You Serve The Lord Christ

Until this moment, it had all seemed like a dream come true. Jana had longed for the day when she would finally see her beloved Savior face-to-face. Now, that day had come. Jesus! Here! He was more glorious than she could ever have imagined. Even the angels around him were eclipsed. It was the most thrilling day of Jana’s life, but now He was speaking to her. She could understand every word, but... it didn’t make sense. He was saying, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” His voice was rich, deep, and clear, like a mighty river. “For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

A jolt of panic raced through Jana’s heart. This wasn’t right. She hadn’t done any of those things. This was the first time she had even seen Jesus, and she had definitely never given Him food or drink, or done any of the rest. When had He ever been sick, or in prison anyway? To contradict the King of Kings was unthinkable, but she had to understand. “When, Lord?” she asked. “When did I see you hungry, and feed you…?” He seemed to be expecting the question. There was a twinkle in His eye as He answered, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.”

     Colossians 3:23-24 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” You and I, in our natural state without Christ, serve only one person: ourselves. A newborn baby, although adorable and precious, is thoroughly selfish. That baby will cry when she’s hungry, with no thought at all as to whether it is inconvenient to the people around her. Of course babies grow up, but the selfishness persists. It is the easiest thing in the world to focus on my needs, my wants, and whatever floats my boat. Even when we do things that are good and benefit others, it is still often with a selfish motive, such as to avoid punishment, or gain social approval. Jesus turns this on its head. Galatians 5:24 says, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  Two thousand years ago, when Christ died, we -- if you are in Christ -- died with Him. That “old man”, who sinned against God by living for self, is dead, nailed to the cross, alive no more. Romans 6 says it all. Now, to live is Christ. Christ’s pattern is the complete opposite. He came to serve, and to give His life as a ransom. He gave freely of all that He had, despite the cost to His time, comfort, and reputation. He humbly did everything His Father asked of Him, even dying. When we “put off the old man” and “put on the new man which was created according to God” (Ephesians 4:24), that is our new pattern. We start caring for others, and valuing their needs above our own. That is the core of kindness. It’s recognizing that we are all the same “kind”, and doing to others as you would have them do to you. But more than that, it’s realizing that if Jesus loves this person, then I will too, from the heart. I’m able to do that because I'm a new creation in Christ, with a new Spirit in me.

     Practically, that means that if we see a need, or an opportunity to bless, then we take it. There are millions of hungry people in the world, including some in your own home, I’m sure. Just think, when you pour your sister a glass of water, it’s like you’re doing it for Jesus himself! Would you like some ice with that? Kindness goes far beyond the basic physical needs. It might mean honoring your mom by cheerfully helping her with chores. Or by being a more generous giver -- you belong to God after all, and so does your money. Or by extending graciousness when someone inconveniences or offends you. Luke 6:27-38 is a good tutorial. For Corrie ten Boom, it meant hiding Jews in her house during World War II, at great danger to herself. For you, what will it mean today? Taking in strangers and visiting the imprisoned might be out of your comfort zone; I’ll confess it’s out of mine. But let’s not tell God what we will and won’t do. It’s not a question of “How little can I get away with?”, but rather, “How much can I do for God to demonstrate my love?” So, would you like some ice with that? 

Written for Pathways To Serenity, Vol. 1, Issue 7: "Kindness" 

Love Suffers Long...

 

     Rachel. Rachel. Rachel. Jacob could think of nothing else, no one else. Had any man been more in love than he? Rachel, the most beautiful woman on earth, his beloved, his soon-to-be bride. He had loved her from the beginning, from the first day he saw her at the well. She had been a young girl then, innocent and bright-eyed. Now, seven years later - seven years! - she was well past the common age to wed, but the years had only added to her beauty. To him she was the most womanly, the most desirable, the most perfect wife a man could ever want. There was no cost too great for such a treasure. No amount of gold or rubies could ever compare to her worth. Even - Jacob shuddered at the thought - even seven more years would be worth it. Everything leading up to this day: the lonely nights, the homesickness, the thankless years of sheep tending, the treachery of his Uncle Laban, the whole mix-up with poor Leah... all of that was worth it, for Rachel.

     Did you know that there is another Biblical character who suffered much to gain his bride... even more than Jacob? He too was far from home. He worked long hours, and went without food and sleep at times. It wasn’t a smooth road. He was mocked and ridiculed, misunderstood, slandered, and betrayed. Like a shepherd, he gently cared for creatures who were terribly needy, yet hardly thankful. Many opposed him with fierce hatred. By their hand he was beaten, whipped, stripped and humiliated, falsely accused, and crucified. Yes, this man was Jesus, and He endured all this for His bride, the Church. Seven years doesn’t seem long at all when you consider the thousands of years He has been waiting. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jer. 31:3b)  In the beginning, in the garden, Adam and Eve walked with God in sweet fellowship. We were created to love Him! But we were unfaithful. We rebelled. Do you think that broke God’s heart? His people, His beloved, forsaking Him? Yes, and He was angry, too. But He didn’t instantly destroy us when we sinned. He could have, but He didn’t. “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy.” (Num. 14:18a) 

     Longsuffering. Not a word used very often nowadays, but the meaning is simple. Suffering + long. Undergoing pain for an extended period of time. For a holy, perfectly pure God to allow sin to remain in the world, was longsuffering. Justice must be served, but with God, mercy always precedes judgement. “The Lord... is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9) He offers forgiveness! He didn’t just delay our punishment, He took it upon Himself at the cross! “Consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.” (2 Pet. 3:15a) Can anyone deny that God is love?

     1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” Because I love Him, I yearn for the day that He returns. Maybe that is today, maybe in seven years, maybe - I shudder at the thought - maybe not for another thousand years. We know neither the day nor the hour. Neither did the apostles. But what did they do? They loved Him, so they lived for Him. They underwent immense suffering because of it. However, they were “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name”. (Acts 5:41b) Do we have that attitude? You are not likely to be facing prison or flogging, but we all have opportunities to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (James 1:2) Living for Jesus means loving those around you; putting their interests above your own. That’s not easy. Forgiving someone again is not easy. Being kind to someone who has just mistreated you is not easy. Being bold enough to obey God’s leading is not easy. But it’s all worth it... for Jesus.

Written for Pathways To Serenity, Vol. 1, Issue 6: "Patience" 

Be Still

Matthew clung to the mast, sick with fear. He was no sailor, but it was obvious even to his landlubber’s eye that this was no ordinary storm. The wind! It had swept in with furious force out of nowhere. The waves were no longer gentle ripples, but towering crests of seawater which tossed the little boat every which way, and filled it with crash after crash of water. Surely this was an attack by evil spirits! Surely the boat would sink and they would be drowned, every one of them! Oh, why had the Teacher ever said for them to cross the lake?! Where was the Teacher, anyway? Did he not care that they were perishing? Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew noticed Peter in the back of the boat, shaking someone lying on a pillow. Who could possibly be sleeping at a time like this? To his astonishment, Matthew realized it was the Teacher! Despite the pitching and rolling of the boat, the Teacher rose to his feet with effortless balance. Somehow, through the terrific noise of the storm, Matthew heard the Teacher call out, “Peace! Be still!” 

    In the blink of an eye, everything changed. The wind vanished. The sea went completely flat. The boat didn’t even rock. The only noise to be heard was the sound of the men’s ragged breathing. Every eye was riveted to the One who had just ordered the storm to stop. Finally, the silence was broken by the whispered words, “Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him!”

           Who indeed? What the disciples were just discovering, we already know: their Teacher, and ours, is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. An ordinary man can’t order the weather around. Jesus, the Creator of heaven and earth, can. An ordinary man trembles with fear in the face of impending disaster. Jesus fears nothing.

I don’t speak Greek, but I looked up the meaning of the Greek words Jesus used when He said, “Peace! Be still!” What I found out was extremely surprising to me. The first word, “Peace”, is the Greek siopao (see-o-pah-o). It means “hush, keep silent, don’t speak, hold your peace”. It is a completely different word than the one normally translated as peace (eirene), such as in the Fruits of the Spirit. The Greek word for “Be still”, is phimoo (fee-mo’-oo). It means - get this - “to muzzle”! I have a hunch that if we talked to our siblings this way, our parents would not approve! Jesus was rebuking, not soothing. “Hush - no more out of you! Put a muzzle on it!” With His word, the victory was won. The enemy, also known as the Prince of the Power of the Air (Eph. 2:2), is no match for the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).

So what storms are whirling around you? Is the little boat known as your life being battered by waves of confusion or ill tidings? Are you being capsized by out-of-control emotions or tipped over by circumstances? Remember who is in you! Jesus Christ Himself, your King and Teacher. He is confident, fearless, free from chaos, and immovable, and that is the life He wants to live in and through you! But so often, we don’t live that way. We cling to the mast, having more faith in the enemy to conquer us than in our Lord to rescue us.

There’s a line in a wonderful old hymn that reads, “Be still my soul! the waves and winds still know, His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below”. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His word carries just as much authority today as it did in the days of old. When the waves and winds try to get us off course, we can tell them “Hush!” in Jesus’ name, and they must obey. “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Ex. 14:14)

 

Is it not He who set our course? Jesus directed the disciples to cross the lake, fully aware of the storm to come. He knows that we, too, will experience storms. But storms are a stage that we may see Him for who He is, that we may know Him at a whole new level. 

Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

(Ps. 46:10)

The Joy of Salvation

    Avigail took a deep breath. This was it. This was her last hope, their only chance. If this didn’t work, all was lost. Slowly, carefully, she tipped her jar of oil, the only possession she had. Reuven and Benaiah, her two sons, watched in silence as she poured. They knew what was at stake. The oil was flowing, a steady stream disappearing into the much larger vessel. Avigail’s hand started to shake, making the stream of oil quiver. The little jar should’ve been emptied by now, but the oil was still flowing. The nature of the silence abruptly shifted from expectant to shocked as they all realized what was happening. The oil was not stopping! Suddenly, Benaiah cried out, “Mama! It’s going to spill over!” “Quick!”, Avigail called. “Another jar!” Reuven grabbed one of the dozens of vessels they had borrowed from their neighbors. Avigail filled that one too, and the next one, and the next. Jar after jar, and the oil just kept coming. Not until the very last jar was filled to the top did the oil cease. “We’re saved!” Avigail cried. “The LORD has saved us!” Because of this oil, their debt would be paid. Her sons would not be slaves. They were free! What joy!
    Have you ever known the joy of salvation? I remember the hour I first believed. I remember kneeling at my mother’s knees as she led me in prayer. I remember asking Jesus to forgive my sins. I remember saying, “Amen” and feeling a sudden rush of happiness. Although at age 5 I couldn’t put words to it, it felt exactly as though a load of bricks had been taken off my shoulders. What joy!
    King David knew something about this joy. In Psalm 51, when he is confessing to God after his sin with Bathsheba, he pleads, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation”. Sin always causes separation between us and God, and that eliminates joy. “In Thy presence is fullness of joy”. (Ps. 16:11) This is true not only in the eternal sense, but also as a principle in our daily lives. According to God, there are no problems outside of sin, and no solutions outside of Jesus Christ. David, in Psalm 32:1 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” The word “Blessed” literally means “happy”. So if you aren’t happy, if you don’t have joy from being in the presence of God, the reason is very simple: there is unconfessed sin in your life. That may sound harsh, but it’s the truth, and the truth will set you free! In Psalm 32, David goes on to describe what life is like in that state: painful, peaceless, and dry as a desert. Then in verse 5 he unveils the solution: “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee...and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin”. It’s that simple! I’ve seen this borne out so many times in my own life. When I realize that my joy is missing, I’ll go to God and say, “Ok, what’s wrong?” and He is always faithful to gently and specifically show me where I have been disobeying. Maybe I’ve harbored a spirit of complaining, or spoken without kindness to someone. Maybe I’ve allowed an anxiety to roost in my soul, or been unthankful. Whatever it is, if I take it seriously and confess it as sin, God forgives me and cleanses me from it every time. Then comes my favorite part: our relationship is restored! I am reconciled to God and can rejoice in Him again!

Joy is not reserved for conversions and mountaintop experiences. It’s supposed to be a constant, daily reality, just like our walk with Christ. It is, after all, a fruit of the Spirit. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. (Gal. 5:25) So how do we keep our joy when trials come? What do we do when the basement floods, when you have a headache, when your prayers haven’t been answered yet? Keep your focus on Jesus, and trust Him. Refuse to look at the enemy’s evidence, he’s a liar. Jesus is our source of joy, and if you remain clinging to Him, your joy will have no end, only increase. Blessings!

“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, you righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright of heart!”

-Psalm 32:11

Written for Pathways To Serenity, Vol. 1, Issue 4: "Joy"