A transformative process in the works

When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. (I Corinthians 15:36-38)

A seed must undergo a transformation before it ever can bear fruit. It goes into the ground, but it is still not a plant capable of fruit-bearing. Until the transformation occurs that reveals roots, stem, branches, and eventually buds occur there is no real 'hope' for fruit. The seed is merely a promise of what is about to come, but if you are anything like me, your garden seeds don't always seem to sprout, much less produce! The seed 'exists' - under the soil. It just never sprouted. There is probably a whole lot of seed in our lives that 'exists' but never sprouts. We might not realize how much seed is actually 'wasted' just beneath the surface until the soil of our heart is dug up, turning over the seed. Once the seed has been planted, the promise is for a new beginning, but both the soil and the seed must work in unison toward that new beginning!

There is a hope that lies deep within our hearts - the hope of what we might call 'spiritual growth'. We count on the seed God plants within our hearts to go through a transformation, in turn transforming us. Whenever we take in God's word, we are likely having tiny seeds of faith planted. In time, those seeds begin to transform, as does our inner character. The change begins the moment the seed is placed - the evidence of the change may take a bit longer, though! Whenever we embrace the seed of God's word, we are welcoming transformation, but is the transformation process always comfortable? No! Not at all. There is a whole lot of 'work' going on within our hearts that will eventually bring about evidence of growth and hope of fruit, so we 'endure' the work that is taking place 'beneath the surface'.

God actually gives the 'seed' all it needs for growth. What looks like a 'bare seed' might not reveal the full potential of the seed at first, but as God gives it all it needs to grow, the 'new body' of that seed brings evidence of the fullness of what it will produce. Just sayin!

A transition of power

 But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies to do evil, but offer yourselves to God, as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good. Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace. (Romans 6:12-14)

To be controlled is to be dominated by someone or something. We can be controlled by 'things' as easily as we can be controlled by another person. We can also be controlled by thoughts, emotions, and even desires. Perhaps this is why it is so important to be constantly aware of who or what is exerting control over our lives - giving direction to our lives. When we are allowing control to anyone or anything other than Christ, we are in danger of being controlled by what could bring us harm. That which has 'direction over' our lives will either move us in the right direction, bringing positive change, or it will drive us further into depravity.

How unwise is it to be controlled by our own desires? Those desires are more than a bit selfish, aren't they? They might not seem that way at first, but given time and enough space in our lives, those desires can lead us into all manner of compromising choices. They are more than 'mistakes' we make, or lapses in judgment - they become a pattern. Patterns of behavior that elevate self, focus on what pleasures self, or what belittles others are never good patterns. Self has a way of directing our lives down paths we might not have explored until we gave self a place of dominant focus. As our scripture aptly points out, we offer ourselves to sin. We actually allow the domination of our minds, hearts, and souls even when we are passive. Not paying attention to choices we make is as dangerous as consciously making them!

The good news is that self doesn't have to be the master of our lives. The 'transition of power' within our lives will not come as easily as we might want it to, but whenever we make a conscious decision to serve Christ, put him first in our lives, and then seek his wisdom with our choices, the 'transition of power' begins to occur. We lean into him, seeking his wisdom and his power, and we find our 'power', 'wisdom', and 'strength' pale in comparison. We soon become dissatisfied with those things that once held our attention and seemed to be so important for us to pursue. Why? The transition of power is bringing less and less reliance and trust in our self (fleshly desires). We might long for the 'transition' to be complete, but as long as we are experiencing even gradual progress in that direction, we are on the right path! Just saying!

Transformation and Renewal - We Need Both

This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you... Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect (mature) in their relationship to Christ. (Colossians 1:26-28)

The message is clear - God wants us in his family. There are unrealized riches awaiting all those who say yes to Jesus. Because Christ lives in us, all that Christ possesses - his riches and glory - are shared by those who enter into this relationship. The more we hear this message, the more it should strike a chord within our hearts that reminds us just how much we are loved. We could have been abandoned to our sin, but God chose to give us the very thing that would cause sin to relinquish its control over our lives - Christ's power and presence. Both lead to us having perfect peace that passes all understanding.

Sometimes we need a warning, while at other times we are quite open to whatever wisdom God gives. Why? There are times when we just move headlong toward the things that will lead us into bondage of some kind, all the while knowing in our minds that it isn't good to go that direction. We might not realize it, but God wants us to embrace his teaching, heed his warnings, and step into his peace more than anything else. Why? We move away from sin and closer to his heart whenever we do.

The message is written in our hearts at the point of salvation - a message meant to be shared, not so much in words as in renewed (different) actions. We might not see ourselves changing, but little by little, his Word is transforming us and his power is renewing us. Our choices are changing. Our attitude is adjusted so that others see something of Jesus in us. Transformation is both immediate, while renewal is ongoing. Remain in Christ and you will see both the transformation and the renewal. Just saying!

In it, but not captive to it

When asked what some of my favorite passages are in the Bible, I generally reference the people or writers I connect with for some reason. For me, the Pauline epistles and the Book of Proverbs are probably some of my most 'frequented' reading. I have found much that I connect with when studying the life of David and have learned much about how to connect with the heart of God through simple, honest sharing of my heart as he did. I have to say that the Pauline epistles speak to me about how we should live, treat others, and the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Regardless of where you find your greatest connection in the Word, the most important thing is that the Word is taken in regularly, meditated upon with much thought, and allowed to change you from the inside out. That is what God intended by giving us such a magnificent book - the Bible.

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group of people or any human authority, but by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending this letter to the churches of Galatia. May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen. (Galatians 1:1-5)

Paul never flaunted his ministry position as the 'pastor' to the Gentile church, but on occasion, we find him telling us how he came to be in that position and that he was called to encourage believers to live as they were called to live, fulfilling their 'position' in Christ Jesus. All we do is for the 'building up' of other believers - encouraging them to come into faith in Christ and then helping them to learn to walk out this faith on a daily basis. Paul's writings always point us to the finished work of the cross and all that was accomplished by Christ's life, death, and resurrection. The purpose of the cross was always redemption - to deliver us from all the evil in this world. The words of his letters still resonate with the present situation we face today, evil abounding all around us. As Paul opens this letter to the Galatians, he wants them to know Christ's death brought about the power to transform us even though evil still exists all around us.

It is the transformational power of the cross - of us saying "YES" to Jesus and then choosing to live a life of obedience to the principles contained within the Word of God - this is what overcomes evil around us. It also overcomes the evil within us. We no longer find ourselves giving into temptations that we once might have pursued with a passion - all because the finished work of the cross made it possible for us to realize an inner transformation. By faith, we are made anew in Christ Jesus. We might not ever feel like the 'pull' toward sin is fully gone, but the longer we pursue the truth God gives us and allow it to transform us, the less appeal those things will have. We will indeed find ourselves rescued from this evil world in which we live. We may not be 'gone' from it yet, but we aren't held captive by it any longer! Just sayin!

Open to change

Begin to be now what you will be hereafter. 

(William James)

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. (Galatians 6:14-15)

What will you be when you grow up? Do you remember being asked that question so many times as a kid? I have been asked that question several times as an adult, so I guess I haven't 'grown up' sufficiently for some! I have a different way to ask this question today: What will you be when Christ is fully done with you?

Each and every day is another opportunity for Christ to work within our lives - transforming us into this 'new creation' he has in mind for each of us. As he moves across our lives, we are transformed, renewed, and almost 're-engineered'. We may still see ourselves one way, but God sees us as becoming exactly as we are in his eyes. It is this transformation process that we often resist - not because we don't want to see this new creation, but because all change is hard.

While Mr. James was a philosopher of sorts, his words ring true to each of us. We begin today to be what we will become tomorrow. All of life is about change. As I am now in the sixth decade of my life, I would say change comes rapidly at times. When I was in my second decade of life, I would have told you change didn't happen fast enough. Why is there such a difference? I guess it is because I have become much more 'accustomed' to change.

Instead of resisting what God is doing, might you choose to embrace it? It could just be the door that opens to becoming what we will be. We are 'made right' through Christ, but each day presents opportunities for us to begin to 'be right' (live right). We cannot ignore that all of life presents change - we must be open to God's leading when 'what we are becoming' is his main focus for us today. Just sayin!

I ain't no saint!

Some try to live like saints - others know just how much of an impossibility sainthood really is! The good news is that God can make somebodies out of nobodies - he can actually make saints out of sinners! We all bear many names such as son, daughter, mother, father, worker, foreman, leader, and even child. None of these names really defines us as God would have us defined, though. We are each individually defined by the 'new name' he writes upon our hearts the moment we say "yes" to Jesus. That new name doesn't make us who we are in Christ Jesus - it is given because of what God has done in us.

We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”? Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, “You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!” (Romans 4:17-18 MSG)

We can all associate with being 'nobody' at times. It is like we blend into the woodwork almost - not really noticed, but there nonetheless. There are also times when we try to shine like the glowing light, only to find we cast shadows too large to disguise or hide no matter how 'bright' our light shines. We all go through phases of living according to what we can do, forgetting all the while that God is desiring for us to live according to what he has done and what he continues to do!

We don't live like saints very often - at least I don't, so I imagine there are others who might be honest and admit it, too. We might want to be 'saint-like', but all our actions just don't amount to much. We are incapable of being saints until we are made saints by the grace of God. Abraham hit the nail on the head by choosing not to live on the basis of what he couldn't do. Too many of us refuse to admit we cannot do life on our own - we are incapable of true change on our own. Once we admit we are incapable - God opens the doors to capabilities beyond our abilities!

God says he will make us white as pure driven snow - we don't get pure by our actions, but by the drive of his Spirit within us. God says he will give us a new name - not because we really desire one, but because he knows we need our lives 'redefined'. God says there are possibilities we won't ever accomplish on our own - so he gives us the abilities to accomplish great things, not in our own power, but through the grace and power that comes by his hand.

There is no greater gift we receive than to first acknowledge we are incapable of living saint-like lives and then see how God begins to make us saintly in our appearance, attitude, and actions. It is a grace-thing, pure and simple. That which we cannot do ourselves is best left in the hands of the only one capable of doing it anyway! Just sayin!

Wrapped, settled, and at ease

Times of transition can be both upsetting and thrilling at the exact same time. We get scared because of what we are seeing an end to something we have held dear or worked with for quite some time, but we are awesomely excited about what may be forthcoming as we take on the new venture. The moment we commit to take those steps forward, we are lambasted with all manner of doubt, anxiety, and maybe even a little bit too much adrenaline! The emotions evoked in transition can be undeniably hard to maneuver through, but when we move from one thing to another, there will always be a little bit of emotional 'build up' experienced in making that transition. Transition is a time of unrest for all of us. We like the familiarity of what we have come to know as "constant" and "secure" in our lives. When transition is called for, we often feel like our "legs are being pulled out from under us". This might be why we are as apprehensive in transition as we appear to be. We allow fear to guide our thoughts and influence our actions instead of taking the things we fear to God for his guidance in those times of transition.

Complain if you must, but don't lash out. Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking. Build your case before God and wait for his verdict. (Psalm 4:4-5)

Transition by definition is simply a period or season of change - changing from one position to another, a state of what some have come to call "stability" into a state of the "unknown". We also see that it is characterized by times of transformation. Transition brings with it transformation opportunities. We only enjoy the butterfly because the caterpillar underwent the transition - it prepared for and submitted to the transformation! There is a process in transition whereby a metamorphosis from one state or stage into another is underway. The end result is to make us more beautiful, stronger, and different from what we were when we entered into that transition.

Complaint is inherent in transition. It is human nature to complain 'about' or 'against' whatever it is that is seeking transition. Why? We may not even like the present process or way things are, but to change means there will be this encounter with the unknown, so we resist it. We don't seem to understand the process, or even want to participate in the process change, so we lash out against it. We can approach transition with a degree of maturity that will assist us in making it through the transition in a positive manner, but we don't come by this 'maturity' all on our own - we need God's help. The first thing he expects of us is that we will limit the complaining. It is the easiest thing to enter into the "whining" stage of complaint when we don't understand something, we don't feel it is fair, or we don't interpret the transition as something we can endure. Complaint is often an expression of our uneasiness over the situation at hand. It is quite easy for complaint to go the other direction into becoming an expression of our resentment toward the transition that is occurring. How we face the transition is directly impacted by both our "self-talk" and our "outward talk" about that transition. 

 
Some find they let their heart do all the talking, but when our heart does all the talking, we might just find that what is expressed is really so much of the grief we are experiencing with the transition at hand. As we let go of something we have developed a certain comfort level with (even when we don't really 'like' the present way things are), we often experience a deep sense of grief over the loss (because our comfort is impacted). We want to hold onto what "feels secure" to us, while God may have a different plan for our "security". Grief is often best understood in the midst of transition - we are parting with the old and embracing the new - bringing to light just how much we have been holding onto something within the old that we needed to let go of in the first place.

When compliant is done well, we actually build our case before God, finding there is no other resource as readily available, or as totally reliable to assist with the fear associated with change, the grief associated with letting go of the old, and the sense of unease created when transformation must occur. We often gravitate toward building our case before man - but it is time for us to truly consider that God is in control, so we need to build our case before him, not others. It can be hard to wait for his verdict - once we have laid it all out before God (our fear, disappointment, grief, unease, etc.), we are told to wait. Not the easiest instruction to follow, huh? I know for a fact that I am not the best at "waiting" to see what will unfold. It is in the "wait" that we often receive the greatest revelation of what the future holds - and how to let go of what has been an ineffective process in our lives. 

Think about that caterpillar for a moment again - in the moments of transition, he is going about his daily life until one day he is somehow moved to create a new form of existence. He goes into the safety of a cocoon - a place for his transformation to occur. That is kind of like us building our case before God - we take time to envelop ourselves in his watchful care, and then we wait for the rest to occur according to his plan. In the end, the cocoon produces the beauty of the butterfly - sometimes it is a Monarch, other times a simply little butterfly with golden wings. So, whatever transition we face today, perhaps we'd do well to consider the instruction of our psalmist. God can deal very well with our complaints - but we need to take them to him, not others who have no control over the transition. God is about to work in the midst of the transition - to produce what he believes will produce the greatest beauty in us. We need to find what we need for the transition in the safety of the "enveloping" covering of his care. Just sayin!

Transformers indeed

Jesus came down the mountain with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears. Then a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, "Master, if you want to, you can heal my body." Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone. Jesus said, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed body to the priest, along with the appropriate expressions of thanks to God. Your cleansed and grateful life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." 

(Matthew 8:1-4)

I have often wondered why Jesus asked this leper to NOT go all over the place, proclaiming the tremendous miracle that had happened in his body.  The natural result of being so totally healed would have been to jump for joy - maybe even shout aloud - running through the streets telling everyone willing to listen the story of one's healing.  Yet, Jesus asks him to be quiet - to just simply allow his cleansed and grateful life to be a witness to what he had done. It isn't the verbal testimony as much as the 'living testimony' of a changed life that often speaks the loudest, isn't it? Does Jesus need us to 'tout' his redemptive work in our lives with all manner of words? Not really - because a living testimony of a transformed life is sufficient to testify of the magnitude of grace and the magnificence of restorative power he provides!

I remember coming to Christ in the early 70's - the Jesus Movement was well underway and people who came to Christ as a result of that "movement" were quite "vocal" in their testimony.  As a matter of fact, we were taught that we needed to have a prepared testimony to give so that when conversation came about that would allow us to share about Jesus, we'd be able to relate what God had done in our lives. My prepared testimony could have filled a three-ring notebook with spillage to perhaps two or three more!  The things God changed in my spirit, my mind, and my actions were astronomically huge!  That may be why I struggled so much with having a "prepared" testimony that I could "tell" people. Is it really necessary to have one "prepared" for the curious or questioning? If there is a real life transformation, I think the words follow the actions - not the other way around!

This leper was likely in his condition for a while.  He probably did not smell too good, his clothing was in disrepair, his general health declining - not to mention that he had been out of mainstream life for probably a long while since lepers lived in their own colonies, enduring the misery of their disease with others of similar misfortune, and were looked upon by all of society as "less than" whole. They were deemed 'unclean' and as a result, they were ostracized. Now that I see his life described that way, the description of this leper's plight could probably have been our "testimony" as well!  We were consumed in all kinds of stuff (attitudes, actions, beliefs) that didn't make us "smell too good" in the sense of living in such a way that our life is a sweet-smelling fragrance raised to our Lord.  We were not adorned in the best of garments (spiritually speaking) - our filthy rags of sinful deeds just made us look pretty doggone shabby.  We were in a crowd of people all doing and saying the things we said - pursuing the similar things we were pursuing (our leper colony of sorts).

Then one day, we came face-to-face with Jesus and made our impassioned plea, "Master, if you want to, you can heal me!" The miracle that occurred that day over-shadowed all our faults, failures, and fears. We were transformed, made completely whole, and clothed in the splendor of his holiness. Like the leper, we probably wanted to go tell everyone we met that Jesus had transformed our lives.  Why did Jesus ask this leper to be quiet and just simply allow his life to be a testimony?  In the context of the ministry of Jesus, this healing was one of his first (in the first part of his earthly ministry).  He directs the man to make the appropriate presentation to the priest - the only "man" who could proclaim him "clean" so that he could be restored to his family, re-entering mainstream society once again as a "clean" man.  We are not really told why Jesus didn't want the public "fan-fare" of this man's testimony all over town.  What we do know is that Jesus says there is a testimony that is even more powerful than our words - it is a transformed life.

The next time you don't think you have much of a testimony to share - or that you really cannot put into words all the tremendous things Jesus has done in your life - don't fret.  Your grateful and transformed life speaks volumes more than your words ever will!  Yes, there will be times when you will feel moved to share a portion of what Jesus has done - with another who may be hurting in just the same way you were when he delivered you from your 'leprous' state.  We don't need "written down" testimonies, prepared well in advance of needing to share them.  What we need is transformed lives, grateful hearts, and an open spirit.  God does the rest! Just sayin!

Crawling, are you?

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly. (R. Buckminster Fuller)

I think there are many butterflies waiting to emerge in this world! All the while, we are crawling around, on our way to becoming something of great beauty and majesty, but have no clue just how that will be accomplished. We do what we know to do - live the life of the caterpillar! I don't know if caterpillars "sense" the time has come for change, but I think God helps us to be able to "sense" there is a change occurring in our lives. It is his grace at work and we cannot deny something is happening, even when we don't know it is that we are taking on the beauty and freedom of the butterfly!

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. (Romans 12:2 TLB)

I don't understand why God made the caterpillar. Why couldn't he just make the butterfly? Why can't butterflies give birth to other butterflies? We may never understand the "why" behind the caterpillar, but maybe it is just so we can ponder what it is to be one way and then in almost unrecognizable fashion, we are another. Maybe it is to help us realize we are not bound to our past - we can be a new creation. Perhaps it is to give us a tiny glimpse into the "soul" of our Creator - coming to know his desire to make old things new, beautiful, and free to soar!

The caterpillar way of living is pretty slow when it comes to making progress from one point to another. A couple of summer's back I took a southerly route to California. That route took me through some of the area of desert known for this "migration" of caterpillars (big ones). There was a patch of highway that was just yellow with their crawling little bodies. No matter how many would succumb to the passing of tire upon tire, they still came from one side of the desert on their way to some other point. Their slowness - their crawling speed - made them prey for not only the motor vehicles, but for the spying eye of the birds above.

It made me think about the times we need to get from one place in life to another - knowing the journey to be slow and maybe even subject to a little bit of an obstacle along the way. The slowness by which we progress is sometimes a measurement of how "bound" we are to this earth. We don't really know any other way of "progressing" than to just continue to crawl! Somehow, at the end of that journey, we curl up for a while inside a cozy little place with God and what emerges is this amazing "butterfly". God knows we desire to get to where we are going - he also knows we probably all desire to be making progress at a different pace than we have been making, but he lets us experience the pace of the old so we can fully enjoy the boundless freedom of the new! Just sayin!

I am giving up, but not in the way you think I am!

You will never exaggerate when you speak good things of God. It is not possible to do so. Try, dear brethren, and boast in the Lord. (Charles Spurgeon)

What do you exaggerate about the most frequently? Is it your weight, age, or even your income? Is it the state or condition of your soul, telling someone you are "fine" instead of being truthful about the fact life is falling apart all around you? Is it perhaps the small things like that you'd be happy to do something for someone, all the while begrudging that they are asking for yet another favor from you? It seems we have become a society that appreciates being in-genuine instead of remaining true to our integrity. We boast about stuff we really don't control, while we remain silent about stuff we probably need to be more forthcoming with. It is far better to boast in what is true, reliable, and consistent - the grace and love of God!

14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. (Galatians 6:14 NLT)

As Paul indicates, the cross is the center of our "boasting" - for nothing compares to the ability and power of the cross. There is no life-change apart from grace, although we might try our best to change things up a bit. We are still the same at the core of our being until the cross is embraced and Christ becomes our focus! The cross changes our interests - it redirects our attention to the things that really should warrant our attention. The condition of our soul is what is changed with the cross - our spirit united with his, our souls begin to be transformed from self-seeking, self-preserving, and self-boasting actions and attitudes.

Our interest in the things we once felt a great pull toward often begins to wane as we grow closer to Jesus in our "heart affection and attention". If you want to be able to explain salvation to someone who is unchurched, perhaps that is the clearest evidence they will ever need - to know that salvation doesn't "restrict" you, but it "refocuses" you. If you speak with an unbeliever, they will often focus on what it is you "cannot do" as a Christian and the stuff you "have to do" such as going to church and reading your Bible. They don't "get" that you do those things not so much because you "have to", but because your interests change as grace enters into you. You also probably take some "heat" about the things you need to "give up" - cursing, gossip, and even going to the bar or somewhere you used to frequent. 

What the unbeliever doesn't understand is that you aren't "giving up" anything - your interests in those things have changed and you no longer desire to pursue them. You aren't being made to "give up" anything - it is as though you just know it is time to move away from those things and move toward something else. It isn't a burden - it is a joy. I think this is the most misunderstood thing about "being a Christian" - the fact that life-change is occurring and your interests are changing right along with that change! Our interest in the worldly things we once felt drawn toward isn't the same anymore. Little by little, this transformation is taking place - and our lives reveal evidence of grace's pull being stronger than the world's!

Boast about the change going on inside, and the one who is at work reordering your interests - this is a good thing to boast about! Just sayin!

Grow on

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

(Ephesians 3:8-10 NLT)

It always amazes me to read this passage time and time again, just to recount the truth that all our "good works" really amount to tiddly-squat in terms of "earning" us anything in the economy of heaven. All we need for life and godly living doesn't come from what we "do", but in where it is we place our trust and hope. Paul opens this letter to the Ephesians with several truths that build up to the one he gives above. Namely - we are where we are today and what we are today, not because of our own effort, but because of what God makes us "in Christ Jesus". All we exist to be or become in the course of time is based upon the simple fact of being "in Christ Jesus" and as such, we are made new. Our life takes on a different "mission" in Christ - which begins by us being identified as his own by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. In turn, the evidence of his presence assures us that we partake of a great inheritance - in Christ Jesus.

To this simple truth of grace, Paul reminds us how our sinful pride and self-focused "mission" were pretty much "calling the shots" in our lives before Christ. Every desire or pull of our sinful hearts kept us busy and tantalized out senses, but none of these ever brought us to a place of fulfillment like we find now "in Christ Jesus". It is "in Christ" where all things take on their perfect form and purpose. It is "in Christ" that we understand our "mission" in life - for all of us were created by him, for him, to be united in him. The "uniting" of one's spirit with that of Christ Jesus is what brings about a change of focus - a determination to no longer live as we "want", but as he "wills".

The passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature begin to take on less and less importance to us as we realize this "uniting" of our spirit with his. How is that possible? I took a microbiology class one summer while going through nursing school. One of the things we did was "grow" microorganisms on various forms of "medium" in small dishes which were incubated until there was a massive explosion of growth evident on the surface of the medium. What most failed to recognize was that the medium became more than the "host" of the microorganism. In time, the medium took on the characteristics of that which appeared to be only on the surface of the medium. The longer the microorganism was in contact with the surface of the medium, the more and more of the medium was consumed by it.

In terms of us being "in Christ" - the longer and longer we are in contact with is Spirit resident within us, the more and more he becomes evident in our lives. It is as though the surface of our lives is no longer the only place he brings evidence of his "growth" - it begins to penetrate much deeper into the recesses of our lives until there is a greater and greater transformation which occurs. That which our life is in contact with the most becomes the "medium" upon which all growth comes forth. If that medium is Christ's Spirit within us, the growth which becomes evident is that of his character within us. Thus, the uniting of our spirit with his, this "in Christ" thing Paul speaks of in our passage, becomes the place of our transformation. It doesn't take thousands of microorganisms to grow a colony - it takes just one. It doesn't take much faith to transform a life - just one tiny speck is enough to realize the cultivation capable of life transformation! Just sayin!

Don't buy sticky, red soda when you have teenagers!

I watched a nature show last week in which a bald eagle landed on some fresh black tar laid on the roadway.  It was still hot and very sticky.  He became trapped in the sticky substance, all while trying to catch a meal nearby in the same mired mess.  Sadly, neither accomplished their task - the bird of prey did not get his meal, nor did the rodent cross to a place of safety.  I believe it may have been Joel Olsteen who said something like: "No matter where you at this very moment, this isn't the place you are meant to get stuck or hang out forever.  Each of us was created to rise above that present level and begin to soar to new heights."  Those aren't his exact words, but you get the idea.  I think it goes without saying - we all get "stuck" at some level in life where we just don't really know how to break free of whatever it is we are mired in.  Those times can be the hardest, but they can also be the most rewarding because they will test our faith, challenge our determination, and refine our focus.  We should never stagnate there, content to just "deal", but rather look upward and ask God how it is we are to break free into flight again to the next place he has prepared for us.

So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.  (Hebrews 12:1-2 VOICE)

This present level we face may be the greatest challenge we've face to date, or it could be the most delightful of places we have ever been.  It almost stands to reason we would want to escape the one challenging us and remain anchored in the one we have found delight and joy within.  Yet, both places are not a permanent placement for any of us.  We were meant to grow, expand, come into new experiences with Jesus - that means we cannot ever become content in just "living" where we are at right now.

Weights need to be dropped - those things which burden us unnecessarily.  Easier said than done - I know!  Sin is a weight we cannot afford to bear, but it has a way of wanting to cling to us even when we lay it down.  A few years back, my kids had a graduation party at the house.  We obtained all the obligatory munchies, subs, and sodas so they could really have a good time just hanging out.  I recall this one episode with a two liter, red sugary soda which really taught me a lesson.  For some unknown reason, the soda was under way more pressure than it should have been (maybe because the house was full of teenage boys being boys).  Upon uncapping the soda there was an immediate explosion of red liquid everywhere - from cabinet to floor, wall to wall, appliance to doorway.  Immediate clean up took place, but you know what I noticed?  No matter how well I thought I'd been able to scrub that sugary drink from the recesses it sought, it kept showing up again and again!

If you have ever had one of those things happen to you then you understand what I am about to say next - no matter how hard we try to escape the invasion of the sugary mess, it kept being the thing we'd find in some places we never ever imagined it could have gone!  Weights and sins have this same effect - they creep into places we didn't imagine they could ever have gone!  Before long, they are clinging to parts of us we just didn't imagine they could have influence over. In order to be free of their effect and "clinging hold", we need some pretty determined "cleansing" to occur.  I had to take apart every kitchen drawer, remove all the items within, unload the kitchen cabinets, then begin the process of scrubbing each and every surface - inside and out.  Then the items within needed to be washed and dried, replaced where they belonged, with new shelf liner to boot.  It took me time, energy, and a great deal of tenacity to "rise above" the invasion of the sticky red substance, but when it was all done, you know what I realized?  My kitchen sparkled!  Every drawer had a good cleaning and organizing.  Unwanted stuff which had just collected as clutter was gone.  My kitchen was transformed.

I don't know what needs transforming in your life today, but today's level is not the level you were meant to stay at forever. It may take a great deal of focus and dedication to rise above where you are today, but tomorrow's heights are calling and there is a transformation just waiting to happen!  Just sayin!

Objectionable?

As I was growing up, I remember doing all manner of "things" which I hoped would have made me acceptable to some group of individuals.  Some of them were kind of insignificant, like just dressing to be acceptable to my peer group, while others were pretty much crossing the line because the actions either "broke the law" or "broke some rule".  By the actions I took, I either disregarded the clear-cut instructions of my parents or some other superior in my life, or I actually engaged in activities which put me at odds with the laws we are all supposed to live by.  I trespassed into private property, sometimes with complete disregard for the danger this could present to both me and those with me.  At other times, I found myself telling one lie to cover another, simply because I thought the truth would make me somehow "uncool" or "unacceptable" in the group I desired so much to be accepted within.  I expected my actions to somehow "change" me from the "nerd" I was accused of being into someone totally "better" than what I was in the eyes of those who saw me as a "nerd" in the first place.  What a silly thing to think I could accomplish through some action on my own behalf!  I honestly believed I could change the way others saw me by the actions I took. It is just impossible to change who we ARE at the core of our being without the power and intervention of GOD in our lives.  We can change the "outside", but only he can truly change the "inside". 

Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn’t by obeying the Law of Moses. God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins. God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life’s blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26 CEV)

As long as we view ourselves as unacceptable, we are saying there is something within us which is kind of "objectionable" to someone.  It may be we even view ourselves in the mirror and make that determination ourselves.  Why?  We judge by the appearance - what we see or observe through our limited powers of observation are what we use to fashion our opinions of what we see.  Good news - God looks way beyond the "appearance" and gets right at the root of the matter - what actually makes up our "core".  Another piece of good news - God doesn't see ANY of us as more "acceptable" because of something we do, think, or possess. He sees all of us exactly the same.  That means we are all on an "even playing field" when it comes to approaching God, being "accepted" by him, and being made "acceptable" in terms of his grace.

When you look in the mirror, do you see a sinner?  If you don't, then look again!  All of us are sinners - some may "sin" more outwardly than others (like me when I broke the law or was in blatant opposition to the rules of my parents), but all of us "sin" inwardly in some manner or another (like when we want to hold a grudge for a wrong done).  We all have the "genetic make-up" to sin and knowing we are all "cut of the same cloth" means we all have the same propensity to choose self-motivated actions on occasion.  We also share the same "fate" for this propensity - we are separated from God and his grace.  Apart from God, we live alienated lives - lives devoid of the Spirit of God within.  In this state, all we do is "soul" directed - mind, will, and emotions controlling our every action.

In the scheme of things, we can try to clean up our act and appear one way when we still have the old way of "being" and "acting" at the core of who we really are, but we rarely can impact who we are at the core.  I will always be a "nerd" in the eyes of some.  I like technology, enjoy playing games which challenge my mind, and find humor in things which others may think of as kind of goofy and childish.  It is who I am at the core - so to try to change this make me untrue to the way I was created.  If I had extreme musical talent and then tried to morph myself into an investment banker, I probably could learn investment banking, but something of the deep down passion which makes me a talented musician would be squelched.  I would live with the frustration of not being true to what I feel the most "free" at doing.

In much the same way, whenever we try to live apart from the way we were truly created to live (with God's Spirit within each of us, energizing our being and ruling our lives), we find a great deal of frustration with the way we are living.  We are living "close" to the way we were created to live, but not "fully" in that place.  Grace is God's means of bringing his Spirit fully alive within each of us.  His means of keeping us "true" to what we were created to be is by giving us his Spirit and then igniting that life within us until it motivates and moves us in every aspect of our lives.  Grace is available to all, but grace must be embraced - we are made acceptable through the presence of grace.  Grace does more than just make us "acceptable", though.  It does more than change us from "objectionable" in God's eyes.  It transforms us into living, vibrant beings capable of reproducing the life which dwells within us through the sharing of this life with others.  Isn't it about time we stop looking at others as "objectionable" and start sharing what has the power to transform each of us from our "objectionable" state into the glorious state of grace God has prepared for each of us?  Just askin!

You get the part?

I spent a few years in the theater in high school and then into the military as part of my career there.  I was not a "performer" in the theater, although I did have a small part in a production once, but it was really not my forte.  I was a "behind the scenes" kind of person - building sets, finding just the right props, etc.  I liked the challenge of taking a totally flat surface of canvas stretched taught over a frame and turning it into the backdrop resembling old structures, hillsides, or the inside of a 1930's parlor.  It intrigued me to see the sets come together and then stand back to see the "effect" they created.  Two dimensional flats gave the appearance of three dimension and took you into worlds you might not have traveled otherwise.  What made theater so interesting for others was the ability to "perform" the parts of the characters in the production.  They enjoyed the challenge of getting the role down, including the accent, appearing like an aged woman or man, and the like. They would study their parts, memorizing lines, rehearsing ad nauseum and spend endless hours cultivating their role.  As much effort as I put into the sets to get them to look "real", the performers were putting into their development of their part in the play.  I think there are times in our lives when we spend a great deal of time creating an "image" and cultivating our "performance" in the "religious" realm only to come to the place of recognizing our "performance" is a bit of a "flop"!

Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors mean far more to God than religious performance.  (Proverbs 21:3 MSG)

Anytime we focus more on our "performance" and on our "appearance", we are wasting valuable time we could have spent allowing God to actually change us into the appearance only he can give and the performance which comes because we are learning to live as he desires us to live.  Religious performance is not relationship-based.  It is the glory of Christ revealed in us which comes only to the degree we are willing to spend time getting close to him which gives us the appearance which is envied by all.  It is the grace of Christ cultivated in our lives which gives us the performance which touches the lives of others and helps them to desire to be filled with the grace as much as we are.  It is one thing to have "religious performance", but something quite different to engage in deep, intimate fellowship with Jesus.  One produces a "performance" of sorts, something quite rehearsed and not natural or real; the other produces a change of character entirely, moving us from one way of living into another.  The latter is real and is what God desires more than anything else.

Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors.  Sound familiar?  It should - since through all of history God has been emphasizing these same two things.  Have one God, pay attention to this relationship like it matters the most, and allow him to pay attention to you because YOU do matter the most to him.  In turn, you will love each other as he loves you.  Same truth, just a different way of saying it.  How it is accomplished is by being willing to shift from "playing a part" to allowing the character change to actually occur. It is more than "bit acting" - it is life transformation God is after - allowing all of our lives to become models of his.  He makes a beautiful "set" out of our lives - not just one which gives the appearance of being one way - but a multi-dimensional work of beauty which is a genuine reflection of the original (Christ).  

Now, don't you think it is about time we stop "playing the part" of "Christian" and actually draw close enough to him to recognize when we are simply "play-acting" and when we are being "transformed" into his image?  Just sayin!

"Identical With"

I have been in stores and observed tags which read, "As Is".  Whenever I see these, I chuckle a little under my breath because people are willing to buy things with "flaws", simply because they are a bargain.  The "deal" associated with the "As Is" condition of the object really doesn't matter too much - you can hide the small "ding", or use a "blemish stick" to cover over the scratch. When it comes to other human beings, we often see the "flaws" as too much to deal with!  The "dings" and "scratches" and the announced "As Is" condition really make it hard to accept them.  One of the most difficult things in life is to be who we really are - no pretense, no made-up fronts - just plain and simply "us".  Why?  It is probably a combination of things, but one of the most obvious is our sense of others not being willing to accept us "as we are". I'd like to challenge us a little here, because I think we ALL come with the "As Is" sticker, but some of us focus on it as a "turn off" while others see it as a "challenge" to "change" what is there into something different!  Either way, we don't really allow the other person to be "as they are" because we won't accept their "As Is" condition and allow the one who actually knows how to "fix" them to do the "fixing".  It is quite a liberating place to be when you finally come face-to-face with self and just settle back to allow Christ the liberty to do what he wants to do within.  To stop trying to appear righteous before men and to be yourself is a risky place to be for some, but it also carries some of the greatest rewards.

Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan. What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.  Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. (Galations 2:17-21 MSG)

Few actually understand the freedom Christ's presence adds to a life, but they are drawn to it because of the hope it sparks within.  While others may be impressed with the appearance one places on display, God is not.  He is most impressed with the appearance of his Son, no matter how much of Jesus he sees coming through in each of us.  For us humans, impressions are a big deal, right?  We are affected by what "appears" to be reality - if we weren't, show business would not be such "big business" - for all of show business if really "play acting".  Appearance is "surface stuff" - the external "show" doesn't always align with the internal "know".  We "know" certain things about ourselves which we'd never allow to be put on "show" in our lives, right?  At least, not if we could help it!  Pretending to be anything or anyone we are not to one another is one thing, but pretending to be anything or anyone we are not to God himself - well, that is plain silliness since he knows us inside and out.

Convictions are the set of values we adhere to in life.  They are made up of the things we have come to accept as "worthy" of affecting our actions. Needless to say, we can have convictions which are pretty well-accepted, and at times, have convictions which are "deviant" from what society calls "normal" or "acceptable".  In the course of the past 50 years or so, some things have surfaced in society which are viewed as "deviant" convictions. Once upon a time, not so long ago, being anything less than pure until the day you were married was considered "deviant" - today, because of a change in the norms of society, being a "virgin" on your wedding night is almost considered being "deviant".  Being a member of a gang 50 years ago usually meant you were working on the side of a road, shackled together.  Today, being in a gang is almost viewed as a sense of "family".  What once was deviant has become normal.  Bullying was never all right, but today it is a thing which actually causes people to take their lives.  Hmmm....convictions do play a large part in how we view ourselves and others!

God desires and values a steady and straight course in life.  We have many things which can pull us off course - the the last thing God wants is for his own kids to be the thing which pulls anyone off course!  Whenever we behave in a manner which causes another to feel they cannot be themselves around us, we are doing just that.  Too many times, we consider the "rules" we make in society to be the "norms" we all need to adhere to - forgetting the bigger set of "rules" outlined by the one who doesn't really want us living by "rules" anyway!  God may have outlined a lot of rules for his kids throughout the generation, but the biggest one he focused on over and over again was this one of loving him first, keeping him center, then loving others as we love ourselves.  Nothing matters to him more than that!  Love involves allowing others to be real - no judgments attached - just being able to accept the other person in their "As Is" condition and then trusting God to work out the rough edges if they need a little "working out".

We are not set right with God by the rule-keeping.  Personal faith in Jesus is what sets us right.  No method of self-improvement will ever bring us into relationship with God or build us up in quite the same manner as being who we are without the "put forward" appearances.  There are times when we focus so much on the "degree" by which the other person "gets things right" in their lives and not the fact that they are living, breathing creatures who stand as much in need of a Savior as we do.  Truth be told, us Christians, struggle toward perfection - toward the correction of character which makes us more Christ-like.  I think I can honestly say with an assurance - I am one of those who struggle toward perfection - it is not a smooth course!  It is made up of bumps and turns, ups and downs, right choices and the not so right.  In the end, I trust I will get there, but for now, plaster that "As Is" sticker clearly across my forehead!

If we are all about "trying to be good" and then "appearing" that way, we are building in such a way that produces nothing but disappointment.  God gives us the power to live transformed lives - one step at a time.  We often forget this - one foot going in front of the other until we reach our destination.  As a teenager, I remember crossing a suspension bridge from one side of a huge ravine to the other.  It was made all the scarier for me because of my traveling companions (other teenagers), and the fact it was a forbidden area by both the posted "no trespassing" signs and my parents having no clue I was actually going there!  One foot in front of the other, I crossed to the other side.  I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins, the frigid cold of the icy, snow covered landscape almost didn't bother me.  What I had to focus on was getting that "one foot in front of the other" thing worked out. It was one thing to get to the other side, but another to get back!  For we often find the toughest journeys are the ones "back" - finding there is no way out but the way we got in!

Here is something for us to remember - transformed lives don't come from any power within us.  They come from a power far outside of us, but which can become resident within us.  Christ's power comes the more we identify with the one who resides within.  To identify means we are moving toward becoming "identical with".  Spirit, outlook, and principles change as a result of this identification with him.  As we identify with Christ, it is no longer important for us to "appear" any particular way - for his movement in our lives is what makes it possible for our "ego" to take a back seat.  When we move into a place of being less concerned with impressing others - we are becoming more comfortable in our own skin!  If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ's death would not have been necessary.  The truth is - the only way to life is through Christ - nothing else will ever be able to take us from the "As Is" condition of our lives to the "restored" and "new". 

It is futile to live with "images" of what we want to put forward.  We all get on those suspension bridges, putting one foot in front of the other until we reach the other side.  The reality of being "somewhere" we weren't supposed to go may not be so thrilling once we step across the threshold, but for certain, Christ stands ready to bring us back across to his safety when we finally are willing to be real about where we are!  Just sayin!

Genetics?

There are two word which are similar, but have a totally different meaning when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it.  The two words:  Reformation and Transformation.  Reformation is the action of improving, but it involves altering or amending something to make it more presentable or suitable.  Transformation involves change, but it is at the core - it is the change in the very nature of the object.  Reformation involves "cleaning up" something - superficial at best.  Transformation included the exchange of on thing for another.  Any time we focus on "cleaning up our act", we are engaging in "reformational" action - any time we allow God to focus on "changing our nature" we are giving him access to do his tranformational work within us.

For though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, yet your iniquity and guilt are still [upon you; you are] spotted, dirty,and stained before Me, says the Lord.  (Jeremiah 2:22 AMP)

In medical terms, when one "gene" is affected by another, it goes through a transformation process - changing its very nature.  This is the basis of the research behind genetics - science working to impact how one "out of control" cell might be affected by another "in control" cell.  When we pour chemo chemicals into the body, we are hoping to "reform" the action of the cells - stopping the growth, or at least slowing them down.  The fact is - the cell doesn't change with chemo, it just stops being fed.  The cell has the potential to regrow because the very "genetics" of the cell still exist.  When we introduce the "genetic" component, we see the potential to change the very actions and the very nature of the cell!

Let that one sink in a little this morning.  One only "cleans us up" - the other makes us new!  When a good friend of mine was asked to give a bone marrow transplant to a relative, she was being asked to provide the "genetic" materials to transform the way the recipient's cells were acting.  His cells were out of control - consuming the health of his body.  Her cells would provide the basis for the transformational work to occur - giving enough of the "seed" of life to do more than just "reform" his blood.  I think this is what the blood of Jesus does for us - it transforms our blood!  It has been said that life is in the blood (that is biblical, you know).  Therefore, the way to affect our nature is through a blood exchange!

Christ's death on the cross - the shedding of his blood - procured the means by which our very nature could be transformed.  There is no amount of "reform" work we can do which will help us stand in the same way before God as does the blood of Christ.  As Jeremiah said those may years ago, we can scrub until our skin is raw, but all we do is scratch the surface of what really makes us "unclean"!  The only way to get at the stain is to get at it from the inside!

There are six basic principles of genetics - I think they provide us with some interesting things to consider:

1.  Each trait, or characteristic, is "passed on" from one generation to the next.  I think this is what God was referring to when he spoke to Israel saying the sins of the father are often passed onto the son.  We have the "genetic" make up which "introduces" the desire to sin - to demand our own way over the obedience to God.  We all have the same nature - because we are all cut from the same cloth.  We also all have the same "void" within designed to be filled by God's spirit.

2.  The trait exhibited are controlled by the genes we possess.  This is the basis for studying how diseases can be controlled or eradicated by the use of genetics.  Whenever we think of a "trait", we are really saying that which gives the uniqueness to the object.  We seek to change the "uniqueness" by introducing the new gene.  I don't know about you, but the "gene" of Christ in me is the entire basis for change in my life - no other thing ever got at the "traits" which declared me a sinner!

3.  Genes are inherited - one from each of the parents.  This means I have "genes" from both my natural parents and from Christ - for when I come into his family, I now have is "genetics" introduced.  Just like my friend giving her blood to her brother to see his blood transformed, the "gene" of Christ's righteousness is introduced into our lives - moving quickly to transform our unrighteousness into righteousness.

4.  There are both dominant and recessive genes.  This one might stump us a little, but we probably think of dominant as the one which is exhibited and recessive as the one which does nothing.  Quite the opposite is true.  To understand this, we might need an entire paper, but here it is in a simplified nutshell.  Genes really "have stuff" (genotype) and they "exhibit stuff" (phenotype).  It is the relationship between the two which really determines what will be "exhibited".  Now, if we want to change the way we act - we need God's "phenotype" to impact our "genotype" so our actions change!

5.  The two genes still exist - one just "hides" or "covers over" the other.  This might just explain why we still sin!  We have all we need for transformation to occur, but there are still some of those "recessive" genes exhibiting themselves once in a while, huh?

6.  There are some genes which really are what science calls "co-dominant" - both revealing themselves at the same time.  Maybe this explains why we see Christians as still imperfect humans - they still display their human nature, even though they have the "spiritual" genetics at work within them right now! Until we are fully "transformed", I think this may just be the case for a while. Just sayin!

Editing is Tough Work

There is something of great release which comes when you can finally let go of the fear of keeping the pages of your life so tightly shut - for in the opening of the pages, the "editing" can begin.  As a writer, one of the things I sometimes find the most difficult is to edit "out" content - but the pages are made the richer then I do.  Our lives are the same way - when we allow God to edit out some of the content which really doesn't lend to our lives, we find the thing produced is much closer to what the "author" intends to say with our lives!

God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.  When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start.  Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted.  Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick.  I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step.  God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. (Psalm 18:20-24 MSG)

Mankind has a tendency to hold all the pieces close to the breast, so to speak.  I think it may be to avoid exposure at times - the pieces revealing bits and pieces of who we really are rather than the "made up" image we portray.  At other times, I think we let go of the pieces we think we don't handle so well, giving up part of the control, but holding back on other parts because we think we are doing pretty well with those parts.  You know - when someone else reads what I write, they often seek clarification of what it is I was intending to say!  The truth is - I don't always "display" what I think I should be display and I don't always have a much in control as I think I do!

The editing process can be a little challenging at times because giving over something you think you have done your best with and having those examining eyes find opportunities for improvement (edits) can crush your ego.   Maybe that is why God does the "editing" of our lives - because he knows as long as we hold all the pages tight to the breast, we don't see the opportunities for improvement which help to define what our "book" is all about.  Our passage today deals with a couple of interesting points:

*  When we finally let go of the pieces (the pages), the editing is free to begin.  You see, the edits don't remove content which lends to the finished product, just the stuff which won't!  We don't get the benefit of the editing until we submit to the process - we have to let go of the pieces - giving them over to God, allowing him to sort them out, determining what order the should take, and then he sets about the "editing" process.

*  Editing is all about fresh starts.  Handing over the pieces of our lives is not about "cutting this out" or "striking this".  It is about God giving us the ability for a fresh start - putting our lives into the right order - determining the best content for our lives.  Fresh starts are really an opportunity to start from scratch, aren't they?  When we hand over the pages of our lives, there will be some chapters which need a total rewrite!  This is the idea of a fresh start - we don't have to settle for the old content - we can allow the new pages to be written which will substitute for what once occupied that space!

*  The process of writing involves a whole lot of "research".  A writer gets to know their subject pretty well - otherwise the content of the book is pretty bland, not very believable, and really doesn't accomplish much.  Our psalmist reminds us of this "getting to know our subject" process - in the daily time spent getting to know the subject of our live's pages!  Believe it or not, our live's pages are not about US - they are about Jesus IN us.  Getting to know the subject can often result in the "editing out" of some of the content - replacing it with the "better" content!

*  The best editor never reduces the book to nothing - he adds to it, takes away from it, but he doesn't just throw it out!  He may have to work a lot to get the pages to reflect the proper order, best content, and ease of readability, but it is in all this work where the pages reflect the intended purpose of the book.  Some pages may be sacrificed - but they didn't belong in the first place.  Remember - it is not in the number of pages that we judge the merit of the book, but in the content of the pages which remain!

So, rather than resisting the editing process, we need to learn to embrace it.  The discomfort of turning over the pages to the one who knows best what needs to stay and what has no place any longer only results in a better finished product.  Just sayin!

A new book is being written

Ever been somewhere, not dressed at your best, experiencing anything but your best hair day, and maybe not totally acting your normal "self", only to come face-to-face with someone you know?  How'd it make you feel?  Kind of self-conscious?  Or perhaps like you wanted to crawl under a rock?  We've all had those moments!  What did we fear the most in those circumstances?  Wasn't it that we knew perfectly well that people evaluate others by how they look and/or how they are "behaving" at that moment?  The truth is people evaluate people - don't they?  The danger is that we only see "in part" - most of what makes up an individual is actually on the inside, isn't it?

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.  (2 Corinthians 5:16-18 MSG)

Paul really gets at the crux of this idea of "not judging the book by the cover".  When we look at someone in a certain light just because they have or don't have certain things, we judge.  When we evaluate someone by the clothes they wear, we judge.  When we evaluate someone by the "title" they bear, we judge.  None of these are a true estimate of the individual behind the belongings or the clothes or the "title".  None of these truly "defines" them - their character (inner man) defines them.

Here are some things Paul reminds us:

* Deciding to follow Christ gives us the eyes to see beyond the outer appearance or the material possessions of another - and especially beyond the "titles" one bears because of past choices or current sins.  But...eyes don't ensure seeing, do they?  My mother has two perfectly normal looking eyes, but she suffers from macular degeneration - she cannot see details, color, etc.  She has "normal" appearing eyes, but she does not truly "see".  Seeing is a matter of perception - if the "receivers" are out of whack, what is perceived is also "out of whack".  True perceiving happens on the inside - because the heart has been changed by the grace and love of Christ.  When our "internal receivers" are all aligned as they should be with the heart of Christ, we begin to see others differently - apart from their appearances or past mistakes.  

* Anyone in Christ gets a fresh start - it may not be immediately evident on the outside, but it is very apparent on the inside.  This is the danger behind looking on the outside only - we miss the work going on inside (the true place of grace's work).  The condition for seeing others differently is being in Christ. The condition of us seeing others as different is Christ being in them.  The outward may take some time to actually catch up with the work being done on the inside, so we need to remember to NEVER judge by the appearance.  The fresh start we ALL get gives us equal grounds - none of us stands in any "better" place than the other - we are all sinners in need of a savior.  We are all "strugglers" needing a deliverer.

* God expects more of us.  The scripture is plain - we are called to "settle our relationships with each other".  Most of what causes us "riffs" in relationships is because of our inability to see what is on the inside of another.  We judge by the outward appearances - what seems "apparent" in the relationship.  Ever been with someone who is quiet, pulled inside themselves, and kind of not really present in the moment?  How did it make you feel?  Did you begin to think that maybe the individual did not want to be around you?  You know, the opposite may very well be the case - it just may take a while for someone hurt by others they trusted to finally begin to open up in relationship again.  So, don't get discouraged with them - give them the space they need - they are being made new on the inside first (where they are spending all their time at that very moment).  As the "newness" begins to affect them inwardly, it will become evident on the outside, as well.

* The new life burgeons.  Yep, had to look it up!  It means it is beginning to grow - to put forth shoots.  It is where we get our word "blooms" - it is the work of Christ on the inside, beginning to take root, then finding its way to the surface.  Tiny shoots take form - struggling to the surface.  No seed planted in the ground has an easy course to the surface - it takes some effort!  The same is true of our new character - it takes some effort getting those shoots out into the light of day!  So, be patient with the growth process.  

Just as we have been embraced, we are to embrace others.  We don't embrace their "sin", but we do embrace the person struggling to grow beyond their sin! Just sayin!