"But then there's also that word Chesterton used: union. That's one of the most explosive words in my Christian vocabulary. The daring metaphor of Jesus as bridegroom suggests that the living God seeks more than an intimate relationship with us. The reckless, raging fury of Yahweh culminates, dare we say it, in a symbiotic fusion, a union so substantive that the apostle Paul would write: 'It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.' (Gal. 2:20 NASB)"
My dear friend Joy convinced me that I absolutely must read The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning and while I am only 32 pages in, it has already been a worthwhile read if only for that passage. I absolutely love the way Manning expresses the concept of our relationship with our Creator.
The union that we have with Jesus Christ is more substantive and deep than any relationship we can possibly have on earth. When we enter into covenant with Him, He comes and lives INSIDE of us. No other relationship that we cultivate on this planet can even come close to that intensity.
The reality of another being actually dwelling inside of us is something I think it is difficult for us to wrap our minds around. But Paul said it so truly when he said that when we make Jesus Lord of our lives, we die to to ourselves--we no longer live--and Christ lives IN us. Therefore the lives that we live are actually an expression of the Hope that is in us. Paul, ever eloquent, says in Colossians 1:27: "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
We mustn't forget, however, that as amazing as this is, with the dwelling of Christ in us comes responsibility, for we are now ambassadors for Him. We are Christians. We are Jesus to the world. Brennan Manning quotes the footnote to Gal. 2:20 from the Jerusalem Bible, "The living acts of a Christian become somehow the acts of Christ."
I was trying to think of a word to describe the impact of that phrase and all that it entails, but I am lacking the eloquence of Paul at this moment and the only word I can think of is "Wow".
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Decisions and the Will of God.
I was thinking today about how a lot of the time we pray and so desperately seek the counsel of the Lord regarding decisions that we have to make in our lives and so often he seems silent or we simply cannot discern his voice.
I came to the Muse and was talking with Brian about the possibility of the Muse moving to a different location and he told me he was trying to make the right decision and he felt like God was just watching him to see what he would do rather than leading him one way or the other.
It might seem non-spiritual to say that I really don't think that God always has a specific plan laid out for every detail of our lives and I felt that way at first but then I started thinking that when we don't have God shouting directions at us about every decision we make, we have to seek him more and yes, even trust him more.
When I was trying to decide whether to come to Liberty or go to Appalachian State, I couldn't hear from God. I didn't know where I was supposed to go, so I just came to Liberty. In choosing the school I did, throughout my 3 years here so far, I have been drawn so much closer to the Lord as I have been in situation after situation where I have had to seek his face.
I believe the same could have happened at Appalachian State and honestly the decision I made didn't matter nearly as much as my heart and my desire for closeness with my Creator.
If God was like a boss telling us what moves to make, where to go and what to do, our need to actually cultivate relationship would diminish. If we KNEW constantly that we were doing exactly what we were supposed to do because the Lord was clearly telling us, the need to SEEK him would be gone.
First of all, the Lord doesn't want any of us to be robots, following a list of instructions. Second of all, Jesus wants to be so much the center and the all of our lives that wherever we go and whatever we do we should be wholly filling His will for our lives which is to bring honor and glory to his name.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
So, when we are faced with decisions in our lives, whether they are big or small, the question should always be less "What decision should I make? Where should I go? What should I do?" and more, "How will I be able to most fulfill the perfect will of God in Scripture by bringing glory to his name?" And if the answer lies in more than one place, then yes, seek council and pray but know that if you are desiring to bring Glory to the King of kings, you will fulfill his will simply by doing that. Every day.
I came to the Muse and was talking with Brian about the possibility of the Muse moving to a different location and he told me he was trying to make the right decision and he felt like God was just watching him to see what he would do rather than leading him one way or the other.
It might seem non-spiritual to say that I really don't think that God always has a specific plan laid out for every detail of our lives and I felt that way at first but then I started thinking that when we don't have God shouting directions at us about every decision we make, we have to seek him more and yes, even trust him more.
When I was trying to decide whether to come to Liberty or go to Appalachian State, I couldn't hear from God. I didn't know where I was supposed to go, so I just came to Liberty. In choosing the school I did, throughout my 3 years here so far, I have been drawn so much closer to the Lord as I have been in situation after situation where I have had to seek his face.
I believe the same could have happened at Appalachian State and honestly the decision I made didn't matter nearly as much as my heart and my desire for closeness with my Creator.
If God was like a boss telling us what moves to make, where to go and what to do, our need to actually cultivate relationship would diminish. If we KNEW constantly that we were doing exactly what we were supposed to do because the Lord was clearly telling us, the need to SEEK him would be gone.
First of all, the Lord doesn't want any of us to be robots, following a list of instructions. Second of all, Jesus wants to be so much the center and the all of our lives that wherever we go and whatever we do we should be wholly filling His will for our lives which is to bring honor and glory to his name.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
So, when we are faced with decisions in our lives, whether they are big or small, the question should always be less "What decision should I make? Where should I go? What should I do?" and more, "How will I be able to most fulfill the perfect will of God in Scripture by bringing glory to his name?" And if the answer lies in more than one place, then yes, seek council and pray but know that if you are desiring to bring Glory to the King of kings, you will fulfill his will simply by doing that. Every day.
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