This past Sunday I heard a message on the story of Jonah: Mr. Second Chance. It reminded me of a series I taught a few years ago on the book of Jonah. During that series we spent 4 weeks looking at the four chapters of this Old Testament story of a prophet who was more than willing to receive God's grace when it was extended to him but unwilling to accept it when it was offered to those outside his comfort zone. The series was entitled Escape because at its heart that is what grace is: God providing an undeserved escape for us in spite of our sin. The story of Jonah revolves around the idea that God provides a means of escape for a wayward prophet who is trying to "escape" his divine mandate & ultimately God providing a means of escape for a people group who deserved anything but forgiveness and mercy.
The most fascinating part of the Jonah story to me is the last chapter. After God delivered Jonah from certain death (and from himself) and after Jonah witnesses one of the greatest moments of genuine repentance and salvific intervention in Old Testament history, Jonah gets angry at God for providing mercy to people Jonah felt deserved more severe consequences for their actions. In essence, Jonah gets mad at God for being God!
After God informs the prophet that he will spare the Assyrians due to their genuine repentance and His lovingkindness, Jonah basically shakes his fist in God's face and yells, "I knew you would do this! I knew you would show mercy and grace - that's why I didn't want to come. You are a loving God and your nature is to forgive and show grace - and they don't deserve it!" Jonah is ticked at God for being who God is - the same God who because of who He is just forgave and rescued Jonah himself! It is hard to imagine that the Jonah in chapter 4 is the same Jonah who cried out to God for personal deliverance in chapter 2.
It is ironic how we often resent God for being God. We long for God to show us mercy and grace and forgiveness when we sin, but if and when someone else sins in a manner that is different than our transgression, our natural tendency is to want that person to suffer at some level that we feel is just and fair in our own fallen minds. If we are honest with ourselves, we want people to face consequences. We want people who sin in certain ways to suffer. We cringe at the idea of God simply forgiving that person without suffering the consequences we believe they deserve. There is a Jonah lurking in each of us.
I will never forget when I was in a season of life where because of some sinful choices I made that I needed some people to be Jesus to me whether they agreed with my choices or not. During this time, I had some precious friends who reached out to me and offered me a place to live (without ever approving of my choices). They did it simply because they believed God led them to do so. After all, they wanted to live the type of love they saw modeled repeatedly by Jesus in the Gospels. Yet it was sobering how many Jesus followers, who have experienced undeserved grace at the highest level through the cross, tried to dissuade this couple from providing me a refuge. Well-intentioned yet wounded Christians wanted me to face the consequences they believed I deserved. Yes there is a Jonah lurking in each of us (particularly when we are hurt).
And guess what? I have been guilty of the same attitude. I have found myself desiring punishment over mercy, consequences over grace, rejection over love. I have found myself sitting alongside Jonah in the hillside bleachers overlooking Ninevah mad at God for being God - angry at God for showing mercy when I believed the opposite was due. Yes there is a Jonah lurking inside of me.
Consequences happen with or without my consent. Consequences are a natural by-product of our choices. What God is teaching me is that it is not my job to figure out which consequences are deserved and which are not. It is my calling to remember that we all deserve judgment and death and instead God offers grace and life. It is my calling to "forgive as Christ forgives me" (quite a monumental calling when you pull back the curtain).
I pray that I can be the kind of Jesus follower who rejoices when God extends grace to those I feel do not deserve it. After all, that's what He does for me!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
My Thankful List
Paul instructs the Thessalonian Christians to give thanks in all circumstances. My "thankful list" looks a little different this year based on life's circumstances. And although 2011 has been my toughest year to date, here are some things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving:
- Jesus: your unconditional love and forgiveness gives me life and hope.
- The Gospel: I am in more need of its healing power than ever.
- The Cross: He bled out for my issues.
- Grace: its magnitude dwarfs my sins.
- Second Chances: He is the God of them.
- Jesus followers: many of them have been His hands and feet to me this year.
- The Healer: He is putting my heart back together.
- Brokenness: not easy to go through but necessary for true healing.
- Family: their love through this season has demonstrated the love of our Heavenly Father.
- My Kids: they love me in spite of me.
- My Wife: your love for me through this season blows my mind.
1 Thessalonians 5.18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
- Jesus: your unconditional love and forgiveness gives me life and hope.
- The Gospel: I am in more need of its healing power than ever.
- The Cross: He bled out for my issues.
- Grace: its magnitude dwarfs my sins.
- Second Chances: He is the God of them.
- Jesus followers: many of them have been His hands and feet to me this year.
- The Healer: He is putting my heart back together.
- Brokenness: not easy to go through but necessary for true healing.
- Family: their love through this season has demonstrated the love of our Heavenly Father.
- My Kids: they love me in spite of me.
- My Wife: your love for me through this season blows my mind.
1 Thessalonians 5.18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Getting My Way
One of the central components of the Christian faith is the doctrine of sin. We believe God acted on our behalf because there was a spiritual need for His intervention. In other words, our sin creates a need for redemption.
We are sinners. We need a Savior. God acted on our behalf.
The Bible speaks frequently of sin. As a matter of fact, there are over 20 different words utilized in the original languages to portray the various dimensions of sin. There is no way for me to unpack the depth of the subject of sin in a single blog post. However, I do want to mention a couple of key ideas that help define sin and why grace is so radical in light of sin’s nature.
One of the chief images of sin most often employed in the NT is the idea of “missing the mark.” Paul conveys it as “falling short” of God’s standard (Rom 3:23). In other words, the holy nature of God requires perfection and simply put: we are not perfect. We “fall short” of God’s mandate. We are incapable of meeting God’s requirement. That’s why the belief that Jesus was sinless is so important. He did what we cannot do: fulfill God’s requirement of perfection.
Another common depiction of sin in the Bible relates to our conscious willingness to choose our path over God’s. In other words, we know what is right and what is wrong and we choose wrong. We willfully choose disobedience. Think Eve in the Garden of Eden. God says, “Do not eat from this tree.” Eve says, “Thanks for the free fruit.” She knew God’s direct command and she chose the opposite. She got her way. That’s what sin is: getting my way – choosing my path over God’s.
Put these two images together and you can see why it is difficult for us to wrap our minds around God’s radical grace.
When we sin, we miss God’s mark by choosing what is wrong. We choose our path over God’s. And guess what? God allows it to happen. God did not stop Adam & Eve. He did not set up a “pre-sin” intervention. He simply allowed it to happen. It is an essential part of the story. I would go so far as to say He KNEW it would happen and did nothing to prevent it. Instead of stopping the sin, He put a plan of redemption in place.
How does this truth relate to us in 2011?
Sin is getting our way – regardless of the sin itself.
The liar chooses to lie to protect or promote him or herself.
The porn addict chooses lust over purity.
The gossip chooses slander over silence.
The adulterer chooses his or her own selfish path over God’s.
The person who refuses to give chooses greed over generosity.
The person who refuses to forgive chooses bitterness over reconciliation.
You name the sin and the core nature of it is the same regardless of the name. Sin is getting our way. It is looking God’s direct command in the face and choosing the opposite (or a tainted form of it).
That’s why grace is so radical. God allows us to get our way and still chooses to redeem us. And as illustrated time and again in the Bible, He often allows us to get our way for extended periods of time. The Prodigal Son only returned home after getting his way in the most radical terms. He squandered everything his father had provided for him before returning home.
From the opening scene of the Bible, God allows humans to choose sin and yet He still pursues and redeems them.
In a sense, grace is convenient. That's what makes us squirm even when we read or hear those words. Grace is our escape. It is our out. That’s what makes it radical. It is not earned or deserved. As a matter of fact the opposite is true: we do not deserve it. We can’t earn it.
Paul says in Romans that we choose sin and yet grace abounds. At its heart, grace flies in the face of human reasoning and our sense of justice. We struggle with a grace that is so big that it allows humans to get their way and still find forgiveness.
And yet if we are really honest with our own hearts, it is this radical grace upon which we all depend. It is so easy to point the finger to the person whose sin is different than ours and cry “convenience” when they seek or claim forgiveness. You know why? Few of us take our own sin that seriously. Few of us realize that every time we sin we are “getting our way.” Few of us comprehend that the type of grace God provides is beyond what we think is fair or right.
As I said earlier, there is no way in a single blog to cover every matter related to this complex issue. There are matters of repentance and obedience and self-denial that will have to be addressed at a later time. Those are other issues with which I wrestling.
But for now, let’s rejoice over the magnitude of a grace that covers our sin. After all, sin is getting your way. And grace is God pursuing and redeeming you regardless. And that is the radical nature of a God-initiated grace.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Joe Paterno & Romans 6:23
The sports world is ablaze with discussions about the scandal at Penn State and the subsequent firing of long-term and esteemed coach Joe Paterno. Much of the debate regarding Paterno centers on consequences. What are the appropriate consequences for Paterno's apparent lack of response and follow-through in this horrific scandal? What is the apposite penalty for remaining uninvolved in such atrocious and inappropriate activity?
Appropriate or inappropriate consequences can be extremely subjective. What I have learned through personal experience is that everyone has an opinion on what the appropriate consequences should be for certain behaviors or sins. If you did __________, then you should face __________. This sin should result in these consequences. And if you do not face the consequences of choice, then people feel that you somehow escaped or got away with it. The difficulty in this scenario is that everyone's consequence of choice differs because everyone has an opinion on what is appropriate and inappropriate, enough or not enough, sufficient or insufficient.
Here's what the Bible says about sin's consequences: The wages (consequences) of sin is death (Rom 6:23). In other words, what we "deserve" for our sin is death. Death is the natural result of sin. When we sin, death is the by-product. Sin kills. Sin destroys.
When we sin, relationships are destroyed. When we sin, trust dies. When we sin, integrity is killed. When we sin, peace is eradicated. Sin often annihilates hope and faith and love. Sin kills everything sacred and pure and right. Sin leaves devastation, ruin, and destruction in its path. Bottom line: sin kills. And when we sin, the consequences of our sin is death.
Enter the gospel.
What Romans 3:23 goes on to assert is that the consequences of our sin is death, BUT God's undeserved gift of grace provided through Jesus is life - and not just any life but eternal life (think quality here and not just quantity). In other words, Jesus came to exchange life for death. Jesus came to take away sin's consequences and replace our deserved death penalty with eternal life. Jesus came to overthrow the harshest penalty of sin: death itself. He died so that we might live.
Sin has consequences. I live with the consequences of my sin every day of my life. I am constantly reminded of the consequences of my actions. I am constantly told by others what my consequences should or should not be. That's simply the reality of sin and the reality of people - sin has consequences and people have opinions. And yet the gospel is bigger than both of those realities. What Jesus accomplished on the cross is bigger than the consequences of sin. And the gospel is bigger than what others believe, think, or say about us.
Jesus came to provide life. He came to overthrow sin's most severe consequences. He came to set us free from the eternal consequences of our sin. And that is good news.
Like everyone, I have an opinion on the Joe Paterno situation. I personally believe that if he willingly neglected to report to the appropriate authorities the shocking and sickening activity that took place under his watch, then the Penn State powers that be made the right decision to fire him. His choice to keep quiet has consequences. And the sin committed against those young boys destroyed things inside of them that few will ever experience. That's what sin does - it destroys.
And yet amidst this tragedy, we are reminded of the beauty of the gospel. However ugly our sin is and no matter what human consequences we are left to face because of our sin, Jesus came to answer the sin problem. He came to give life to those who are dead in their sins.
I think it is sad that Joe Paterno's illustrious career will end in such a tragic manner. And yet, the death of his career is the result of his sin (sin of omission in this case). But guess what? My sin has caused death as well. I have faced natural consequences for my choices as well. I deserve sin's penalty just like Joe Paterno, the administrators who remained quiet, and yes even the pedophile who raped the innocence of those young boys. Because we are all sinners, we all deserve to face sin's death sentence. And that's what makes the gospel so incredible. He exchanges what we don't deserve (eternal life) for what we deserve (death).
Paul's simple explanation of the gospel in Romans 6:23 reminds us of both of these truths: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Appropriate or inappropriate consequences can be extremely subjective. What I have learned through personal experience is that everyone has an opinion on what the appropriate consequences should be for certain behaviors or sins. If you did __________, then you should face __________. This sin should result in these consequences. And if you do not face the consequences of choice, then people feel that you somehow escaped or got away with it. The difficulty in this scenario is that everyone's consequence of choice differs because everyone has an opinion on what is appropriate and inappropriate, enough or not enough, sufficient or insufficient.
Here's what the Bible says about sin's consequences: The wages (consequences) of sin is death (Rom 6:23). In other words, what we "deserve" for our sin is death. Death is the natural result of sin. When we sin, death is the by-product. Sin kills. Sin destroys.
When we sin, relationships are destroyed. When we sin, trust dies. When we sin, integrity is killed. When we sin, peace is eradicated. Sin often annihilates hope and faith and love. Sin kills everything sacred and pure and right. Sin leaves devastation, ruin, and destruction in its path. Bottom line: sin kills. And when we sin, the consequences of our sin is death.
Enter the gospel.
What Romans 3:23 goes on to assert is that the consequences of our sin is death, BUT God's undeserved gift of grace provided through Jesus is life - and not just any life but eternal life (think quality here and not just quantity). In other words, Jesus came to exchange life for death. Jesus came to take away sin's consequences and replace our deserved death penalty with eternal life. Jesus came to overthrow the harshest penalty of sin: death itself. He died so that we might live.
Sin has consequences. I live with the consequences of my sin every day of my life. I am constantly reminded of the consequences of my actions. I am constantly told by others what my consequences should or should not be. That's simply the reality of sin and the reality of people - sin has consequences and people have opinions. And yet the gospel is bigger than both of those realities. What Jesus accomplished on the cross is bigger than the consequences of sin. And the gospel is bigger than what others believe, think, or say about us.
Jesus came to provide life. He came to overthrow sin's most severe consequences. He came to set us free from the eternal consequences of our sin. And that is good news.
Like everyone, I have an opinion on the Joe Paterno situation. I personally believe that if he willingly neglected to report to the appropriate authorities the shocking and sickening activity that took place under his watch, then the Penn State powers that be made the right decision to fire him. His choice to keep quiet has consequences. And the sin committed against those young boys destroyed things inside of them that few will ever experience. That's what sin does - it destroys.
And yet amidst this tragedy, we are reminded of the beauty of the gospel. However ugly our sin is and no matter what human consequences we are left to face because of our sin, Jesus came to answer the sin problem. He came to give life to those who are dead in their sins.
I think it is sad that Joe Paterno's illustrious career will end in such a tragic manner. And yet, the death of his career is the result of his sin (sin of omission in this case). But guess what? My sin has caused death as well. I have faced natural consequences for my choices as well. I deserve sin's penalty just like Joe Paterno, the administrators who remained quiet, and yes even the pedophile who raped the innocence of those young boys. Because we are all sinners, we all deserve to face sin's death sentence. And that's what makes the gospel so incredible. He exchanges what we don't deserve (eternal life) for what we deserve (death).
Paul's simple explanation of the gospel in Romans 6:23 reminds us of both of these truths: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Wounded but Healing
"By His wounds you are healed" (1 Peter 2:24)
These words leaped off the screen at me this morning when I was reading through 1 Peter. I have been intrigued with the life of Peter in recent weeks and I was reading through his final recorded letters this morning seeking some fresh insight into this capricious disciple. I wrote some of my thoughts on Peter in an earlier post. In that blog I ruminated on the process that was required in order for Peter to find his ultimate healing in Jesus. One of the truths that stands out to me regarding both my life and the life of Peter is that we tend to wound others because our own hearts are wounded. For that reason, we need healing in order to live whole and complete lives in Jesus.
As I read the words of Peter today, I realized again (but in a fresh way) that ultimate healing comes through what Jesus did on the cross. I do not believe that our human minds can fathom the magnitude of what happened on the cross when Jesus died. The longer I follow Jesus the more hesitant I become to put limits on what was or was not accomplished on the cross. One thing I know for sure is that the work that was accomplished there goes beyond what my mind can grasp.
This morning I was reminded that the suffering of Jesus on the cross provides ultimate healing for my wounded soul. By His wounds I am healed. He was wounded so that my wounds might be repaired. Just a few sentences earlier, Peter asserts "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right." My heart is spiritually wounded because of sin. So what did Jesus do? He personally took my sin so that I might be made whole. He died so that I might live.
I'm not sure I understand the magnitude of those words. For one, I still sin. That reality alone reminds me that I don't truly comprehend what Jesus did on the cross to make me whole. If I truly embraced what He did, sin would have less of a presence in my everyday life.
That's why the work of the gospel is a continual work. Salvation is more than an instantaneous transfer of eternal citizenship. Salvation is an ongoing process that continues to heal our sin-stricken souls and enable us to live less like me and more like Him.
God has been healing my heart in recent days in a way that goes beyond my own feelings of worth and value. In some ways I feel like He has been recreating a heart that had become so wounded and scarred that I often wondered if healing could even be found. And yet God is reminding me that true spiritual healing is not found through some human means or method. True healing is found in a work that has already been accomplished. True healing is found in the true Healer who came not just to restore blinded eyes and dormant limbs but who ultimately came to heal wounded hearts. A Healer who came to personally carry my sins in his body on the cross so that I might be made whole in Him.
His wounds make my ultimate healing possible.
These words leaped off the screen at me this morning when I was reading through 1 Peter. I have been intrigued with the life of Peter in recent weeks and I was reading through his final recorded letters this morning seeking some fresh insight into this capricious disciple. I wrote some of my thoughts on Peter in an earlier post. In that blog I ruminated on the process that was required in order for Peter to find his ultimate healing in Jesus. One of the truths that stands out to me regarding both my life and the life of Peter is that we tend to wound others because our own hearts are wounded. For that reason, we need healing in order to live whole and complete lives in Jesus.
As I read the words of Peter today, I realized again (but in a fresh way) that ultimate healing comes through what Jesus did on the cross. I do not believe that our human minds can fathom the magnitude of what happened on the cross when Jesus died. The longer I follow Jesus the more hesitant I become to put limits on what was or was not accomplished on the cross. One thing I know for sure is that the work that was accomplished there goes beyond what my mind can grasp.
This morning I was reminded that the suffering of Jesus on the cross provides ultimate healing for my wounded soul. By His wounds I am healed. He was wounded so that my wounds might be repaired. Just a few sentences earlier, Peter asserts "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right." My heart is spiritually wounded because of sin. So what did Jesus do? He personally took my sin so that I might be made whole. He died so that I might live.
I'm not sure I understand the magnitude of those words. For one, I still sin. That reality alone reminds me that I don't truly comprehend what Jesus did on the cross to make me whole. If I truly embraced what He did, sin would have less of a presence in my everyday life.
That's why the work of the gospel is a continual work. Salvation is more than an instantaneous transfer of eternal citizenship. Salvation is an ongoing process that continues to heal our sin-stricken souls and enable us to live less like me and more like Him.
God has been healing my heart in recent days in a way that goes beyond my own feelings of worth and value. In some ways I feel like He has been recreating a heart that had become so wounded and scarred that I often wondered if healing could even be found. And yet God is reminding me that true spiritual healing is not found through some human means or method. True healing is found in a work that has already been accomplished. True healing is found in the true Healer who came not just to restore blinded eyes and dormant limbs but who ultimately came to heal wounded hearts. A Healer who came to personally carry my sins in his body on the cross so that I might be made whole in Him.
His wounds make my ultimate healing possible.
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
R-rated
“You can’t rewrite the story”
These words echoed in my mind early one morning. For whatever reason, I have always been a person who wakes up early in the morning and thinks. And one recent morning as I lay in the stillness of the morning and wrestled with some of my life choices, God impressed these words on my heart: “You can’t rewrite the story.”
Each of us has a life story and each of us has parts or chapters of our story that we would love to redo, unwind, or omit. Erratic decisions. Sinful choices. Damaged relationships. Errant seasons. Selfish moments. Poor planning. It would be so nice to get a “do-over” in life.
Each of us has parts of our story that forever altered the story of someone else – sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Our stories are intertwined with other life stories and when we make certain decisions, their stories are changed.
My life is a complex story. There are parts of my story that I love. There are parts of my story that I wish I could erase. There are parts of my story where God allowed me to shape the story of others in a way that brought Him glory. There are parts of my story that cause me to cringe because of the pain I caused. There are parts of the story that bring me great joy and parts that cause me to weep. My story is definitely more drama or tragedy than comedy.
One thing I love about the story of redemption that we call the Bible is that God doesn’t erase the chapters of the story that most of us would be tempted to conceal if they were a part of our family history. As a matter of fact, a central component of His story is that we are a people in need of redemption. In other words, the ugliness of our stories drives the very heart of His Story. From the opening scene of the human saga, we are introduced to three of the primary themes that would forever define the entire story. 1. We need redemption. 2. We can’t redeem ourselves (for the same reason we need redemption). 3. He did what we are incapable of doing: He became our means of redemption.
The Bible is filled with R-rated stories because God pursues and redeems R-rated people.
My story shapes me but it doesn’t have to define me. I can’t go back and rewrite it. There are early morning moments when I wish I could. But I can’t. It is my reality. But thankfully His Story intertwines with my story. His story edits my story. His story transforms my story – not in the sense that it erases it but in the sense that it redeems it. He redeems my story for His glory.
So in the end, my story is not about me. My story is about Him – a God who loves us in spite of us and who fills the pages of our story with His constant pursuit of us.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Labels
As part of my healing process, God has been teaching me to learn to focus on my identity in Jesus and not what others think or say about me. He has been teaching me a lot about identity - where & in whom it is and is not found. As humans, we tend to label people based on their actions. Here are some of the labels that have been assigned to me recently:
Cheater. Liar. Manipulator. Unrepentant. Divorced. Deceiver. Hypocrite. Disqualified.
Labels hurt. And yet, most of these labels fit me at some human level. But the bigger and more important question is this: will I allow these labels to define me?
Perhaps even more difficult than the labels others assign us are the labels we consign ourselves. The names others prescribe us pale in comparison to the self-imposed marks that often haunt our own soul. Here are some of the self-assigned labels with which I struggle:
Unworthy. Guilty. Inadequate. Dishonest. Marked. Depraved. Undeserving. Unlovable. Unfit.
These are weighty labels that can shape how we live our lives. These labels can define you as a person, a spouse, a parent, an employee or employer, a Christ-follower and as a friend. We tend to keep these labels hidden from others and rarely do we share their pain because we do not want to be exposed for who we really are (or at least how we tend to view ourselves). The Enemy uses these labels to keep us down and defeated. He employs their power to prevent us from living the whole lives for which we were created. He exploits our labels to keep us from living in the victory provided for us on the cross.
Labels are crippling.
Here's what I am learning through my healing process: God exchanges our labels for His. And here is just a glimpse of how God sees us:
Loved. Forgiven. Justified. Accepted. Valuable. Redeemed. Chosen. Called.
I have been spending some time in Romans 8 recently and heard a message this week that reaffirmed this truth for me. In Romans 8, we are reminded that Jesus followers are permanent residents in the spiritual realm of "no condemnation" (8:1). While people and self-imposed labels condemn us, God has granted us, through what Jesus did, citizenship in the land of the no longer condemned. Later in this same chapter, Paul reminds us that one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to constantly remind our hearts that we are children of God (8:13).
I picture the Holy Spirit declaring to me over and over: "Devin - you are a child of God. Regardless of what others say about you or what the Enemy whispers to you in the darkness of your heart, you are a child of God. You will not be defined by their labels or your labels. You will be defined by how God sees you. Believe it. Embrace it. And live like it. "
The last section of Romans 8 is one of the most beautiful declarations in the New Testament of the unfathomable love of God displayed in Christ. It is a love from which we cannot be separated. It is a love intended to define us and how we live life.
People assign us labels for a reason. Usually they are deserved from the standpoint that our sinful condition results in sinful actions that often define us. That's why the label Paul most often makes use of to describe our condition outside of Jesus is sinner. So the one label that most clearly defines our spiritual condition outside of God's intervening grace is sinner. And that's why Romans 5:8 is so powerful: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
God exchanges our most condemning label (sinner) for His love, forgiveness, and redemption. Labels are ugly and that's what makes the gospel so beautiful. God intervened on our behalf. He nailed our ugliness to a cross and replaced it with His beauty. He turns our ashes into beauty. He makes beautiful things out of dust.
How do you see yourself? As others see you? As the Enemy would have you see yourself? Or as God sees you?
I am learning to embrace who I am in Jesus and as a result, He is healing my heart.
Cheater. Liar. Manipulator. Unrepentant. Divorced. Deceiver. Hypocrite. Disqualified.
Labels hurt. And yet, most of these labels fit me at some human level. But the bigger and more important question is this: will I allow these labels to define me?
Perhaps even more difficult than the labels others assign us are the labels we consign ourselves. The names others prescribe us pale in comparison to the self-imposed marks that often haunt our own soul. Here are some of the self-assigned labels with which I struggle:
Unworthy. Guilty. Inadequate. Dishonest. Marked. Depraved. Undeserving. Unlovable. Unfit.
These are weighty labels that can shape how we live our lives. These labels can define you as a person, a spouse, a parent, an employee or employer, a Christ-follower and as a friend. We tend to keep these labels hidden from others and rarely do we share their pain because we do not want to be exposed for who we really are (or at least how we tend to view ourselves). The Enemy uses these labels to keep us down and defeated. He employs their power to prevent us from living the whole lives for which we were created. He exploits our labels to keep us from living in the victory provided for us on the cross.
Labels are crippling.
Here's what I am learning through my healing process: God exchanges our labels for His. And here is just a glimpse of how God sees us:
Loved. Forgiven. Justified. Accepted. Valuable. Redeemed. Chosen. Called.
I have been spending some time in Romans 8 recently and heard a message this week that reaffirmed this truth for me. In Romans 8, we are reminded that Jesus followers are permanent residents in the spiritual realm of "no condemnation" (8:1). While people and self-imposed labels condemn us, God has granted us, through what Jesus did, citizenship in the land of the no longer condemned. Later in this same chapter, Paul reminds us that one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to constantly remind our hearts that we are children of God (8:13).
I picture the Holy Spirit declaring to me over and over: "Devin - you are a child of God. Regardless of what others say about you or what the Enemy whispers to you in the darkness of your heart, you are a child of God. You will not be defined by their labels or your labels. You will be defined by how God sees you. Believe it. Embrace it. And live like it. "
The last section of Romans 8 is one of the most beautiful declarations in the New Testament of the unfathomable love of God displayed in Christ. It is a love from which we cannot be separated. It is a love intended to define us and how we live life.
People assign us labels for a reason. Usually they are deserved from the standpoint that our sinful condition results in sinful actions that often define us. That's why the label Paul most often makes use of to describe our condition outside of Jesus is sinner. So the one label that most clearly defines our spiritual condition outside of God's intervening grace is sinner. And that's why Romans 5:8 is so powerful: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
God exchanges our most condemning label (sinner) for His love, forgiveness, and redemption. Labels are ugly and that's what makes the gospel so beautiful. God intervened on our behalf. He nailed our ugliness to a cross and replaced it with His beauty. He turns our ashes into beauty. He makes beautiful things out of dust.
How do you see yourself? As others see you? As the Enemy would have you see yourself? Or as God sees you?
I am learning to embrace who I am in Jesus and as a result, He is healing my heart.
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
In the Healing Business
I wound because I am wounded.
I have been wrestling with the depth of that statement in recent days. I hurt people because I am broken. My actions & words often wound other people. Why do we say or do things that cause such pain to those we claim to love? God has been teaching me that it is because I am in need of healing. The damage I cause is most often the result of my own degeneracy. I need Jesus to repair my brokenness. But here's what God is also teaching me: healing often takes time. And personal healing sometimes requires a lifetime.
When Jesus was on earth, there were times that he healed people instantaneously. He touched them (or spoke the word) and they were immediately and completely healed. Blind eyes could suddenly see. Diseased skin was immediately cleansed. Dormant limbs were fully restored. The activity of Jesus often produced instant and direct healing.
At other times, healing came over time. I am not necessarily referring to physical healing here but healing of the heart. Think about a person like Simon Peter. Peter was perhaps the most up-and-down follower of Jesus in the NT. On one hand, he was brash, impetuous, loud, aggressive, brazen, crass, vulgar, and impatient. Yet on the other hand, he was broken, devoted, reliable, humble, and committed. His story is marked by both tremendous faith and extreme doubt, momentous milestones and colossal failures, awe-inspiring loyalty and immense betrayal. His life with Jesus could be summed up with this phrase: a work in progress.
I am fascinated with the story of a guy who could commit so many major blunders at some of the most crucial times in the life of Jesus and yet he is the same person Jesus selects to preach one of the most important messages in the history of the church. During times Jesus needed Peter the most, he was absent and yet when it was time for God to select a disciple to deliver one of the most critical sermons of the first century, Peter was the first pick of the draft.
Not devoted John - the disciple Jesus loved and was there at the cross when Jesus died. Not dependable Andrew - the disciple always bringing someone else to Jesus. Not steady James - the disciple who always seemed to be in the inner circle without calling attention to himself. Not any of the other disciples who seemed to cause less chaos than Peter. God chose Peter - the same Peter who vehemently and coarsely denied Jesus a few weeks earlier.
What does this reality say about Peter? He was a broken person being healed by Jesus.
What does it say about Jesus? He is in the business of healing and using broken people for His purposes and glory.
There is no real evidence that Peter's healing ever reached completion on this earth. The last biographical information we have about him from the Bible indicates that he was still a work in progress until the end. At the end of John's gospel when Jesus offers him radical forgiveness and informs him that he will play one of the most significant roles in the development of the church, he selfishly worries more about his buddy John's destiny than his own. And later in the book of Acts, we discover that Peter goes toe-to-toe with the theological heavyweight champion Paul. He was an audacious troublemaker his entire story.
Only late in his ministry when he pens his letters do we get a glimpse of a Jesus follower who is finally reaching a place of fulfillment and healing. And from church history, we learn that Peter did suffer at the end of his life in a way that pointed people to Jesus and not the sailor-turned-saint who didn't seem to mind a little confrontation, controversy, and self-recognition.
The story of Peter reminds me that Jesus is in the healing business. Peter repaired broken nets. Jesus repairs broken people. Sometimes Jesus heals instantaneously. At other times, Jesus heals gradually.
I wound because I am wounded. But the good news is this: Jesus heals. He is in the business of repairing hearts. And with redemption comes healing - the healing of my own heart and hopefully (and eventually) the healing of those I have wounded.
I have been wrestling with the depth of that statement in recent days. I hurt people because I am broken. My actions & words often wound other people. Why do we say or do things that cause such pain to those we claim to love? God has been teaching me that it is because I am in need of healing. The damage I cause is most often the result of my own degeneracy. I need Jesus to repair my brokenness. But here's what God is also teaching me: healing often takes time. And personal healing sometimes requires a lifetime.
When Jesus was on earth, there were times that he healed people instantaneously. He touched them (or spoke the word) and they were immediately and completely healed. Blind eyes could suddenly see. Diseased skin was immediately cleansed. Dormant limbs were fully restored. The activity of Jesus often produced instant and direct healing.
At other times, healing came over time. I am not necessarily referring to physical healing here but healing of the heart. Think about a person like Simon Peter. Peter was perhaps the most up-and-down follower of Jesus in the NT. On one hand, he was brash, impetuous, loud, aggressive, brazen, crass, vulgar, and impatient. Yet on the other hand, he was broken, devoted, reliable, humble, and committed. His story is marked by both tremendous faith and extreme doubt, momentous milestones and colossal failures, awe-inspiring loyalty and immense betrayal. His life with Jesus could be summed up with this phrase: a work in progress.
I am fascinated with the story of a guy who could commit so many major blunders at some of the most crucial times in the life of Jesus and yet he is the same person Jesus selects to preach one of the most important messages in the history of the church. During times Jesus needed Peter the most, he was absent and yet when it was time for God to select a disciple to deliver one of the most critical sermons of the first century, Peter was the first pick of the draft.
Not devoted John - the disciple Jesus loved and was there at the cross when Jesus died. Not dependable Andrew - the disciple always bringing someone else to Jesus. Not steady James - the disciple who always seemed to be in the inner circle without calling attention to himself. Not any of the other disciples who seemed to cause less chaos than Peter. God chose Peter - the same Peter who vehemently and coarsely denied Jesus a few weeks earlier.
What does this reality say about Peter? He was a broken person being healed by Jesus.
What does it say about Jesus? He is in the business of healing and using broken people for His purposes and glory.
There is no real evidence that Peter's healing ever reached completion on this earth. The last biographical information we have about him from the Bible indicates that he was still a work in progress until the end. At the end of John's gospel when Jesus offers him radical forgiveness and informs him that he will play one of the most significant roles in the development of the church, he selfishly worries more about his buddy John's destiny than his own. And later in the book of Acts, we discover that Peter goes toe-to-toe with the theological heavyweight champion Paul. He was an audacious troublemaker his entire story.
Only late in his ministry when he pens his letters do we get a glimpse of a Jesus follower who is finally reaching a place of fulfillment and healing. And from church history, we learn that Peter did suffer at the end of his life in a way that pointed people to Jesus and not the sailor-turned-saint who didn't seem to mind a little confrontation, controversy, and self-recognition.
The story of Peter reminds me that Jesus is in the healing business. Peter repaired broken nets. Jesus repairs broken people. Sometimes Jesus heals instantaneously. At other times, Jesus heals gradually.
I wound because I am wounded. But the good news is this: Jesus heals. He is in the business of repairing hearts. And with redemption comes healing - the healing of my own heart and hopefully (and eventually) the healing of those I have wounded.
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