Conformity to the Rope

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12: 1.  "It was for freedom that Christ set us free." Gal. 5:1. 

 

I learned a sad fact about circus elephants in my Bible Study this morning.  It seems that baby elephants are chained during infancy when growing up at the hands of circus masters.  It begins with them tied to a tree without the strength to pull away.  Though they repeatedly try they eventually exhaust themselves and surrender to the fact they can never walk in freedom.  The struggle to be free ends and conformity to the rope begins.  The bigger they become the smaller rope is required since their minds and spirits have already been broken.  They adapt to living in the boundaries of the rope.

Living in the boundaries of the rope…haunting words for elephants and equally for Christians.  Since infancy we were all born into the captivity of sin.  Our circus master, Satan has trained us well as we find ourselves in adulthood living in some binding from our past.  Our rope is the thing that always surfaces and entices us the most in our flesh.  It is the thing that entangles…imprisons… binds.  For me, it is serving to receive approval which means no boundaries.  I have exhausted myself and frustrated others with this lopsided rope, all in the name of goodness.  My caregiving tendencies in the past had such a hold on me from the time I was a child.  We all possess ropes around our ankles that discourage us from living in the freedom God intends.

Christ gives us an opportunity to untie that rope that binds and be led out of our captivity.  Even the elephant needs guidance when the rope is unsecure.  He still thinks it is around his ankle because it always has been.  It isn’t until the one who frees him guides him out into the wild that he is convinced he no longer is bound by the rope.  "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature...But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Gal. 5:16, 18.

Just because Christ has freed us doesn’t mean we live like we are free.  We can accept the freedom Christ gave us at the cross but still live like we are tied up.  ‘Since our tendency as humans is to err in a direction away from God, we must retrain ourselves to walk in the ways of freedom.’ One in a Million – Journey to Your Promised Land, Priscilla Shirer, p. 14.

Don’t just believe the rope has been removed…walk and live as if you are free!

Power In the Stone

“…but I come against you in the name of the LORD God Almighty” 1 Sam. 17:45.

“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in the hand…” 1 Sam. 17:50.

Christian or no Christian, we would be hard pressed to find someone in our sphere of influence who hadn’t heard the story of David and Goliath.  David as a young teenager had already figured out where his confidence and strength lay – in the power of the Almighty.  David didn’t come before Goliath boasting of how powerful the little smooth stone in his pocket was, but how powerful his big God was.  David intuitively understood what many Christians today have not yet learned.  The power of God is not in our strengths but in the empowerment God places upon our strengths.

I have written many things over the course of my life but it wasn’t until I turned to God pursuing Him that my writings became empowered by Him for application and encouragement.  My written words were like lifeless stones that lay by the riverside until I met God there, and He brought my words to life.  My writings used to be simple and empty, but after God’s touch they became His empowerment for His purposes.  When I write in my own strength nothing is special about them, but when written in God’s power they become life giving words.  The same is true with your strengths and talents. 

Whatever we face we too have a sling that contains a stone…the Stone…the only weapon we will ever need in any given circumstance.  ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame’ 1 Peter 2:6.  It is in the power of our Stone that our talents and strengths will have the enabling of Christ to accomplish anything.  We will not boast of the ‘thing’ that brings down our mountains but will testify about the ‘Who.’ 

David never even mentioned the stone when facing his giant because he knew the power was in the calling not the strength.

Above the Rabble

“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing…‘We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost…’” Numbers 11:4-5.

The Israelites at this point had seen the plagues that God supernaturally sent for their deliverance out of slavery.  They stood before the Red Sea and witnessed the parting of those great waters.  They marched on dry ground feeling the mist from the power of the walls of water on each side.  They experienced the wonderful taste of freedom that they never had before.  And yet they made the two devastating mistakes that we still make today…they allowed the rabble (the non-Israelites) to remain in their lives, and they began romanticizing their life before deliverance.  With all the divine miracles that they had experienced it was still not enough to cultivate faith, trust and genuine gratitude.  They reminisced about their past life and forgot the price they paid.  Their memory doesn’t include the beatings, the long hours, the ruthless behavior of the Egyptians.  All they know is that this new life is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  ‘Yet just like the Israelites, we are prone to complain that we don't have enough. Prone to want more than what's been provided, to crave what we don't have rather than be thankful for what we do. Contentment and thankfulness is so important to a joyful life.’ www.lechemforleaders.com

We cannot expect to surround ourselves with those people who do not pursue a relationship with God, and remain grateful and committed to Him.  The rabble will convince us that our life is one of rules and regulations, giving up the fun things of the past.  They will cause us to look at the things we have lost instead of the blessings we have gained.  We will begin to see our present life through the eyes of discontent and less than abundant living.  Christ tells us that when we truly and completely follow Him, we will live in freedom.  We will not surround ourselves with the crude and irreverent media as it comes into our very homes.  We will not attend parties that focus on past appetites, nor chase dreams of the flesh. 

When we really get the truth that Christ paid it all and we paid nothing …and genuinely apply it to our hearts… we will see everything through the lens of deep humility and overwhelming gratitude.  If we find ourselves yearning for that same old sin or attitude it is because we are not truly walking in the freedom of Christ and the knowledge of the price He paid.

‘It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.’

My Vine, My Vice

“You have been concerned about this vine…But Ninevah has…people who cannot tell their right hand from their left…” Jonah 4:10-11.

At first glance it seems that God keeps hammering Jonah with lessons.  We must remember that God is all about relationship first.  Jonah eventually did what God had commanded him to do but God wanted more.  God wanted to mold Jonah’s heart and experience more intimacy with him.  How many times have we looked towards God and told Him that we have had enough lessons for now?  The further we are into our flesh the more distant we become from God’s Spirit.  Jonah’s obsession (anger) with the vine dying became a barrier between his heart and the heart of God.  Obviously, the death of the vine placed Jonah in a very uncomfortable set of circumstances.  He enjoyed the vine and what it provided; his anger was a result of feeling entitled to have the vine and ease his comfort.  I would certainly say that Jonah seemed to be narcissistic and overdramatic regarding his comfort verses God’s will.  (I am so angry I could die!)

On any given day we can also be Jonah focusing on our own comfort instead of the spiritual condition of those around us.  We get so wrapped up in our self-made comforts we sometimes miss the opportunities God places before us in helping others.  At some point, we place our trust in the vine for comfort and joy instead of God who gave us the vine.  It is tough to see God’s perspective on kingdom work when we are cozy and comfortable.  It is when we live outside of the vine and walk towards God that we will begin experiencing genuine fellowship with Him.  ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you’ James 4:8.

Until we recognize that all vines are created equal…temporary in life…given by God… not eternal…we will feel the sting and devastation of their absence.  The closer we get to God the more complete our joy will be

Peppered With Pout

“Should I not have compassion on Ninevah, the great city?” Jonah 4:11.

In considering the Book of Jonah the reader is left with more questions than answers as Jonah begrudgingly obeyed God, but stewed in his emotions as we turn the final page.  Did he and God wrestle over this subject for years to come?  Did Jonah remain near the city pointing out to God and others the Ninevites transgressions?  Did Jonah finally surrender his position of bitterness and frustration, and fully engage in his previous life with the blessings God had given him?  The thing we know for sure is that we will never know on this side of heaven.   The Bible is silent on the ending of Jonah’s story because we are not meant to know.  It doesn’t really matter what appeared on the surface of Jonah’s life because God could read the walls of his heart.  Only God knows how his story ended and only God knows how our story will end when it comes to the way we truly feel about others. 

God is a speed reader when looking upon our heart no matter what we portray on the outside.  We may fool others and maybe even ourselves through our smiles and calm exterior, but inside there still wages a bitter war against others we judge.  God knows what is deeply rooted in our hearts…our minds…our attitudes.  On the surface, our story may look to be a story of taking the high road…forgiveness…peacefulness, but our secret story line is still peppered with pout instead of seasoned with salt.

God encourages us in Colossians 4:6 to ‘Let your conversations be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.’  This doesn’t mean surface conversations cowardly hidden behind smiles but the conversation we have with God.    We must genuinely have a desire to release bitterness, offering full mercy and grace, apart from the actions of others.  To fully engage in the spiritual life God has written for us, we must fully disengage from our sense of entitlement.  We cannot try to write an ending to another person’s story or we just might find ourselves sitting under a withered vine.

The Worm of Ingratitude

“Then the LORD God provided a vine…to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.  But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.  But God said… ‘Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?  You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow.  It sprang up overnight and died overnight.’” Jonah 4:6-10.

Life certainly offers its own version of this story.  We don’t have to look too far to see these elements played out in our day to day lives.  We constantly stack our circumstances against the circumstances of others.  ‘Why did she land that job when I worked much harder?  How come he has loved ones who lived so long when I experienced a devastating loss?  Why does she get to enjoy the love of a partner and I don’t?’  While these questions are human nature the more concerning question lays much deeper in the heart.

The lacking element behind these questions is the same that was behind Jonah’s anger – an absence of genuine gratitude.  Everything comes from God, both in blessings and duration.  He created all things and only God determines the duration of their existence in our lives.  Like the shade God provided for Jonah, God provides our provisional needs to help us in our discomfort.  However, when we lack sincere gratitude for the things God has given us and the length of time we have been given them, the worm of ingratitude will gnaw away at our hearts.  It will work its ugly way into every situation and affect our relationship with others.

None of us truly deserve anything God has given us and certainly have no rights to tell Him how to handle our blessings.  Genuine gratitude begins with a humble heart and an acknowledgment that God is sovereign in His wisdom and His decisions.  Why are we so quick to praise Him when He takes away the bad but blame Him when He takes away the good?  He is the giver and taker of all things and we must be willing to trust Him regardless of our outcomes.

Washing Others' Wounds

“After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks” Acts 16:23-24.

This particular time they were thrown in prison after being accused of ‘throwing the city in an uproar by advocating customs.’ Basically, they were sharing the message of Jesus Christ with others whom it offended.  After their beatings and floggings they were thrown into the dark inner cell and placed in ‘foot cuffs.’ What did they do?  They praised God in the storm.  They did not gripe or complain…they did not focus on their wounds…they set their gaze upon Jesus remembering how He suffered for the message.  No doubt, they had to consider that the end was near, and they were moving closer to being with Christ…no wonder they were praying and singing songs of praise.  The jailer had no compassion as he threw them in the cell with fresh wounds from the beatings.  Seeing their condition he added extra pain by placing their feet in stocks.  Then he cut off the lights and was able to close his eyes and go to sleep.  Last night I couldn’t even sleep after watching a basketball player break his foot on the court.  How this jailer was able to shake the sight of these men is beyond me.  But then God sent ‘such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken…the prison doors flew open…everybody’s chains came loose’ (v. 26).  The jailer awakened and realized that not only had the doors been opened but none of the prisoner’s had escaped.  He immediately wanted to know the message of these men whom had a faith he desired.  ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved (v. 30)?  Upon the jailer’s conversion he took them back to his home and ‘washed their wounds and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his family’ (v.33). 

One of the most beautiful lessons we learn from this story is that before we are filled with the love of God we don’t even notice the pain of others.  We are disconnected from compassion as we sleep while others suffer…we minimize the present pain of a friend’s experience because we live in our past pain.  We are so busy with our own lives, our own families and our own jobs that we don’t reach out to serve others.  But once we turn our hearts to Christ Jesus He allows us to experience His compassion and His love, moving us to action.  We cannot have the true love of Christ in our hearts and be inactive or blind to the needs of others.  ‘We will be both judged and rewarded in Heaven on how we loved, gave and served on earth.’  (Charles Stanley) 

 

When thinking about this statement our example is in Christ Jesus.  Jesus loved the very ones who hated him.  ('Father, forgive them.'  Luke 23:34)   Jesus gave His very life for everyone.  ('With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.' John 19:30.)  Jesus served wherever He was, making every step His mission field.  ('My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.' John 5:17) 

‘The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness’ 1 Sam. 26:23.  ‘After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God’ Mark 16:19.    I cannot think of a greater eternal reward than sitting next to God.