Thursday, December 17, 2009
True Substance
When you mess with the security of your life you uncover the true substance of your faith.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Let Jesus Fill Your Lives
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Colossians 3:16
When Paul comes to the end of his letter to the Colossians, here is part of his admonition to the readers of that letter. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. What strikes me the most are the words “each other”. I believe that if I am letting the message or Jesus fill me, if I’m letting my roots grow down deep into Jesus (as Paul states earlier in this letter), if I’m letting the richness of the message of who Christ is saturate my life, I will have some wisdom to share with others.
We have, in our church culture, relegated the “sharing of wisdom” to the pastor or the teacher. We must learn by experience that we all, no matter where we are in our walk with Jesus, have something to share. We all have something to offer. So when we gather, we don’t come together to receive, we come together to give, to offer the wisdom that has come from letting Christ, in all his richness, fill our lives.
We are so indoctrinated into coming to church to get. Many of us believe that we really don’t have anything to offer. We’re too young, or not in the right place in life, or don’t have that gift, or haven’t taken the responsibility. Whatever our reason, we’ve given the task of “giving” to the “pastor”. I really believe that until we understand that each of us has a piece to give that we’ll be frustrated in our gatherings, feeling like something is missing or like they are just a “social” time.
When I am letting Jesus fill my life, and understanding the wisdom He is sharing (remembering that knowledge plus experience equals wisdom), when we come together and I share, that will encourage, or convict, or teach someone else and when they share, I will be encouraged, or convicted, or taught. And so the family of God serves each other and growth happens naturally. But if we come together with nothing to share, we sit around and look at each other and wonder what’s wrong.
So here's the question. What has Jesus shared with you that You are to share with others. Understand it doesn’t have to be “earth shattering” or plumbed from the depths of theology. Wisdom is wisdom and Jesus shares it as He sees fit. What is it Jesus wants you to share?
Can you think of anything? If you can’t, what are you going to do about that?
When Paul comes to the end of his letter to the Colossians, here is part of his admonition to the readers of that letter. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. What strikes me the most are the words “each other”. I believe that if I am letting the message or Jesus fill me, if I’m letting my roots grow down deep into Jesus (as Paul states earlier in this letter), if I’m letting the richness of the message of who Christ is saturate my life, I will have some wisdom to share with others.
We have, in our church culture, relegated the “sharing of wisdom” to the pastor or the teacher. We must learn by experience that we all, no matter where we are in our walk with Jesus, have something to share. We all have something to offer. So when we gather, we don’t come together to receive, we come together to give, to offer the wisdom that has come from letting Christ, in all his richness, fill our lives.
We are so indoctrinated into coming to church to get. Many of us believe that we really don’t have anything to offer. We’re too young, or not in the right place in life, or don’t have that gift, or haven’t taken the responsibility. Whatever our reason, we’ve given the task of “giving” to the “pastor”. I really believe that until we understand that each of us has a piece to give that we’ll be frustrated in our gatherings, feeling like something is missing or like they are just a “social” time.
When I am letting Jesus fill my life, and understanding the wisdom He is sharing (remembering that knowledge plus experience equals wisdom), when we come together and I share, that will encourage, or convict, or teach someone else and when they share, I will be encouraged, or convicted, or taught. And so the family of God serves each other and growth happens naturally. But if we come together with nothing to share, we sit around and look at each other and wonder what’s wrong.
So here's the question. What has Jesus shared with you that You are to share with others. Understand it doesn’t have to be “earth shattering” or plumbed from the depths of theology. Wisdom is wisdom and Jesus shares it as He sees fit. What is it Jesus wants you to share?
Can you think of anything? If you can’t, what are you going to do about that?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Following Motivation
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace. Colossians 1:4-6 NLT
I love it when I read scripture and the Holy Spirit asks me a question to something that I can’t answer right away. If I have been following Jesus for 30 years, I think I should have a pretty good handle on what it means to follow after Him. The Holy Spirit has a wonderful way of humbling me without crushing me. This passage is a good case in point.
Paul is writing to the Colossians and commends them for their faith and love. Would that Paul could write a letter to us and do the same thing. But here’s the humbling part. Their faith in Christ and love for God’s people came from something. It was based on something. Paul alludes to it but never really names, at least in this part of the letter, what it is. “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.” They where bound together by faith, love and hope. A confident hope at that. Of what? Of what God had reserved for them in heaven.
So here’s my question. What is it God has reserved for you in heaven? Do you know? How hard do you have to think about it? For me I had to pause and think. How humbling. I think that after 30 years I should be able to recount what God has reserved for me in heaven. But I had to pause and think about it. What is it God has reserved for me? Not having this answer in the forefront of my mind leads me to ask the next one. Is this confident hope of what Goad has reserved for me in heaven the reason I follow Jesus? It would seem that if I fully understand what is reserved for me in heaven, then following Jesus in my day to day life might be put into a different perspective. Challenges would take on a different meaning. Those difficult people in my life might look a little different through the lens of what is reserved for me in heaven.
And the REALLY humbling question for me is this. If I have to pause and think about what God has reserved for me in heaven, what am I REALLY basing my confident hope on? What lens am I using to looking at the stuff in my life? What REALLY motivates me to follow Jesus?
So how about it? Why are you following Jesus?
As for me, I’m going to spend the next little while answering that question.
I love it when I read scripture and the Holy Spirit asks me a question to something that I can’t answer right away. If I have been following Jesus for 30 years, I think I should have a pretty good handle on what it means to follow after Him. The Holy Spirit has a wonderful way of humbling me without crushing me. This passage is a good case in point.
Paul is writing to the Colossians and commends them for their faith and love. Would that Paul could write a letter to us and do the same thing. But here’s the humbling part. Their faith in Christ and love for God’s people came from something. It was based on something. Paul alludes to it but never really names, at least in this part of the letter, what it is. “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.” They where bound together by faith, love and hope. A confident hope at that. Of what? Of what God had reserved for them in heaven.
So here’s my question. What is it God has reserved for you in heaven? Do you know? How hard do you have to think about it? For me I had to pause and think. How humbling. I think that after 30 years I should be able to recount what God has reserved for me in heaven. But I had to pause and think about it. What is it God has reserved for me? Not having this answer in the forefront of my mind leads me to ask the next one. Is this confident hope of what Goad has reserved for me in heaven the reason I follow Jesus? It would seem that if I fully understand what is reserved for me in heaven, then following Jesus in my day to day life might be put into a different perspective. Challenges would take on a different meaning. Those difficult people in my life might look a little different through the lens of what is reserved for me in heaven.
And the REALLY humbling question for me is this. If I have to pause and think about what God has reserved for me in heaven, what am I REALLY basing my confident hope on? What lens am I using to looking at the stuff in my life? What REALLY motivates me to follow Jesus?
So how about it? Why are you following Jesus?
As for me, I’m going to spend the next little while answering that question.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Understanding, Wisdom and God's Will.
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom [with His blood] and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:9-14 NLT
In this prayer, Paul prayed for all who believe. That includes us. I’m too often frustrated by my lack of progress or my lack of seeing fruit in my sphere of influence. And yes, I understand that I’m too often forcing my definition of what I want to happen on God’s process. I find that when I let God define it, I can find peace. But this too can lead to frustration for me because I wish to have this view as my default and not have to “arrive” at God’s view. Seems I spend a great deal of my life’s energy trying to “arrive” at God’s point of view. So I often find myself asking, “Jesus how do I keep following Your way?”
I’m encouraged that Paul, as he so often does, gives us an overview of how to “keep following Your way” in our daily reality, while not defining what that looks like for every individual. (Can you imagine having to write a specific life script for the life of every person alive? Makes my head hurt.) I’m struck, first of all, that Paul spent a great deal of time and energy on those who were truly following after Jesus. “We have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.” Those who were followers of the way consumed much of Paul’s physical, emotional and spiritual energy. When you read the beginning of this letter to the Colossian believers, Paul talks about loving those who love Jesus as a mark of true life change. (Check out Colossians 1:1-9 noting where Paul talks about loving people.)
So what’s Paul’s heart desire for those who are following after Jesus? What drives him to the point where he would spend emotional time and energy in prayer for someone? What does he want us to “get”? We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Paul wants us to “get” knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom and understanding. Perhaps we can look at Paul’s heart desire, his prayer, as a means by which we follow after Jesus. It’s interesting that his first request is for a complete understanding what God wants us to do: God’s will. Interesting. I grew up often wondering what God’s will was. Was it something I could step in and out of? Was it something like a rail, where if I was “in” God’s will I was running on the rail, if I was “out” of God’s will I was willy-nilly all over the place getting myself into trouble until I could get back to the rail.
If you study scripture where it talks about God’s will, you won’t come away with an idea where God’s will is a path where every action you take and every decision you make is “perfectly” aligned with what God set up before the world was created. I don’t find that anyway. What I do find are statements like “It is God’s will that you be holy.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) “Be thankful in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” (Hebrews 10:10) “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) So we’re back to our thinking about life from the standpoint of “being” and not “doing”. God’s will is not what I do, but who I am in Jesus. Conversely, how I conduct my life will reflect what I understand of God’s will. That challenges me.
So how do we find God’s will? We ask for it. And now we’re back to relationship. I can’t hear and know something from someone who I don’t spend time with and listen to. I must spend intentional and consistent time with Jesus if I want to begin to understand the complete knowledge of God’s will. The cool thing about God is that we don’t have to earn it; He wants to give it to us. He doesn’t hold back; He gives us completely and totally what we’re ready for. And He graciously and lovingly prepares us to receive the things we’re not ready for.
So if we are to truly understand God’s will and how it works in our lives, and if it’s really not what I do, but who I am, I need the second thing Paul prayed for. “…and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” I truly need to see my world through the eyes of Jesus if I’m going to understand God’s will. I have learned that wisdom is a combination of knowledge plus experience. Knowledge plus experience equals wisdom. Walking in wisdom brings understanding. Understanding is the entering into the complete knowledge of the will of God.
Knowledge plus experience equals wisdom. For example, I know Jesus loves me. It is a simple thing for me to give mental assent to the fact that I’m loved by Jesus. I can even pass that knowledge on. Hey! Did you know Jesus loves you? But that knowledge by itself doesn’t grant me wisdom and understanding. Now when I experience Jesus’ love, then I begin to understand it. When I am tempted and I have that moment where I am at that point of decision, do I engage in this temptation or do I say, “No, I desire to follow God’s will to be holy.” Does Jesus love me at this point of decision? Of course. His love doesn’t change. Now when I look at the temptation and look at Jesus and choose the temptation over Jesus, it proves that I really believe what is tempting me will meet whatever need I’m pursuing, even though I have the knowledge that Jesus supplies all my needs. Does Jesus love me in the middle of my decision choosing sin over His provision for me? Yes. His love never changes.
Now here’s the hard part for me. If knowledge plus experience equals wisdom and walking in wisdom brings understanding, can I experience Jesus’ love in the middle of my wrong choice? My woundedness says no. The Holy Spirit tells me yes. And when I’m sitting in the middle of my sin, in the guilt and shame, when I understand and see my rebellion I ask Jesus, “Do you love me in the middle of this?” I would suggest that we must experience Jesus’ love in the middle of our wrong choices if we are ever to change. Understanding Jesus’ love in the middle of my sin is to experience being loved in the middle of my rebellion, my guilt and my shame.
When we begin to engage God on this level our lives change. We begin to understand God’s complete will. We begin to walk in wisdom and live our lives in understanding. Paul goes on to say, “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better”. I read Paul’s words and I’m encouraged. I desire that the way I live honors and pleases the Lord, always. I desire to produce every kind of good fruit. I want my life to look like I’m following after Jesus. And Paul separates the growth and learning part from the honor and fruit part. How encouraging that we can produce every kind of good fruit and honor God from the first time we say yes to Jesus until the day we see Him face to face. But I am more and more convinced that I must experience Jesus’ love in the deepest part of my wound to begin to understand the complete will of God.
Whew. But Paul’s not done with his prayer. And I’m glad he’s not. If you’ve ever walked in the depth of this kind of relationship with Jesus, you know it takes effort. It’s a committed life. It’s not something you do on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. It takes effort and determination. It requires much attention and commitment. Paul walked this path so he understood what it would take. So he prayed: We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. Strength, endurance and patience. Something tells me that this wisdom/understanding/God’s will thing isn’t going to happen overnight and something tells me I’m going to have to give it some effort.
Paul understood, and so should we, that our salvation includes being strengthened with the power of Jesus. The same power that the Father exhibited in Jesus when He rose from the dead, this is the same power available to work in our lives. But the thing is, we’re going to need that power. It’s going to take nothing less than the glorious power of God to finish this course.
We must also understand that this is a marathon. This is the long haul. We need to be prepared to endure. And as always, patience will be required. I will be frustrated by my lack of growth, or my stumbling over my “pet sin”. Or my feeling like I’m the only one who’s in this. Whatever requires patience in my life, I’m going to need it.
I’m pretty convinced that we have it so easy in our culture that we are clueless when it comes to patience and endurance. At least I am. I’ll ask Jesus for an answer and if it doesn’t come in the next hour, I’m offended. If it doesn’t come in the next day, I forget and I’m on to the next thing.
My prayer for us as a family is that we begin to ask questions like, “Jesus, what is your will?” “Open my eyes to see where you are.” “Open my mind to the knowledge You have for me.” “Grant that I might experience Your love in the middle of my life so I may gain understanding.” “Fill me with your power so that I might endure with patience the path You’ve asked me to walk.”
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom [with His blood] and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:9-14 NLT
In this prayer, Paul prayed for all who believe. That includes us. I’m too often frustrated by my lack of progress or my lack of seeing fruit in my sphere of influence. And yes, I understand that I’m too often forcing my definition of what I want to happen on God’s process. I find that when I let God define it, I can find peace. But this too can lead to frustration for me because I wish to have this view as my default and not have to “arrive” at God’s view. Seems I spend a great deal of my life’s energy trying to “arrive” at God’s point of view. So I often find myself asking, “Jesus how do I keep following Your way?”
I’m encouraged that Paul, as he so often does, gives us an overview of how to “keep following Your way” in our daily reality, while not defining what that looks like for every individual. (Can you imagine having to write a specific life script for the life of every person alive? Makes my head hurt.) I’m struck, first of all, that Paul spent a great deal of time and energy on those who were truly following after Jesus. “We have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.” Those who were followers of the way consumed much of Paul’s physical, emotional and spiritual energy. When you read the beginning of this letter to the Colossian believers, Paul talks about loving those who love Jesus as a mark of true life change. (Check out Colossians 1:1-9 noting where Paul talks about loving people.)
So what’s Paul’s heart desire for those who are following after Jesus? What drives him to the point where he would spend emotional time and energy in prayer for someone? What does he want us to “get”? We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Paul wants us to “get” knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom and understanding. Perhaps we can look at Paul’s heart desire, his prayer, as a means by which we follow after Jesus. It’s interesting that his first request is for a complete understanding what God wants us to do: God’s will. Interesting. I grew up often wondering what God’s will was. Was it something I could step in and out of? Was it something like a rail, where if I was “in” God’s will I was running on the rail, if I was “out” of God’s will I was willy-nilly all over the place getting myself into trouble until I could get back to the rail.
If you study scripture where it talks about God’s will, you won’t come away with an idea where God’s will is a path where every action you take and every decision you make is “perfectly” aligned with what God set up before the world was created. I don’t find that anyway. What I do find are statements like “It is God’s will that you be holy.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) “Be thankful in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” (Hebrews 10:10) “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) So we’re back to our thinking about life from the standpoint of “being” and not “doing”. God’s will is not what I do, but who I am in Jesus. Conversely, how I conduct my life will reflect what I understand of God’s will. That challenges me.
So how do we find God’s will? We ask for it. And now we’re back to relationship. I can’t hear and know something from someone who I don’t spend time with and listen to. I must spend intentional and consistent time with Jesus if I want to begin to understand the complete knowledge of God’s will. The cool thing about God is that we don’t have to earn it; He wants to give it to us. He doesn’t hold back; He gives us completely and totally what we’re ready for. And He graciously and lovingly prepares us to receive the things we’re not ready for.
So if we are to truly understand God’s will and how it works in our lives, and if it’s really not what I do, but who I am, I need the second thing Paul prayed for. “…and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.” I truly need to see my world through the eyes of Jesus if I’m going to understand God’s will. I have learned that wisdom is a combination of knowledge plus experience. Knowledge plus experience equals wisdom. Walking in wisdom brings understanding. Understanding is the entering into the complete knowledge of the will of God.
Knowledge plus experience equals wisdom. For example, I know Jesus loves me. It is a simple thing for me to give mental assent to the fact that I’m loved by Jesus. I can even pass that knowledge on. Hey! Did you know Jesus loves you? But that knowledge by itself doesn’t grant me wisdom and understanding. Now when I experience Jesus’ love, then I begin to understand it. When I am tempted and I have that moment where I am at that point of decision, do I engage in this temptation or do I say, “No, I desire to follow God’s will to be holy.” Does Jesus love me at this point of decision? Of course. His love doesn’t change. Now when I look at the temptation and look at Jesus and choose the temptation over Jesus, it proves that I really believe what is tempting me will meet whatever need I’m pursuing, even though I have the knowledge that Jesus supplies all my needs. Does Jesus love me in the middle of my decision choosing sin over His provision for me? Yes. His love never changes.
Now here’s the hard part for me. If knowledge plus experience equals wisdom and walking in wisdom brings understanding, can I experience Jesus’ love in the middle of my wrong choice? My woundedness says no. The Holy Spirit tells me yes. And when I’m sitting in the middle of my sin, in the guilt and shame, when I understand and see my rebellion I ask Jesus, “Do you love me in the middle of this?” I would suggest that we must experience Jesus’ love in the middle of our wrong choices if we are ever to change. Understanding Jesus’ love in the middle of my sin is to experience being loved in the middle of my rebellion, my guilt and my shame.
When we begin to engage God on this level our lives change. We begin to understand God’s complete will. We begin to walk in wisdom and live our lives in understanding. Paul goes on to say, “Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better”. I read Paul’s words and I’m encouraged. I desire that the way I live honors and pleases the Lord, always. I desire to produce every kind of good fruit. I want my life to look like I’m following after Jesus. And Paul separates the growth and learning part from the honor and fruit part. How encouraging that we can produce every kind of good fruit and honor God from the first time we say yes to Jesus until the day we see Him face to face. But I am more and more convinced that I must experience Jesus’ love in the deepest part of my wound to begin to understand the complete will of God.
Whew. But Paul’s not done with his prayer. And I’m glad he’s not. If you’ve ever walked in the depth of this kind of relationship with Jesus, you know it takes effort. It’s a committed life. It’s not something you do on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. It takes effort and determination. It requires much attention and commitment. Paul walked this path so he understood what it would take. So he prayed: We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. Strength, endurance and patience. Something tells me that this wisdom/understanding/God’s will thing isn’t going to happen overnight and something tells me I’m going to have to give it some effort.
Paul understood, and so should we, that our salvation includes being strengthened with the power of Jesus. The same power that the Father exhibited in Jesus when He rose from the dead, this is the same power available to work in our lives. But the thing is, we’re going to need that power. It’s going to take nothing less than the glorious power of God to finish this course.
We must also understand that this is a marathon. This is the long haul. We need to be prepared to endure. And as always, patience will be required. I will be frustrated by my lack of growth, or my stumbling over my “pet sin”. Or my feeling like I’m the only one who’s in this. Whatever requires patience in my life, I’m going to need it.
I’m pretty convinced that we have it so easy in our culture that we are clueless when it comes to patience and endurance. At least I am. I’ll ask Jesus for an answer and if it doesn’t come in the next hour, I’m offended. If it doesn’t come in the next day, I forget and I’m on to the next thing.
My prayer for us as a family is that we begin to ask questions like, “Jesus, what is your will?” “Open my eyes to see where you are.” “Open my mind to the knowledge You have for me.” “Grant that I might experience Your love in the middle of my life so I may gain understanding.” “Fill me with your power so that I might endure with patience the path You’ve asked me to walk.”
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Perfectly As One
I do not pray only for them. I pray also for those who will believe in me because of their message. Father, I pray that all of them will be one, just as you are in me and I am in you. I want them also to be in us. Then the world will believe that you have sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one. I will be in them, just as you are in me. I want them to be brought together perfectly as one. This will let the world know that you sent me. It will also show the world that you have loved those you gave me, just as you have loved me. -Taken from John 17:20-23
Jesus, right before he walks through the passion, leaves his disciples with these words. These words are found recorded by John near the end of his final prayer. These words are spoken right before he was going to complete the work the Father had sent him to do. These are important words. I like to think that these are the deepest part of his heart. What are the last words you would tell those you loved right before you left to die?
Jesus prayed that we would be one. Then he defined what that looked like. That we would be one with each other just as Jesus and the Father are one. Not only that, but it is Jesus’ deep desire that we be one with the Father and himself. Why? Because it is then that the world will believe that the Father sent Jesus to save the world.
Jesus goes on to say, I have given them the glory you gave me. Why? So we could be one, just like Jesus and the Father. The world will know that the Father sent Jesus, the world will be able to see the gospel, to hear the good news, to understand the kingdom of heaven, when we are one.
I think we understand what it means to be one outside of each other. I know what it means to be alone. To be one among many. That’s what sin does. It separates us. My own sin makes me feel guilty, causes shame, separates me from people and I become one, alone. Conversely, other’s sin against me hurts me, makes me angry, causes me to mistrust and again it separates me from people and I become one, alone.
Jesus gave us the glory that was given to Him by the Father. When we enter into relationship with Jesus we receive this glory. I like to think of glory as weight. Jesus carried the full weight of the Father and those who Jesus entered into relationship with felt that weight. Those who accepted Jesus’ words were given that weight to carry. We carry the glory of the Father, we carry his weight, his influence, so that we might be one with each other. When we live together as one, I believe the collective weight we carry is compelling and convinces the world that Jesus is who he said he is and came to do what he said he came to do. This to me is what it means to live the gospel.
I am convicted by this prayer. I’m convicted by these words. Does the world look at our lives, or relationships, our church and feel compelled to say, “I now believe that Jesus came from the Father because of what I see in these people. Has anyone ever looked at our community of followers of Christ and said, “I now know that the Father loves them just like he loves Jesus.” Yes? No? I read these words and it cuts me deeply. I’m not sure I know how to live in such oneness with those God has called me to live with that the world looks at us this way. What did Jesus call it? Being brought together perfectly as one? Wow.
I think I know what it doesn’t look like. But what does it look like to fulfill Jesus prayer and to be brought together perfectly as one?
I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one. I will be in them, just as you are in me. I want them to be brought together perfectly as one. This will let the world know that you sent me. It will also show the world that you have loved those you gave me, just as you have loved me. -Taken from John 17:20-23
Jesus, right before he walks through the passion, leaves his disciples with these words. These words are found recorded by John near the end of his final prayer. These words are spoken right before he was going to complete the work the Father had sent him to do. These are important words. I like to think that these are the deepest part of his heart. What are the last words you would tell those you loved right before you left to die?
Jesus prayed that we would be one. Then he defined what that looked like. That we would be one with each other just as Jesus and the Father are one. Not only that, but it is Jesus’ deep desire that we be one with the Father and himself. Why? Because it is then that the world will believe that the Father sent Jesus to save the world.
Jesus goes on to say, I have given them the glory you gave me. Why? So we could be one, just like Jesus and the Father. The world will know that the Father sent Jesus, the world will be able to see the gospel, to hear the good news, to understand the kingdom of heaven, when we are one.
I think we understand what it means to be one outside of each other. I know what it means to be alone. To be one among many. That’s what sin does. It separates us. My own sin makes me feel guilty, causes shame, separates me from people and I become one, alone. Conversely, other’s sin against me hurts me, makes me angry, causes me to mistrust and again it separates me from people and I become one, alone.
Jesus gave us the glory that was given to Him by the Father. When we enter into relationship with Jesus we receive this glory. I like to think of glory as weight. Jesus carried the full weight of the Father and those who Jesus entered into relationship with felt that weight. Those who accepted Jesus’ words were given that weight to carry. We carry the glory of the Father, we carry his weight, his influence, so that we might be one with each other. When we live together as one, I believe the collective weight we carry is compelling and convinces the world that Jesus is who he said he is and came to do what he said he came to do. This to me is what it means to live the gospel.
I am convicted by this prayer. I’m convicted by these words. Does the world look at our lives, or relationships, our church and feel compelled to say, “I now believe that Jesus came from the Father because of what I see in these people. Has anyone ever looked at our community of followers of Christ and said, “I now know that the Father loves them just like he loves Jesus.” Yes? No? I read these words and it cuts me deeply. I’m not sure I know how to live in such oneness with those God has called me to live with that the world looks at us this way. What did Jesus call it? Being brought together perfectly as one? Wow.
I think I know what it doesn’t look like. But what does it look like to fulfill Jesus prayer and to be brought together perfectly as one?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Do You Know Your Father?
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed. He said, “Father, the time has come. Bring glory to your Son. Then your Son will bring glory to you. You gave him authority over all people. He gives eternal life to all those you have given him.
“And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began."
What is eternal life? It is knowing God the Father and Jesus. Eternal life is not a destination. It’s not a set of facts to be believed. It’s not a state of being. Eternal life is a relationship. Specifically, eternal life is knowing God the Father and knowing Jesus. Jesus’ purpose in ministry was to show us the Father. His work was to make it possible for us to be in relationship with, to be connected to, the Father.
So if relationship is Jesus’ goal. How much does that translate into our lives? What’s the purpose of our gathering together? I believe our purpose in ministry is to show “the world” God the Father. We do this through relationship: relationship with each other, relationship with Jesus and relationship with the Father. I cannot directly bring glory to someone I don’t know.
If we desire to be fully alive, if we want to be fully free, if it’s our goal to become everything we were created to become, we will find all of these things in a relationship with God the Father.
“And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began."
What is eternal life? It is knowing God the Father and Jesus. Eternal life is not a destination. It’s not a set of facts to be believed. It’s not a state of being. Eternal life is a relationship. Specifically, eternal life is knowing God the Father and knowing Jesus. Jesus’ purpose in ministry was to show us the Father. His work was to make it possible for us to be in relationship with, to be connected to, the Father.
So if relationship is Jesus’ goal. How much does that translate into our lives? What’s the purpose of our gathering together? I believe our purpose in ministry is to show “the world” God the Father. We do this through relationship: relationship with each other, relationship with Jesus and relationship with the Father. I cannot directly bring glory to someone I don’t know.
If we desire to be fully alive, if we want to be fully free, if it’s our goal to become everything we were created to become, we will find all of these things in a relationship with God the Father.
Carrying Full Weight
And what is eternal life? It is knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:3-5)
I like to think of the concept of “glory” in terms of weight. The glory of God in my mind is easily transferable to “the weight of God”. When I “feel” God I’m really feeling the weight of His presence. The weight of who He is. When I experience God, the more intense that experience, the greater the weight I have carried. The more I live in who Jesus created me to be, the greater the weight I carry. The greater the weight I carry, the more “glory” I bring to Jesus.
I think in relationship we bring our “weight” to bear in each other’s lives. I bring weight to my relationship with you. You “feel” the weight of who I am when we spend time together. I feel the weight of who you are when I choose to engage with you. When I experience your personality, I feel your weight. When I laugh with you, cry with you, wonder with you, I experience the weight of who you are. The more of myself I share with you the greater you feel my weight. Or better said, the more of myself I share with you, the greater the portion of my weight you carry. Our ability to carry each other's weight is determined by how mature we are.
Jesus carried the full portion of the glory of the Father. When you look at Jesus in the gospels, you are looking at the full revelation of the Father. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one”. He also said, “I share with you only the words I hear from my Father.” To look at Jesus was to see the Glory of the Father. Jesus carried the full weight of the Father and I believe it was Jesus’ desire for us to feel the full weight of the Father.
If I “weighted” this passage it would look like this:
And what is eternal life? It is knowing You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have carried the weight of who You are here on earth. I have finished letting these, Your chosen children, experience the full weight of who You are, just as You desired for me to do. So now, Father, let my weight be felt in heaven where your throne is. Give me the weight I had with You before the world began.
Jesus lived with the end in mind. From this passage it would seem that one of his core motivators was to attain the glory, the “weight” that He had before the world began. I surmise from his words that he was looking forward to sharing in that glory. He desired, after he had completed what his Father asked him to do, to engage in the weight of his eternal existence.
Jesus’ desire to be brought into this glory holds significance for me. Glory, or as we’ve been inferring, “weight”, originates from the Father. Since weight originates from the Father, there is only one place where having weight matters. Weight only has value in the Father's presence. The weight of being that I carry only has value in the presence of the Father.
I like to think of the concept of “glory” in terms of weight. The glory of God in my mind is easily transferable to “the weight of God”. When I “feel” God I’m really feeling the weight of His presence. The weight of who He is. When I experience God, the more intense that experience, the greater the weight I have carried. The more I live in who Jesus created me to be, the greater the weight I carry. The greater the weight I carry, the more “glory” I bring to Jesus.
I think in relationship we bring our “weight” to bear in each other’s lives. I bring weight to my relationship with you. You “feel” the weight of who I am when we spend time together. I feel the weight of who you are when I choose to engage with you. When I experience your personality, I feel your weight. When I laugh with you, cry with you, wonder with you, I experience the weight of who you are. The more of myself I share with you the greater you feel my weight. Or better said, the more of myself I share with you, the greater the portion of my weight you carry. Our ability to carry each other's weight is determined by how mature we are.
Jesus carried the full portion of the glory of the Father. When you look at Jesus in the gospels, you are looking at the full revelation of the Father. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one”. He also said, “I share with you only the words I hear from my Father.” To look at Jesus was to see the Glory of the Father. Jesus carried the full weight of the Father and I believe it was Jesus’ desire for us to feel the full weight of the Father.
If I “weighted” this passage it would look like this:
And what is eternal life? It is knowing You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have carried the weight of who You are here on earth. I have finished letting these, Your chosen children, experience the full weight of who You are, just as You desired for me to do. So now, Father, let my weight be felt in heaven where your throne is. Give me the weight I had with You before the world began.
Jesus lived with the end in mind. From this passage it would seem that one of his core motivators was to attain the glory, the “weight” that He had before the world began. I surmise from his words that he was looking forward to sharing in that glory. He desired, after he had completed what his Father asked him to do, to engage in the weight of his eternal existence.
Jesus’ desire to be brought into this glory holds significance for me. Glory, or as we’ve been inferring, “weight”, originates from the Father. Since weight originates from the Father, there is only one place where having weight matters. Weight only has value in the Father's presence. The weight of being that I carry only has value in the presence of the Father.
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