We are all struggling onward toward our Lord. None of us has attained the full measure of freedom in Him, quite yet. If Paul hadn't, then certainly we haven't. Though...maturity does come in fits and starts, as it seems.
According to His will, though.
That's been one of the most difficult things to grasp and come to grips with, in terms of seeing the despair of the Church, of seeing the suffering of the saints, of seeing the state of the world: It's all by His will--even if only by refraining from drawing us near enough to Himself as to free us more completely from self and sin...then, still, He is allowing these things (yet, since He's perfectly good, we can fully know there's a good purpose for all present things...especially given they grieve Him).
Moreover, since we generally won't ask Him to deliver us into His ready arms, He allows us our thus preferred blindness. So, He's currently allowing us to have what we will to have ("They may have what they will," moreover).
Problem is...we wander, except that He constantly keep us near Himself. We tend to stray, and we tend to compromise--by nature of the flesh, we tend toward self-indulgence and self-exaltation even when attempting to pursue Him and somehow especially when attempting to maintain order according to our own understanding. And we have mixed motives, except that He purify us. And double-minds and faltering hearts, unless He deliver into holiness.
These things are all recorded in Scripture. Just as it's recorded that no one seeks Him, and no one is righteous--not one of us. (Only Christ, the Anointed of God....God Incarnate, was holy.)
God revealed all the consequences of straying, though--yet every one of us strayed from Him. And He disclosed the consequences of acting in defiance of Him and His ways, and yet we have all done so, regardless. And those revelations, disclosures, are even seared within our own consciences at the outset of life--same as they're proclaimed throughout all creation, for anyone who would be willing to see.
Yet none of us have refrained from sin, none of us has sought Him for Himself. None of us, except that He draw us.
So, it's painful to see the pain, painful to experience the suffering of sin's consequences...but except that He deliver us all, none of us will mature in Him. Doing the difficult things, stepping out in faith--testing all things through continuous Scripture, prayer, and fasting: Awaiting direction, refusing to be rushed.
By grace, still. Entirely by His Spirit.
Just to move forward. In knowing Him more deeply. In being delivered more completely from self, from self-concern and self-esteem. To a place of utmost deeper trust, love, compassion, peace, joy, and wholehearted, passionate obedience. For sake of His name and for sake of those whom He loves.
He doesn't save us to a place of being inert, but into a position of being empowered to intercede for others, on His behalf. The Great Commission. Each and all who are His.
Whether of prayer, writing, evangelism, teaching, prophesying, or whatever and all else is necessary within the Body of Christ's operation within this world--He said the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against us. They would not be able to stand against our assault, in other words.
Because we're saved to wage war on what spiritual forces of darkness would otherwise attempt to drown out Christ's message of hope and deliverance.
Depending upon Him for every step, for every thought, for every word, is the thing.
Becoming mature in Christ is more about losing all sense of self, in favor of awareness of Christ...than about gaining "understanding." And especially given we don't battle flesh and blood--our warfare is with spiritual entities. Meaning, moreover, our only means of succeeding is to proceed according to the Spirit. Not by sight, nor by our own power--by His Spirit, entirely. Walking by faith. Nothing wavering. Increasingly.
No part dark.
Meaning there's no part which is given to self-indulgence or willfulness. No part of us which even can remember what it means to "want our own way," let alone to actually desire such a thing. But focused on God, focused on others.
Only Christ can do that work. We're not capable of delivering ourselves from ourself. Not possible. But, He's the God for whom all things are possible. It's true. So ask Him to do the work in you. And continue to ask Him to do whatever is necessary to reach such point of deliverance into His Spirit--continue asking, until He carries out His will in your heart and life (He wants us to be one with Him, same as He and the Father are one--He wants us to abide in Him completely, unwaveringly).
He will do this. He prayed the Father that these things would be so for us, so He's certainly going to answer that prayer, when we reiterate His intent (John 17:20-21).
And the cost is absolutely everything. He's worthy of that, and so much more. Total surrender.
Drawing us near to Himself, we are freed the more completely from the distractions of the flesh and of the world. And increasingly find all fulfillment and joy and hope and peace and love, in Him. Increasingly.
Nothing which is unholy can be in His presence, so draw near to Him. Be transformed by the renewing of Your mind, through Scripture, prayer, fasting, and ardent desire for His fellowship. And receive increasingly vast revelations of Him, images of His goodness and majesty becoming ever more encompassing and riveting and vital...and from image to image, becoming more aware of His being and presence...draw nearer Him, He draws nearer us. And we're transformed in His presence.
That which is not like Him will pass away, incrementally, as entering more deeply into constant fellowship with the Master. The Lord of all the earth, of all the universe.
Our Heavenly Father, who loves.
Draw near, through Christ.
Draw near, be transformed by His love. Purified.
Freed.
To worship and to serve, with all rejoicing.
No comments:
Post a Comment