Thoughts Heavily Derived from Romans 6:1-10

It's still a difficult task to daily walk in newness of life. Despite the fact that we have been buried with Christ through baptism into death, despite the fact that we share in the likeness of not only his death but also His resurrection, and despite the fact that we're to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, it remains a constant struggle to live new lives. We find ourselves dwelling, and even delighting in the things that we've supposedly died to, and more than that, the things that were part of our old self we supposedly crucified. It is amazing how powerful sin is and how tenacious the old self is that even after tasting, feeling, and drinking deep from this new and eternal life we still return to our former state. Do we not know that if we have been baptized into Christ Jesus we have been baptized into His death? Do we not know that being baptized into His death means we also share in His resurrection? Do we not know that resurrection leads to a new life? And do we not know that a new life is inevitably followed by a new self? How lightly we take the call, the privilege, of living as new creations in Christ Jesus. How loosely we hold onto the precious life we've been granted by His blood, death, and resurrection. And how tightly the old man keeps his hold on us, strangling our attempts to breathe in the hope we have in Christ, covering our eyes to the Glory of our King, stopping our ears from hearing His promises and Love. What a struggle we have with ourselves, with our sin. And yet what Hope, what Help we have in Christ Jesus. Our Rock, our Deliverer, our Salvation, and our Life.

Our First Love

Once we've been resurrected into new life in Christ, we are born into love. And that love exists entirely in God, in the Father, in the Son, in the Spirit; He is our first love of this new life. And He is deserving of every ounce of faith, every piece of our hearts, every bit of our desire, and every breath of our lives. And like faithless Israel, we turn away and forget our first love. We forget the love that came down to save us out of death and into life and out of darkness into light. And while the love that He showed us the moment He resuscitated our stone hearts burns as bright now as it did that day, our love flickers like the sign of a cheap motel in a hurricane. But thank the Lord our God our Savior our Hope that the only fitness he requires of us is to feel our need for Him. I had a moment of prayer today where I looked at my life and my accomplishments and my possessions and my relationships and my all, and it was telling me "you're nothing without Him." And at least for that moment, I felt void of all pride, I felt indifferent toward all vanity, I felt needy of all things, I felt God in my heart in a way that I can't recall ever experiencing. I felt like a true child of God, dependent on Him for all things. I felt like I'll never need anything else in the world. This love knows no bounds, this love is beyond compare, this is true Love.

Psalm 113:5-6

Who is like the LORD our God,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

Our God is so awesome that He has to humble Himself even to look into the things that are in heaven. He is above even the most perfect and holy of all tabernacles, and He has to lower Himself to even look into the paradise we can't comprehend. That is the God I want to worship.

Broken Cisterns

The words of the Lord from Jeremiah 2:13:

For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.

Some of you might recognize the imagery from summer camp a few years ago. Sean talked about the broken cisterns that we make for ourselves. And we do make so many of them. But, and to go along with Caleb's latest blog, I want to focus on leaving those cisterns behind. Not looking at all of the cracks and all of the dust that fills up the empty places where we've searched for life and freedom and satisfaction, but looking instead to the one true fountain of living waters, Jesus Christ. It is only clear just how broken our pursuits are when we view them in comparison to the one true satisfaction. How much more infinitely satisfying and fulfilling and life-giving He is. To drink form His living water of love and truth and grace and freedom and so much more. So instead of focusing on the cisterns we've been hewing for years and scraping the dust out of for our whole lives, let's drink deep from the fountain. And to be honest, I have no idea what that entails in its entirety. I think rejoicing and singing and praying and loving are included, but I know that there's more. But for now, I'm going to take the biggest drink my parched throat will allow, and what I've tasted already only makes me want more. Satisfaction that is never-ending and a fulfillment that always offers more. This is what Christ supplies. This is being truly alive.

Cling to Christ

"Take care, then, when you find your Master, to cling close to Him. But how is it you have lost Him? One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet, whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you! How is it that you did not watch Him every moment for fear of losing sight of Him? Yet, since you have let Him go, what a mercy that you are seeking Him, even though you mournfully groan, "O that I knew where I might find Him!" Go on seeking, for it is dangerous to be without thy Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest—not bound to the tree of life. With thine whole heart seek Him, and He will be found of thee: only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover Him to thy joy and gladness."

-Charles Spurgeon

And how true are those words to our lives. He is the sweetest friend we have ever known. He comforts us in a way that no other can. He brings us greater joy than we have ever known. And somehow we still turn to other friends (good yes, but nothing without Christ), other comforts, other sources of joy. Sometimes we even turn to the very things that He hates and by His grace we hate as well. We turn to sinful friendships, ungodly comforts, and shameful pleasures for our joy. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Cling to Christ as the rich man does his wallet, cling to Christ as the glutton does his bread, cling to Him as a newborn does his mother. He will never let us down, He will never let us go.

"Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus
Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace."

The Light

1 John 1:5 - "...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Genesis 1:4 - "God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness."

Job 33:28 - "He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, and my life shall see the light"

Psalm 18:28 - "For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness."

Proverbs 13:9 - "The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out."

Ephesians 5:8 - "for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light"

God is Light, and through Him our darkness is illumined and we are light too. God isn't just bright or kind of light or more light than us, He is Light. There is no darkness in Him at all. We were darkness, not dark or a little dim or dark just in comparison, we were darkness. But He lights our lamps. He shines in our darkness. He makes us His children of Light. His children. We haven't just been altered, we have been made entirely new. We were once the opposite of light, darkness, and now we are the opposite of darkness, light. We were nothing like light. We were full of sin and error and darkness. And now we are full of light and goodness and Him.

When Job was afflicted, he looked to the light. He saw that God was light and that one day he would see that light, even if it was after a world of darkness. The psalmist too saw that God was light, and had the power to light. And not just to light anything, but to give light to the darkness that is us. Solomon tells us about the light of the righteous rejoicing and the light of the wicked going out. Thanks to God's grace we share His righteousness and therefore His light too. And Paul encourages us to walk as children of Light, children of God.

Unfortunately, sin blocks His light from shining through us. Pride blocks His light with our own conceited darkness. Lust blocks His light with our own dark desires. Gossip blocks His light with the harm of others. Hate blocks His light with our human hearts. Sin blocks God's light with our darkness. But by grace we are free from sin, we are conquerors of sin, we are children of Light! So through song, through service, through gathering, through speech, through teaching, through encouraging, through giving, through whatever means available let Him shine through us. Pray that His light would be ever stronger through our vessels and that our darkness would continually grow weaker and dissolve more.

Thankfulness

I've been considering thankfulness lately. And some new ideas on it have come up. Thanks to input from a few others (mostly one other), I'm starting to develop a more complete view of thankfulness, and a more joyful approach to being thankful. Which is confusing because being thankful can't be totally contrived or controlled, especially when it's overwhelming and powerful. But what we are thankful for, and the source to which we are thankful for it can be perceived differently.

Thankfulness should be dependant primarily on what we are thankful for, not what we are lacking. We should thank God for what He has given us not because of what He didn't hold back, but for what He gave. Be thankful for salvation not because He held back wrath, but because He poured out love. Be thankful for blessing not because He kept us from poverty, but because He has shown generosity. Be thankful for life not because He has kept us from death, but because He has given us life. Be thankful for the good not because it isn't bad, but because it is good!

It is so great to rejoice in the Lord. To rejoice in His love and power and goodness and splendor and light! Not because He isn't hateful or weak or bad or dull or dark. Just because of what He is. Regardless of the bad, God is good. And in the fullest measure! So instead of looking at the negative side and feeling relieved you aren't there, look on the bright side and rejoice that He is there!