought of Jesus erase these awful feelings and this strong sense of defeat and guilt, when deep within me I ultimately want to be pleasing to God. Recently, I was reading further on Christ being the perfecter of my faith and read in Acts 7.54-60 the stoning of Stephen. As he was passing from this temporal earth into glory, the heavens opened, and "full of the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." The Holy Spirit then brought to my thoughts Hebrews 10.11-14 and Hebrews 9.22. In all of OT history, there was always a sacrifice and an offering of blood for the forgiveness of sins because "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." But Christ shed is precious blood once and forever for all mankind and is now seated at the right hand of God. All the sacrifices made by the high priests and all of our present day sacrifices could and will not satisfy the wrath of God, but Christ blood sufficed. Never was a high priest able to sit at the right hand of God, but Jesus did. He sat as a completing the work of atonement. There is NO LONGER a need for sacrifice as an atonement of our sins. When we "look at Jesus and fix our eyes on Him," we first see him on the cross- hanging naked in complete anguish bearing the full weight of my sin, your sin, our sin. He did it so that we could be made right with God and set free from the horror of sin and death.
I am a very practical person- so let's make this practical. IMAGINE yourself standing at the cross and looking up at Jesus, looking into his eyes (create this picture in your mind). Hear him say, I am hear for you, I love you, I am bearing all of your sin, and "it is finished." Christ did not die in vain, and He did not die that we should continue atoning or our sins. Now SEEK to imagine what Stephen saw when he gazed into heaven. See Jesus standing from His seated throne to again receive His possession, His brothers and sisters who are the joy in which he had set before Him when He endured the cross- YOU/ME (Heb. 12.1). His blood demands our guilt, condemnation to flee. Jesus Christ's life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection should encourage my heart to love Him, embrace Him, flee from sin, and run towards Him when I do sin. I had a friend one day tell me, as I confessed these struggles to her, that my continuing in guilt, shame, and condemnation is like a slap in the face to God saying that Christ's work on the cross is not enough. So why, why was Jesus standing there to receive Stephen, because He is ALL Stephen had. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73.26).
I would like to say that my struggle with perfectionism, self-introspection, guilt, defeat, condemnation has fled over night, but walking with Christ is a journey. However, now when I am prone to despair, "upward I look and see him there who put an end to all my sin." I imagine, I think, I meditate simply on Jesus seated at the throne of God interceding for me. It will be a journey, but to GOD who is FAITHFUL !!!!!!!!! May the vision of Stephen be my vision.
Lately in my journey with the Lord, I have had significant struggles with guilt and condemnation specifically with present sins. This guilt and condemnation can procure from a pre-occupation with myself and whether I am "succeeding" or "failing" in pleasing the Lord. Many people have said, "Turn to Jesus and rest in Jesus." Honestly, it was so hard for me to understand how to rest in Jesus as my sanctifier. I understand and fully rest in Him as my justification and salvation before God, but in some was working to achieve my sanctification. I had a distorted view of sanctification. My standard was perfection, and as expected I have grown weak, weary, defeated, joyless, and exhausted. In desperation, and desiring freedom from thoughts of guilt and condemnation, I confessed my unbelief to God agreeing with God that I was sinning by not trusting His word and the work of Christ to make me holy. I believed that Christ was enough and is enough to fully save me, but I was not resting and trusting in him for my daily sanctification to make me more like Him.
I am now learning what it is to rest in Christ. There is a beautiful verse in the song, "Before the Throne," it says, "When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within upward I look and see Him there." For a long time, I thought- how does a thought of Jesus erase these awful feelings and this strong sense of defeat and guilt, when deep within me I ultimately want to be pleasing to God. Recently, I was reading further on Christ being the perfecter of my faith and read in Acts 7.54-60 the stoning of Stephen. As he was passing from this temporal earth into glory, the heavens opened, and "full of the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." The Holy Spirit then brought to my thoughts Hebrews 10.11-14 and Hebrews 9.22. In all of OT history, there was always a sacrifice and an offering of blood for the forgiveness of sins because "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." But Christ shed is precious blood once and forever for all mankind and is now seated at the right hand of God. All the sacrifices made by the high priests and all of our present day sacrifices could and will not satisfy the wrath of God, but Christ blood sufficed. Never was a high priest able to sit at the right hand of God, but Jesus did. He sat as a completing the work of atonement. There is NO LONGER a need for sacrifice as an atonement of our sins. When we "look at Jesus and fix our eyes on Him," we first see him on the cross- hanging naked in complete anguish bearing the full weight of my sin, your sin, our sin. He did it so that we could be made right with God and set free from the horror of sin and death.
I am a very practical person- so let's make this practical. IMAGINE yourself standing at the cross and looking up at Jesus, looking into his eyes (create this picture in your mind). Hear him say, I am hear for you, I love you, I am bearing all of your sin, and "it is finished." Christ did not die in vain, and He did not die that we should continue atoning or our sins. Now SEEK to imagine what Stephen saw when he gazed into heaven. See Jesus standing from His seated throne to again receive His possession, His brothers and sisters who are the joy in which he had set before Him when He endured the cross- YOU/ME (Heb. 12.1). His blood demands our guilt, condemnation to flee. Jesus Christ's life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection should encourage my heart to love Him, embrace Him, flee from sin, and run towards Him when I do sin. I had a friend one day tell me, as I confessed these struggles to her, that my continuing in guilt, shame, and condemnation is like a slap in the face to God saying that Christ's work on the cross is not enough. So why, why was Jesus standing there to receive Stephen, because He is ALL Stephen had. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73.26).
I would like to say that my struggle with perfectionism, self-introspection, guilt, defeat, condemnation has fled over night, but walking with Christ is a journey. However, now when I am prone to despair, "upward I look and see him there who put an end to all my sin." I imagine, I think, I meditate simply on Jesus seated at the throne of God interceding for me. It will be a journey, but to GOD who is FAITHFUL !!!!!!!!! May the vision of Stephen be my vision.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Provision
So, I recently found out some unfortunate news. It has definitely laid a heavy burden upon me emotionally and financially. However, how convenient that lately I have been meditating on 2 Cor. 4.17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an ETERNAL glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen." When I first received this unfortunate news, I thought- "God, why? why? What else can I handle? Have not the past two years of suffering been enough? Will it ever turn around?" After I repented of my selfish and stubborn; yet hurting heart, I heard the voice of the Lord sympathize, "my child, this place is not your home- I WILL return for you and not only you but my church." There is an eternal glory waiting for me and for all who worship the RISEN Savior. This earth and this present life is hard, and suffering is a reality. No matter what form suffering or hardship comes, it cannot compare to the GLORY to come. This is a profound truth! I am still trying to grasp it.
So, what do I see- I see the past years of pain and suffering. But Scripture promises me something, and it is something that I cannot yet touch, and that is one day every single tear will be wiped away by the scarred hands of Jesus. One day this world will come to an end and all that will remain is God, His Spirit, His Son Jesus Christ, and HIS WORD. And on that day, my faith will finally become sight. When I set my eyes on this, my present suffering slowly fades, and I see the arms of my great King reach towards me.
As I further processed these thoughts, my heart overwhelmed with gratitude. In my tears, my sweet roommate shared with me a quote she had read, "God whispers in our pleasures/joys .......and he screams in our suffering." (a little paraphrase). God could send me one check in the mail solving all my problems or He could take past hurts and pains away over night. But then would I really be able to say, He is the God who bears and suffers long, and He only is provider. Besides, the more small blessings of provision I receive, it only gives me another opportunity to thank my God for his gentle provisions. One massive provision only gives me one opportunity to thank him. But milk one day, a washer/dryer the next, a small financial gift/blessing, a meal, an understanding friend, a wise man/woman's wisdom, a job, etc. These many provisions give me more opportunities to give gratitude to my God and to reflect on the greatest blessing given to me- JESUS CHRIST.
To you and you alone God- I THANK YOU
So, what do I see- I see the past years of pain and suffering. But Scripture promises me something, and it is something that I cannot yet touch, and that is one day every single tear will be wiped away by the scarred hands of Jesus. One day this world will come to an end and all that will remain is God, His Spirit, His Son Jesus Christ, and HIS WORD. And on that day, my faith will finally become sight. When I set my eyes on this, my present suffering slowly fades, and I see the arms of my great King reach towards me.
As I further processed these thoughts, my heart overwhelmed with gratitude. In my tears, my sweet roommate shared with me a quote she had read, "God whispers in our pleasures/joys .......and he screams in our suffering." (a little paraphrase). God could send me one check in the mail solving all my problems or He could take past hurts and pains away over night. But then would I really be able to say, He is the God who bears and suffers long, and He only is provider. Besides, the more small blessings of provision I receive, it only gives me another opportunity to thank my God for his gentle provisions. One massive provision only gives me one opportunity to thank him. But milk one day, a washer/dryer the next, a small financial gift/blessing, a meal, an understanding friend, a wise man/woman's wisdom, a job, etc. These many provisions give me more opportunities to give gratitude to my God and to reflect on the greatest blessing given to me- JESUS CHRIST.
To you and you alone God- I THANK YOU
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Interesting thought
So, I realize that I have not written in sometime now. I really should because everyday I feel as though I have lots of new thoughts. I was contemplating the other day on the grace and glory of the Lord. I began to think about Creation, Fall, Redemption. My thought was........Had the fall never happened could we really know God's love (demonstrated in the cross), His mercy, and His forgiveness? If the fall, had never happened, could we really know mercy and forgiveness? Would there be a need for it if we were still living in perfection and harmony? Interesting how the fall of mankind and all it's evil, will in the end bring God the most glory and ultimately cause many to truly know His character !!!!!!!!!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Pain is Real
In the beginning, God created the world perfect. He made all, and He said that it was good. But man fell short. The lust of Eve's eye led her astray. The serpent's voice was loud twisting the truth of God. As a result, man fell. Death entered the world. Ever since that moment, ALL creation moans and longs for creation to be redeemed. I could only imagine the hurt and breaking of God's heart in the midst of this pain as he watched His perfect creation wither and fade. God could have left us mankind in this disaster with no hope. He could have wiped out all creation and started over. But in his ALL KNOWING wisdom, He did not. Instead, He chose to shed His mercy, He sent His only Son Jesus. He gave Jesus as a gift to the world. Again, God watched HIS only Son be beaten, scorned, and rejected by the very creatures He created. Satan thought he won in the death of Christ. But Christ rose 3 days later. His Suffering became glory. Believers of Christ will one day taste full redemption. There is GLORY awaiting. Suffering will be redeemed!!!!! This life is painful. It is full of heartache and disappointment. Pain is REAL, and so is JESUS! Jesus Christ is truly the only HOPE left when evil is so prominent in this broken world. Come Lord Jesus....Come!
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