Sometimes I find it so easy to let my “used to be” (you know, the me without God) speak to who I am now. I wallow in my shame, sadness and loss. That’s not the greif that God desires for us or that Jesus made possible for us. Again, that’s the old way and the [...]
Sometimes I find it so easy to let my “used to be” (you know, the me without God) speak to who I am now. I wallow in my shame, sadness and loss. That’s not the greif that God desires for us or that Jesus made possible for us. Again, that’s the old way and the old way leads to death. Though I may still be alive, I might be better off dead if I live there, living a dead life.
No, God in all His mercy and love sent His Son to lift me out of the pit (and to add me to His team of lifters) so I would no longer have to live in that kind of greif. In the new life I have greif that leads to life, that moves me forward in becoming who I am to be.
No regrets!
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death 2 Corinthians 7:10
Representing God to the world. Now that’s a task. I was listening to a message from Francis Chan about grace and he said:
Even though I may say he’s a God of grace, if I don’t represent him and show grace to everyone, I’m giving a distorted picture of God.
When I first heard that statement I thought, “right on!” Isn’t this just what we, as followers of Christ need to be doing? How many people do I know who have been turn off a path towards God by the church misrepresenting who God is? Later that day I was discussing it with a friend and they brought up the issue that we can’t really do that – only God can, because of our fallen nature.
So, is it too much to take on, accurately representing God to the world? Ultimately, yes. We are all fallen and even at our best we do not give a true representation of God . . . whatever it is we do or say, He is so much more! So what am I to do?
Pray! Again, He can do so much more and He chooses to us in that doing.
Francis Chan is the Non-Staff Elder & Teaching Pastor at Cornerstone, Simi Valley, CA and author of “Crazy Love”. Message podcasts are available at their PodCast Page.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
This was the key verse in a sermon on Resilience at Mosaic.
I was caught by this verse from the very beginning because I so often think on just these things…
I am pressed on every side
I am perplexed
I am persecuted
I am struck down
I am defeated …
Whoa!! Is that really how I see my life? Not always, but quite often, it is. I must have a pretty hard life right? No, I have a good job, I have great friends & amazing kids and family. Is everything peachy? No, of course not, I live in the same fallen world as everyone else.
It really comes down to where I focus. Do I focus on the “bad deal” I’ve gotten or do I focus on the “amazing gifts” I’ve been given? Do I focus on what I can’t do or on what God is doing?
With that slight change in attitude I find:
I am NOT crushed . . .
I am NOT in despair . . .
I am NOT abandoned . . .
I am NOT destroyed . . .
I AM NOT DEFEATED . . .
Even through all of the pain and hardness of life I have victory because of Christ and even more. I have the privilege of carrying Christ crucified to the world, to all those within my sphere and even to be part of the “reveal” of Christ to those same people.
Not a bad deal if you ask me!
Mosaic is the church community where Erwin McManus (author of Soul Cravings & The Barbarian Way) serves as the primary communicator and cultural architect.
Mosaic is a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. Most of their sermons are available through their podcasts. I encourage you to spend some time at www.mosaic.org and related endeavors.
I so want to be healed, to process/understand my feelings and how they relate to how I act . . . I’m really good at intellectualizing my feelings instead of feeling them. In some ways, it feels like another new journey.
I’ve been listening to a Michael Knott song lately, “This is the Healing”. You can purchase it here. It’s on LSU’s “This is the Healing” album.
“This Is the Healing”
You’ve been seen with a stiff lip
It’s happening to the best when the pain grips
You’ve been beaten by the bell
In all that you do
You thought Hell was a place one goes to
But your Hell on Earth is trueThis is the healing
Give me tears from all your bitter years
This is the healing
Salt the wounds, the healing will come soonYou’ve tried to philosophize your pain
But the hurts in your heart
And not in your brain
You could be hit by the Spirit
And be made new
You thought Heaven was a place one goes to
But this Heaven on Earth is trueChorus
Open your heart
