Who are we really? Who does Christ tell us we are?
WE ARE NEW CREATIONS! WE ARE TRANSFORMED!!
2 Corinthians 5:16-19: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
Yesterday I wrote about who we are as New Creations. Here are three points about that creation.
1. This creation has nothing to do with what we have done or can do. It is all about what Christ has done.
The verse tells us, "All this is FROM God." It is a gift to us and we all need the complete gift. This idea was hard for me in High School and College. You see I suffered from good girl-itis. I was really really good. And what that convinced my fallen heart of was that I only needed a small dose of this new creation. That really my heart and life just needed some re-decorating, not a complete overhaul. What I have since learned is that I'm not as good as I thought I was, but more importantly I needed to be completely gutted and rebuilt, even the "good" parts. A totally new creation. I was a virgin when I got married, a good friend wasn't. We BOTH needed Christ virginity to save our souls. I struggle with pride and superiority, my friend Kim is one of the most humble people I know. We BOTH need Christ's humility to save us from damnation. Every part of us is going to be burned up in our glorification and only Christ will remain. That is why I cling to Christ and not my good works. Why being called a new creation is humbling and exciting.
2. This new creation is the person I was made to be before things broke.
The passage tells me that God "reconciled me to Himself through Christ." Reconciled is a word that implies God and I had previous dealings. We have history. He is the creator and I'm His creation, and in an offensively stupid move, I rebelled against my creator (following the example of my ancestors both near and far) and broke that relationship, which broke me. It is not just my rebellion that breaks me but also the rebellion of everyone around me. And the Lee that is here now is not the Lee that was intended back in the beginning. This point actually gets me really excited. The excitement starts in my stomach as an incredulous wonder..."can it be true?" As I get to know the Father, Son, Spirit God and read His Word all hope is confirmed. In the beginning, God envisioned and created this glorious woman, beautiful, wise and kind. Funny, creative, compassionate and challenging. But life broke her, and I broke her. I lived (still do) for myself and not for the one who created me. But my good Father would not let that be the end of my story, and when I came into a saving relationship with Christ, He gutted the fake, false Lee and restored the true creation of who I was meant to be. Praise to the One who raised me from the dead!
3. The creation is a completed work. It is finished!
We can't do to add to who we are. We can't do to take away from this creation. It is done, complete. And so our actions become less things that define us, and more things that reveal what we really think about ourselves and the gift of this creation. "THE OLD IS GONE." Sin is gone. It no longer defines who we are. It no longer holds power over us. It is gone. All of us still struggle with sin because this reality will only be fully recognized once we are with Him forever. But that doesn't make it less true. This is really true. We are really made completely new. It is who we are.
I am going to write tomorrow about how we can live up to this reality. And talk about some practical steps we can take to look more like the people we are. But for today I encourage you to bask in the beauty of this gift. To meditate on verses 14-18 of 2 Corinthians 5. You are new, fresh, whole, fixed. You may not feel like it. You may not act like it. But if you are walking with Christ that is who you are. Praise be to God who did it all.
September 28, 2010
September 27, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Creation
SO...(if you are wondering why the "so" is there check out the last post: THE BIG IDEA) how does Christ see us (and therefore how should we see ourselves)?
2 Corinthians 5:16-19: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
Cecilia is doing her homework while I am writing this post. She looked at my 2 Corinthian's manuscript and saw the "!" at the end of verse 17. "Look, look, mom! An exclamation point!" Honestly, I had not noticed, but I faked it..."Yes, Cecilia, and what do you think it means when there is an exclamation point in the Bible?"
"I don't know, but it has to be GOOD!" and she went back to her writing.
I may have missed the "!" in this passage but I didn't miss the Big Idea that the "!" is pointing to. And if we want to learn to live out a different life we have to pay close attention, because it is here that Christ tells us who we are. Drum Roll please........
WE ARE NEW CREATIONS! WE ARE TRANSFORMED!!
Now, some of you are thinking, "so what...I knew this passage said that...new creation...yada yada, blah blah...old is gone...yawn." And sadly some of us are so use to this idea that it no longer gets our "!" attention. Sadly we don't even think about who we really are because we are lazy or confused or tired of feeling like a failure. The life we know we live does not look like a new anything, and is far from having the freshness of a creation.
And yet that is how Christ sees us. NEW, FRESH, ENERGIZED CREATIONS!
We think that we are being transformed, and in some ways we are, but the BIG IDEA of a relationship with God is that He makes you new right from the start, and that newness doesn't wear off. This is not who we need to become. THIS IS WHO WE ARE! This is who I am, a fully transformed woman.
But how is that possible? Because I still look pretty cruddy most days. How can He call me that, and still be considered the God of Truth? That is in the passage too. It can be true of us because when we move into a relationship with Jesus, we are given His life, His transformation. We are IN HIM.
I'm going to write a bit more about this new creation tomorrow, but for today I encourage you to spend time thinking about this idea of who you are. It doesn't matter what you did today (or didn't do) or what you did this weekend. It doesn't matter how your relationships are, or where you are emotionally. If you believe in Jesus, you are a new creation, total and complete! You have a True Father who loves you and is able to delight in you because you are given the life of Christ. Since you are found in Him, you are transformed, PERIOD.
That is a big "!". And Cecilia is right it is the best kind of GOOD!
2 Corinthians 5:16-19: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
Cecilia is doing her homework while I am writing this post. She looked at my 2 Corinthian's manuscript and saw the "!" at the end of verse 17. "Look, look, mom! An exclamation point!" Honestly, I had not noticed, but I faked it..."Yes, Cecilia, and what do you think it means when there is an exclamation point in the Bible?"
"I don't know, but it has to be GOOD!" and she went back to her writing.
I may have missed the "!" in this passage but I didn't miss the Big Idea that the "!" is pointing to. And if we want to learn to live out a different life we have to pay close attention, because it is here that Christ tells us who we are. Drum Roll please........
WE ARE NEW CREATIONS! WE ARE TRANSFORMED!!
Now, some of you are thinking, "so what...I knew this passage said that...new creation...yada yada, blah blah...old is gone...yawn." And sadly some of us are so use to this idea that it no longer gets our "!" attention. Sadly we don't even think about who we really are because we are lazy or confused or tired of feeling like a failure. The life we know we live does not look like a new anything, and is far from having the freshness of a creation.
And yet that is how Christ sees us. NEW, FRESH, ENERGIZED CREATIONS!
We think that we are being transformed, and in some ways we are, but the BIG IDEA of a relationship with God is that He makes you new right from the start, and that newness doesn't wear off. This is not who we need to become. THIS IS WHO WE ARE! This is who I am, a fully transformed woman.
But how is that possible? Because I still look pretty cruddy most days. How can He call me that, and still be considered the God of Truth? That is in the passage too. It can be true of us because when we move into a relationship with Jesus, we are given His life, His transformation. We are IN HIM.
I'm going to write a bit more about this new creation tomorrow, but for today I encourage you to spend time thinking about this idea of who you are. It doesn't matter what you did today (or didn't do) or what you did this weekend. It doesn't matter how your relationships are, or where you are emotionally. If you believe in Jesus, you are a new creation, total and complete! You have a True Father who loves you and is able to delight in you because you are given the life of Christ. Since you are found in Him, you are transformed, PERIOD.
That is a big "!". And Cecilia is right it is the best kind of GOOD!
September 24, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: THE BIG IDEA!
Now that we have been freed to live our lives for Christ (see LOTL: Compelled), what are we to strive for?
2 Corinthians 5:16--"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
All week I've talked about changing our perspective, the way we see others and the way we see Christ. But that "NO ONE" in the verse above covers one more group of people...ourselves. We can no longer see ourselves the way we want to or naturally do. We must now start seeing ourselves the way Christ sees us.
So before we look at how Christ see us. Before we dig into who we really are. Let's spend one post on who we think we are. I think that there are roughly two groups. The lovers and the haters.
The LOVERS- think they are AWESOME! Awesome in relationships, awesome in business, awesome in life. If these people know the Lord, they are awesome at that too, and often fall into the trap that they only need Jesus to save them from hell, but in all other things they can handle it. They work hard at being the kind of person they are proud of. The Gospel is not always good news to these people (to me). Becoming poor to be blessed, all the good stuff you do is crap compared to the good stuff that Christ did, thinking about EVERYONE else as better than you. That is not exactly "good news". It's hard news, tiring news.
The HATERS-think they SUCK! Suck in relationships, suck in business, suck at life. If these people know the Lord, they know they suck at that too. They know they need God to come through for them not just in eternity but in all things. The trap they fall into though is they don't think God wants to. They see themselves as wrecks, how could a holy God ever love that. You would think the Gospel would be good news to them, but they don't (I don't) believe it. They are so consumed with their own self-hatred that they assign that feeling to God, and get lost in self-pity, self-focus.
We all have existed in both these groups-sometimes we straddle them with such ease that it is confusing to be in relationship with us. More than once my good friend Sarah, has looked at me confused and uttered, "you are such a contradiction." And I am. I am so prideful that I think I know better than most people, but I'm so self-conscious that anytime I give an opinion in a group I spend hours afterward beating myself up for speaking and sounding so stupid. I think I'm really cool and a blast to hang out with (I know all my for real cool friends are chuckling), but after a gathering I spend time thinking how lame I was and wondering why I have friends.
I can't move into becoming transformed if I am either of these two people. If this is the way I see myself, I view transformation either as another way to prove how great I am, or another thing that will push me from the arms of my God and confirm that I'm a loser.
So I need a better way to see myself in order to move into transformation. I need to know, really know how Christ sees me and then learn to live up to that view.
So how does Christ see us? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
2 Corinthians 5:16--"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
All week I've talked about changing our perspective, the way we see others and the way we see Christ. But that "NO ONE" in the verse above covers one more group of people...ourselves. We can no longer see ourselves the way we want to or naturally do. We must now start seeing ourselves the way Christ sees us.
AND THIS IS THE FOUNDATION FOR
LIVING OUT THE TRANSFORMED LIFE!
So before we look at how Christ see us. Before we dig into who we really are. Let's spend one post on who we think we are. I think that there are roughly two groups. The lovers and the haters.
The LOVERS- think they are AWESOME! Awesome in relationships, awesome in business, awesome in life. If these people know the Lord, they are awesome at that too, and often fall into the trap that they only need Jesus to save them from hell, but in all other things they can handle it. They work hard at being the kind of person they are proud of. The Gospel is not always good news to these people (to me). Becoming poor to be blessed, all the good stuff you do is crap compared to the good stuff that Christ did, thinking about EVERYONE else as better than you. That is not exactly "good news". It's hard news, tiring news.
The HATERS-think they SUCK! Suck in relationships, suck in business, suck at life. If these people know the Lord, they know they suck at that too. They know they need God to come through for them not just in eternity but in all things. The trap they fall into though is they don't think God wants to. They see themselves as wrecks, how could a holy God ever love that. You would think the Gospel would be good news to them, but they don't (I don't) believe it. They are so consumed with their own self-hatred that they assign that feeling to God, and get lost in self-pity, self-focus.
We all have existed in both these groups-sometimes we straddle them with such ease that it is confusing to be in relationship with us. More than once my good friend Sarah, has looked at me confused and uttered, "you are such a contradiction." And I am. I am so prideful that I think I know better than most people, but I'm so self-conscious that anytime I give an opinion in a group I spend hours afterward beating myself up for speaking and sounding so stupid. I think I'm really cool and a blast to hang out with (I know all my for real cool friends are chuckling), but after a gathering I spend time thinking how lame I was and wondering why I have friends.
I can't move into becoming transformed if I am either of these two people. If this is the way I see myself, I view transformation either as another way to prove how great I am, or another thing that will push me from the arms of my God and confirm that I'm a loser.
So I need a better way to see myself in order to move into transformation. I need to know, really know how Christ sees me and then learn to live up to that view.
So how does Christ see us? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
September 23, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Seeing Christ
Now that we have been freed to live our lives for Christ (see LOTL: Compelled), what are we to strive for?
2 Corinthians 5:16--"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
Over the past few days I have talked about having Christ's perspective on others. But the passage doesn't just call us to a new outlook on other people, it also calls us to repent of the way we regard Jesus.
Paul is talking about himself here when he says "we." I use this language tool but normally I use it when I really mean one of my kids. "Oh, Gareth, WE need to clean up this room" (I have no intention of helping...I don't know why I use "we"). Before Paul's dramatic meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), his view of Christ was not exactly favorable. Paul considered Jesus a blasphemer, and I would imagine that he thought Jesus got exactly what He deserved on the cross. But then Paul actually meets Jesus and through becoming blind begins to SEE Christ for who He is, the incarnate, victorious God. Paul abandons the Jewish world-view, and passionately takes on a more accurate view of Christ.
So how does our culture view Christ? I don't think one blog post can cover this topic well. I wonder if 30 would be enough. So I'll pick one view to talk through. One that I think the church secretly agrees with--the "up-to-a-point" view of Christ.
I think most unbelieving people are fine with Jesus, UP TO A POINT. Jesus was kind and wise, He acted on behalf of the poor and the outcast. A lot of popular books in our culture quote Him. But the world only stays "OK" with Him if He is a just a part of who you are, not the center. If you give Him the same attention you give your facebook page...well Ok, that's not a big deal. But when He starts to take up too much of your life, too much of your time, too much of your conversation, too much of your facebook page...then there could be a problem. And the idea that Jesus claims to be THE WAY to God is hard--it's a deal-breaker. It's a deal-breaker for the world, and come on chruch...it's a deal-breaker for us.
We don't want to give the Lord all that we have. We don't want to hear His call to holiness and definately not His challenge to simplicity. Being missional (talking about Jesus to non-believeing friends), sacrifing all right to live out of self-motivated actions and flinging ourselves on God's good and sufficent grace--BLURG! Most of us feel exhausted just thinking about it. So we adopt a version of this "up-to-a-point" faith. We allow Him space and lordship in the areas of our lives where we already agree with Him--tithing, church going, smoking...But other areas that are too hard, too consuming, or frankly areas where we think scripture is wrong, (pride, racism, purity, generosity...etc.) we ignore. We pretend. We defend.
But brothers and sisters we can't live in this "up-to-a-point" faith anymore. It makes us an untrustworthy people, which reflects that God is not to be trusted. And the only WAY to enjoy God is to strive toward being just like His Son...not sort of like Him. We need to get serious about Christ being our LORD, and let Him in to those areas that frankly He is going to rip apart and then make whole.
I need to do this. If I say I am a Christ follower I need to follow Him into all areas. I need to strive to make Phillippians 2:5-11 as much a description of me as it is of Christ. I need to love the poor, dine with the lost, enjoy my God, serve those around me. I need to forgive (OUCH!) I need to forgive every single time.
"God consume all parts of me. Flood all areas, even the ones where I try to shut you out. Make me more and more like Your Son, Jesus."
Are there any other ways that the world's view on Christ and faith has invaded the church or more importantly your life?
2 Corinthians 5:16--"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
Over the past few days I have talked about having Christ's perspective on others. But the passage doesn't just call us to a new outlook on other people, it also calls us to repent of the way we regard Jesus.
Paul is talking about himself here when he says "we." I use this language tool but normally I use it when I really mean one of my kids. "Oh, Gareth, WE need to clean up this room" (I have no intention of helping...I don't know why I use "we"). Before Paul's dramatic meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), his view of Christ was not exactly favorable. Paul considered Jesus a blasphemer, and I would imagine that he thought Jesus got exactly what He deserved on the cross. But then Paul actually meets Jesus and through becoming blind begins to SEE Christ for who He is, the incarnate, victorious God. Paul abandons the Jewish world-view, and passionately takes on a more accurate view of Christ.
So how does our culture view Christ? I don't think one blog post can cover this topic well. I wonder if 30 would be enough. So I'll pick one view to talk through. One that I think the church secretly agrees with--the "up-to-a-point" view of Christ.
I think most unbelieving people are fine with Jesus, UP TO A POINT. Jesus was kind and wise, He acted on behalf of the poor and the outcast. A lot of popular books in our culture quote Him. But the world only stays "OK" with Him if He is a just a part of who you are, not the center. If you give Him the same attention you give your facebook page...well Ok, that's not a big deal. But when He starts to take up too much of your life, too much of your time, too much of your conversation, too much of your facebook page...then there could be a problem. And the idea that Jesus claims to be THE WAY to God is hard--it's a deal-breaker. It's a deal-breaker for the world, and come on chruch...it's a deal-breaker for us.
We don't want to give the Lord all that we have. We don't want to hear His call to holiness and definately not His challenge to simplicity. Being missional (talking about Jesus to non-believeing friends), sacrifing all right to live out of self-motivated actions and flinging ourselves on God's good and sufficent grace--BLURG! Most of us feel exhausted just thinking about it. So we adopt a version of this "up-to-a-point" faith. We allow Him space and lordship in the areas of our lives where we already agree with Him--tithing, church going, smoking...But other areas that are too hard, too consuming, or frankly areas where we think scripture is wrong, (pride, racism, purity, generosity...etc.) we ignore. We pretend. We defend.
But brothers and sisters we can't live in this "up-to-a-point" faith anymore. It makes us an untrustworthy people, which reflects that God is not to be trusted. And the only WAY to enjoy God is to strive toward being just like His Son...not sort of like Him. We need to get serious about Christ being our LORD, and let Him in to those areas that frankly He is going to rip apart and then make whole.
I need to do this. If I say I am a Christ follower I need to follow Him into all areas. I need to strive to make Phillippians 2:5-11 as much a description of me as it is of Christ. I need to love the poor, dine with the lost, enjoy my God, serve those around me. I need to forgive (OUCH!) I need to forgive every single time.
"God consume all parts of me. Flood all areas, even the ones where I try to shut you out. Make me more and more like Your Son, Jesus."
Are there any other ways that the world's view on Christ and faith has invaded the church or more importantly your life?
September 22, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Perspective-part 2
Now that we have been freed to live our lives for Christ (see LOTL: Compelled), what are we to strive for?
2 Corinthians 5:16--So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Yesterday I talked about perspective, and how our view of others has to change when we become Christ-followers. I asked two questions yesterday. The first was, how does the world view other people? The two main words I talked about were comparison and competition.
Today I want to write about that second question.
If I am called to abandon the way the world views people, then what perspective am I to adopt? Right above this verse in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that, "And He[Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." These verses tell me that I'm to live for Jesus Christ. To take on His outlook.
So how does Jesus view people?
While the world views relationships from a consumer perspective. Christ takes on the attitude of a servant. "What can I do for YOU?" was His posture toward everyone He interacted with. Instead of Comparison and Competition, Christ moved toward others with Compassion and Truth.
Think of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Jesus is teaching when some Pharisees drag a woman into the crowd. Scripture says, "They made her stand before the crowd," and then try to use this woman to trap Jesus. But Jesus instantly calls them on this comparison crap! "Ok," I imagine Him saying, "your right. She deserves to die. So let's form a line to keep things orderly, and all of you who have NEVER screwed up, who have NEVER broken the law, you go first." They were all comparing themselves to this woman. And compared to her, they were looking good. But Christ reminded them that God judges us based on His standard...perfection, and when compared to perfection, we all feel embarrassed. See this played out as this story concludes.
Christ is the only one in the crowd who had any right to throw those stones because He NEVER screwed up, NEVER broke the law. And as everyone walks away blushing, He chooses compassion. He doesn't condemn the woman. He offers her grace.
And he offers her TRUTH. Don't miss that. She doesn't just get His sympathy, He also calls her to move out of her junk. He cared enough about her to confront the poor choices she was making. He tells her to "...leave your life of sin."
I am not so good at compassion, truth and service. I might fake it well for people who aren't close to me, but with Joshua and my kids, my true colors come out. I care more about what Joshua can do for me than about what I can do for him. I think more about how I can get the marriage I want, live in the family I want, than I think about what Christ wants for my family, what He wants to do in my marriage. I get fed up with people's brokenness. Rolling my eyes when I see Josh in a struggle to be the guy God created Him to be. God isn't annoyed with Joshua, or my kids, or brokenness, so why do I think it's ok to be annoyed?
I need a transformed perspective on others. I need Christ to flood my life so I can only see people from His perspective. He, who didn't feel the need to announce that He could throw a stone if He wanted. He, who cared a lot more about this lady than He did about His own reputation or really His own law which she had just broken. I need Him to come more and more alive in me and put to death this fleshy greedy "self" that would have thrown a stone.
2 Corinthians 5:16--So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Yesterday I talked about perspective, and how our view of others has to change when we become Christ-followers. I asked two questions yesterday. The first was, how does the world view other people? The two main words I talked about were comparison and competition.
Today I want to write about that second question.
If I am called to abandon the way the world views people, then what perspective am I to adopt? Right above this verse in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that, "And He[Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." These verses tell me that I'm to live for Jesus Christ. To take on His outlook.
So how does Jesus view people?
While the world views relationships from a consumer perspective. Christ takes on the attitude of a servant. "What can I do for YOU?" was His posture toward everyone He interacted with. Instead of Comparison and Competition, Christ moved toward others with Compassion and Truth.
Think of the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Jesus is teaching when some Pharisees drag a woman into the crowd. Scripture says, "They made her stand before the crowd," and then try to use this woman to trap Jesus. But Jesus instantly calls them on this comparison crap! "Ok," I imagine Him saying, "your right. She deserves to die. So let's form a line to keep things orderly, and all of you who have NEVER screwed up, who have NEVER broken the law, you go first." They were all comparing themselves to this woman. And compared to her, they were looking good. But Christ reminded them that God judges us based on His standard...perfection, and when compared to perfection, we all feel embarrassed. See this played out as this story concludes.
Christ is the only one in the crowd who had any right to throw those stones because He NEVER screwed up, NEVER broke the law. And as everyone walks away blushing, He chooses compassion. He doesn't condemn the woman. He offers her grace.
And he offers her TRUTH. Don't miss that. She doesn't just get His sympathy, He also calls her to move out of her junk. He cared enough about her to confront the poor choices she was making. He tells her to "...leave your life of sin."
I am not so good at compassion, truth and service. I might fake it well for people who aren't close to me, but with Joshua and my kids, my true colors come out. I care more about what Joshua can do for me than about what I can do for him. I think more about how I can get the marriage I want, live in the family I want, than I think about what Christ wants for my family, what He wants to do in my marriage. I get fed up with people's brokenness. Rolling my eyes when I see Josh in a struggle to be the guy God created Him to be. God isn't annoyed with Joshua, or my kids, or brokenness, so why do I think it's ok to be annoyed?
I need a transformed perspective on others. I need Christ to flood my life so I can only see people from His perspective. He, who didn't feel the need to announce that He could throw a stone if He wanted. He, who cared a lot more about this lady than He did about His own reputation or really His own law which she had just broken. I need Him to come more and more alive in me and put to death this fleshy greedy "self" that would have thrown a stone.
September 21, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Perspective
Now that we have been freed to live our lives for Christ (see previous post), what are we to strive for?
2 Corinthians 5:16--So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
My kids love to watch the Imagination Movers on Disney. The movers are 4 guys and one mouse who solve people's problems by using their imaginations. One of the movers, Scott, has wobble goggles (Gareth and Audrey call them wobble gobbles). These goggles allow Scott to look through walls and into machines. These goggles give him a fuller perspective on life in the Idea Warehouse. I envy Scott's goggles. I want something to keep on top of my head that allows me to look behind couch cushions, search out the missing shoe or find the remote!
This passage calls us to have wobble goggles of our own.
If you are a follower of Christ you can no longer see others they way everyone else (the world) does. You have to see them from a totally new perspective. That begs two questions--How does the world view people, and who's point of view should I have?
Our culture views people from a consumer perspective. "What can YOU do for ME"--that is the question and focus of broken worldly relationships. What do you have to offer? How can you advance my career, my social life, my family?
Two words always come to mind when I think about relationships lived out in our world today. Comparison and Competition. How do I look when compared to you? And then after I've compared, I move to the competition part of this broken relationship. So if I come out looking better than you...we might become friends as long as the gap is not too wide. If I come out looking worse than you...weeeell we might still end up friends, because you could pull me up while I pull you down--the classic definition of "frienemies" (can there be a "classic" definition of a word that has been around less than 5 years).
So that is what I am called out of--THANK GOD! That was exhausting just to type out, much more to live out. But what am I called to? I'll think on that tomorrow. But before we move on... Ponder some questions:
This is a picture of another imagination mover that I think looks like my friend, Jeremy! It's Jeremy's birthday...So Happy Birthday friend!
2 Corinthians 5:16--So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
My kids love to watch the Imagination Movers on Disney. The movers are 4 guys and one mouse who solve people's problems by using their imaginations. One of the movers, Scott, has wobble goggles (Gareth and Audrey call them wobble gobbles). These goggles allow Scott to look through walls and into machines. These goggles give him a fuller perspective on life in the Idea Warehouse. I envy Scott's goggles. I want something to keep on top of my head that allows me to look behind couch cushions, search out the missing shoe or find the remote!This passage calls us to have wobble goggles of our own.
If you are a follower of Christ you can no longer see others they way everyone else (the world) does. You have to see them from a totally new perspective. That begs two questions--How does the world view people, and who's point of view should I have?
Our culture views people from a consumer perspective. "What can YOU do for ME"--that is the question and focus of broken worldly relationships. What do you have to offer? How can you advance my career, my social life, my family?
Two words always come to mind when I think about relationships lived out in our world today. Comparison and Competition. How do I look when compared to you? And then after I've compared, I move to the competition part of this broken relationship. So if I come out looking better than you...we might become friends as long as the gap is not too wide. If I come out looking worse than you...weeeell we might still end up friends, because you could pull me up while I pull you down--the classic definition of "frienemies" (can there be a "classic" definition of a word that has been around less than 5 years).
So that is what I am called out of--THANK GOD! That was exhausting just to type out, much more to live out. But what am I called to? I'll think on that tomorrow. But before we move on... Ponder some questions:
- Where do you compare yourself to others? Why do it? We should only compare ourselves to Christ. That is the only comparison our true Father is making.
- Where do you find yourself competing with your brother and sisters in Christ? Trying to have the best of something (stuff, Quiet times, parenting moments, kick-a blogs-smile...)? What is the solution to Competition?
- What is the culture like in your church/fellowship? Is it a consumer culture with comparison and competition strangling life? Or does it break free from that?
This is a picture of another imagination mover that I think looks like my friend, Jeremy! It's Jeremy's birthday...So Happy Birthday friend!September 20, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Death
Paul's working definition for sin in this passage is Living Lives Centered on Ourselves.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."
After mentioning Christ's love, these verses talk a lot about death. One guy died. Everybody died. He died, they died. Alot of death talk to say that Jesus Christ had to come and die because we were dead.
And what killed us?
A life lived for ourselves.
Personally, I don't think selfishness is a big deal. When I make a choice that is self-focused I often shrug it off. I mean everyone is thinking about themselves...so what's the big deal if I do, right? I have to think about myself, protect myself, take care of myself. If I don't...who will? Hmmm. A life lived for myself doesn't seem so awful, and a life lived for others is what seems scary...deadly. If I live for others there won't be anything left for me. I'll be used up and abandoned. I'll be dead. But scripture tells me I was dead already.
I wasn't created to take care of myself. I wasn't meant to grap after what I want. I was knit together, wonderfully created by a Father that is still in the picture. I was created to turn to Him with all my needs, and let HIM take care of me. I was meant to grap after Him and grap onto what He wants for me and for the world. I was fashioned to live for Christ and Christ alone.
And Christ died so I could live in this reality.
More tomorrow....
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."
After mentioning Christ's love, these verses talk a lot about death. One guy died. Everybody died. He died, they died. Alot of death talk to say that Jesus Christ had to come and die because we were dead.
And what killed us?
A life lived for ourselves.
Personally, I don't think selfishness is a big deal. When I make a choice that is self-focused I often shrug it off. I mean everyone is thinking about themselves...so what's the big deal if I do, right? I have to think about myself, protect myself, take care of myself. If I don't...who will? Hmmm. A life lived for myself doesn't seem so awful, and a life lived for others is what seems scary...deadly. If I live for others there won't be anything left for me. I'll be used up and abandoned. I'll be dead. But scripture tells me I was dead already.
I wasn't created to take care of myself. I wasn't meant to grap after what I want. I was knit together, wonderfully created by a Father that is still in the picture. I was created to turn to Him with all my needs, and let HIM take care of me. I was meant to grap after Him and grap onto what He wants for me and for the world. I was fashioned to live for Christ and Christ alone.
And Christ died so I could live in this reality.
not so I could live for myself.
More tomorrow....
September 18, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Coerced
The pursuit of a transformed life has to be root in and motivated by Christ's love for us.
It can not be pursued out of feelings of obligation or guilt.
2 Corinthians 5:14a--"For Christ's love compels us."
Yesterday I talked about Christ's love compelling us toward transformation. But a good number of people in the church (including a couple here at the Simmons Spot) aren't motivated by Christ's passion for us. We strive toward holiness because it's what we should do, or because we feel deep guilt if we don't.
We are coerced into the transformed life, not compelled.
I pursue right living because it is expected by my family, my friends, my church, myself, my God. I strive toward holiness because it is what good girls do. But eventually that motivation turns not into life but into junk.
I start feeling resentful toward the expectations. I start to compare my own "good" choices and "good" life with those around me, and pride grows in me. Pride always kills my heart for those who struggle. I get annoyed with God's ever diligent place in my life, and start wishing He would go away. I get tired of living up to the good girl persona and eventually lash out by binging on lazy living, gossip, selfishness...you get the picture.
Some examples from my life this week:
These were wise choices. They were what a woman who is committed to Christ should do, but they were done for the wrong reasons. Out of the wrong heart. I do a lot of good stuff in my life out of wrong motivation! So what should I do? Stop all the good stuff. Stop all the striving because my motivation is bad? NO! But I should spend a chunk of my day or week thinking about this question-"what did I do today because I'm suppose to and not because Christ loves me?" HONESTLY think about it, and then pray.
"God I'm not playing with Gareth now because You love me and call me to care well for my family. I'm just trying to be the best mom I know, and I'm trying to push away the feelings that I suck at being a parent. Change my heart."
"God, I'm moving toward this new family at church not out of Your heart for me and for them, but because I honestly think no one else will talk to them. Forgive me my pride and self-focus. Give me your heart and energy for the new people I meet."
"God, I didn't take part in that gossip today, not because You love me and have made me a new creation. I did it because I don't want to be like those who were, and now I need Your forgiveness for seeing myself as better than them. Forgive me too for not calling them to a better choice, but just listening."
The guy who got this right was brother Lawrence a monk in the 17th century. He understood that all parts of his day from his prayer life to serving others to working in the kitchen, that all parts should be in response to God's loving presence.
God, teach me to be like brother Lawrence--Help me to understand your presence in my life, and teach me how to know and confess my vain and small motivations for living out my life in you. Win my heart and let me be inspired and compel only by Your love for me and Your work on the cross.
Anyone else what to share where you struggle with bad motivation?
It can not be pursued out of feelings of obligation or guilt.
2 Corinthians 5:14a--"For Christ's love compels us."
Yesterday I talked about Christ's love compelling us toward transformation. But a good number of people in the church (including a couple here at the Simmons Spot) aren't motivated by Christ's passion for us. We strive toward holiness because it's what we should do, or because we feel deep guilt if we don't.
We are coerced into the transformed life, not compelled.
I pursue right living because it is expected by my family, my friends, my church, myself, my God. I strive toward holiness because it is what good girls do. But eventually that motivation turns not into life but into junk.
I start feeling resentful toward the expectations. I start to compare my own "good" choices and "good" life with those around me, and pride grows in me. Pride always kills my heart for those who struggle. I get annoyed with God's ever diligent place in my life, and start wishing He would go away. I get tired of living up to the good girl persona and eventually lash out by binging on lazy living, gossip, selfishness...you get the picture.
Some examples from my life this week:
- I played in the floor with Gareth, because I know it is what good mommy's do.
- I chose to say kind things about someone instead of mean and thoughtless things, because I don't like to be around people who talk about others.
- I went to a ladies night out at my church because I know I'm suppose to get to know people and take part in community.
- I talked to new people at a few events I attended because that is what good InterVarsity staff are trained to do.
- I unloaded the dish washer because a messy kitchen makes me feel like a failure.
These were wise choices. They were what a woman who is committed to Christ should do, but they were done for the wrong reasons. Out of the wrong heart. I do a lot of good stuff in my life out of wrong motivation! So what should I do? Stop all the good stuff. Stop all the striving because my motivation is bad? NO! But I should spend a chunk of my day or week thinking about this question-"what did I do today because I'm suppose to and not because Christ loves me?" HONESTLY think about it, and then pray.
"God I'm not playing with Gareth now because You love me and call me to care well for my family. I'm just trying to be the best mom I know, and I'm trying to push away the feelings that I suck at being a parent. Change my heart."
"God, I'm moving toward this new family at church not out of Your heart for me and for them, but because I honestly think no one else will talk to them. Forgive me my pride and self-focus. Give me your heart and energy for the new people I meet."
"God, I didn't take part in that gossip today, not because You love me and have made me a new creation. I did it because I don't want to be like those who were, and now I need Your forgiveness for seeing myself as better than them. Forgive me too for not calling them to a better choice, but just listening."
The guy who got this right was brother Lawrence a monk in the 17th century. He understood that all parts of his day from his prayer life to serving others to working in the kitchen, that all parts should be in response to God's loving presence.
God, teach me to be like brother Lawrence--Help me to understand your presence in my life, and teach me how to know and confess my vain and small motivations for living out my life in you. Win my heart and let me be inspired and compel only by Your love for me and Your work on the cross.
Anyone else what to share where you struggle with bad motivation?
September 16, 2010
Living Out the Transformed Life: Compelled
The pursuit of a transformed life has to be rooted in & motivated by Christ's love for us.
2 Corinthians 5:14a--"For Christ's love compels us,"
I love the word compel. Paul doesn't say that Christ's love demands, or insists. He also doesn't go the other way and say that Christ's love suggests, alludes or even strongly encourages. No, Christ's love compels us to be transformed. It draws us into a desire to be like Him. His love woos me to a holy life.
I don't know many people who feel like they are truly lovable. I've always been surprised when people show an interest in being my friend. When Joshua asked me out I was so shocked that he was interested in me, I was silent for 2 hours! (No wise-cracks about how hard that must have been--ha ha I get it...I like to talk-smile.)
In the end I guess we are not really a lovable people. Vain, wimpy, lazy, addicted to our small story, and terrified of real, honest relationship with each other and our God. No surprise that we are also insecure.
But God--Father, Son, Spirit--loves us completely, passionately, wildly. And He would do anything to be close to us. Hebrews 12:2 tells us "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame." This verse helps me understand God's heart for His creation. I'm the joy set before Christ. We all are. Freeing us from our death-soaked lives, and making a way for us to be in a relationship with Him is what motivated Him to suffer the tortures of death on a cross. He loves us.
When I first heard the John Mark McMillian song "How He Loves" I was not a fan. I'll admit it. I even gave our camp worship leader Kenny a hard time for having it in the song list. I didn't get it. But I do now. Christ loves us. OH HOW CHRIST LOVES US! It's shocking and overwhelming. It's undeserved and too good to be true. But it is true, should I expect anything less from a God that is so big and beautiful, so good and wild. He loves me, He came after me, He won me.
That is compelling.
I want to live up to that love. To bend under it's weight. I want to be different, transformed, not because I should be, not because I ought, but because this kind of love draws me toward transformation. This love is ravishing and I am won.
And I'll never doubt a song that Kenny picks again. Sorry brother!
2 Corinthians 5:14a--"For Christ's love compels us,"
I love the word compel. Paul doesn't say that Christ's love demands, or insists. He also doesn't go the other way and say that Christ's love suggests, alludes or even strongly encourages. No, Christ's love compels us to be transformed. It draws us into a desire to be like Him. His love woos me to a holy life.
I don't know many people who feel like they are truly lovable. I've always been surprised when people show an interest in being my friend. When Joshua asked me out I was so shocked that he was interested in me, I was silent for 2 hours! (No wise-cracks about how hard that must have been--ha ha I get it...I like to talk-smile.)
In the end I guess we are not really a lovable people. Vain, wimpy, lazy, addicted to our small story, and terrified of real, honest relationship with each other and our God. No surprise that we are also insecure.
But God--Father, Son, Spirit--loves us completely, passionately, wildly. And He would do anything to be close to us. Hebrews 12:2 tells us "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame." This verse helps me understand God's heart for His creation. I'm the joy set before Christ. We all are. Freeing us from our death-soaked lives, and making a way for us to be in a relationship with Him is what motivated Him to suffer the tortures of death on a cross. He loves us.
When I first heard the John Mark McMillian song "How He Loves" I was not a fan. I'll admit it. I even gave our camp worship leader Kenny a hard time for having it in the song list. I didn't get it. But I do now. Christ loves us. OH HOW CHRIST LOVES US! It's shocking and overwhelming. It's undeserved and too good to be true. But it is true, should I expect anything less from a God that is so big and beautiful, so good and wild. He loves me, He came after me, He won me.
That is compelling.
I want to live up to that love. To bend under it's weight. I want to be different, transformed, not because I should be, not because I ought, but because this kind of love draws me toward transformation. This love is ravishing and I am won.
And I'll never doubt a song that Kenny picks again. Sorry brother!
Living Out the Transformed Life
This week I was asked to speak at the Clemson Greek IV. Greek IV is a ministry of InterVarsity that cares for Fraternity and Sorority students on campuses. It was great to be there with Dusty (the Greek IV staff) and see how the Lord is loving on the Greek students and how He is growing the ministry there.
I was asked to speak on the topic of Being Transformed, and directed to the passage in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 where Paul calls the Corinthians (and us) NEW CREATIONS. As I was pondering this topic I could not stop thinking about Josh's love for the Lions.
Joshua has been a Lion's fan since he was young. And he is alone in that love. We don't know any other fans, and the team has never been inspiring enough to convert people's hearts. Every draft Josh eagerly anticipates who will get drafted. When free agency rolls around he checks Lion news every morning. And every year, every pre-season, every opening weekend Joshua's heart swells with hope. Hope that this will be the year things will turn around. Hope that this will be the year they might squeek into the playoffs. Hope burns in Josh's heart during the summer and through September. He pulls out the HUGE Lion's flag, and puts on his Lion's jersey.
I get the same way when I read scripture or hear sermons about transformation. I get a vision, I sense the fresh air of a transformed life. All the junky parts of myself seem to lose their appeal, their hold, and I hope. I hope that I can be the person that scripture tells me to be. I hope that I too can be like Paul and Peter--giving over my whole life for Christ and the Kingdom. The topic of a transformed life is like my pre-season with the Lions. Full of Hope and excited possibility.
BUT THEN...
every opening weekend, every single one, the Lions fail Josh. A key player gets injured, the defense isn't as tight as it should be, a coaching strategy falls short. They lead through the first part of the game only to give up a touchdown in the last minutes. This past weekend, that happened. In the course of the game the Lions lost their quarterback to a shoulder injury, and then allowed the Bears to score in the last part of the game. To add insult to deep injury, they were able to rally in the last drive down the field and in the final seconds Calvin Johnson catches a TD pass, only to have it taken back by a review of the play. Josh is crushed. This failure leads to next week's and the next and by mid-season Josh has lost all hopes and packs away the Lion's jersey for another year.
Back to me: The day after I hear that inspiring talk about being a transformed person I screw up. I screw up big, I screw up little. I live out the worst part of myself. Selfish and disrespectful with Josh, annoyed and impatient with the kids, I run toward gossiping about a sweet friend or an enemy (gossip about an enemy is just as gross), I give in to lazy thoughts, lazy habits, lazy life. And the hope I had turns into shame, despair and self-hatred. I begin to see the call to be transformed from a cynical, self-protective suit of armor, hating myself for being weak, and ignoring a nagging frustration that God doesn't seem to show up for me like he does for my friends. And I pack away my hope, my excitement over being the person that the Bible calls me to be, that God has freed me to be.
But as I was in this 2 Corinthians passage God challenged me, corrected me, and gave me hope anew that I can be (and actually already am) a fully alive, deeply compelling, transformed person. So over the next week or so I am going to commit to blog every to every other day to talk about what I learned in 2 Corinthians 5. I hope you'll join the conversation.
Here is that glorious catch that was called back!
I was asked to speak on the topic of Being Transformed, and directed to the passage in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 where Paul calls the Corinthians (and us) NEW CREATIONS. As I was pondering this topic I could not stop thinking about Josh's love for the Lions.
Joshua has been a Lion's fan since he was young. And he is alone in that love. We don't know any other fans, and the team has never been inspiring enough to convert people's hearts. Every draft Josh eagerly anticipates who will get drafted. When free agency rolls around he checks Lion news every morning. And every year, every pre-season, every opening weekend Joshua's heart swells with hope. Hope that this will be the year things will turn around. Hope that this will be the year they might squeek into the playoffs. Hope burns in Josh's heart during the summer and through September. He pulls out the HUGE Lion's flag, and puts on his Lion's jersey.
I get the same way when I read scripture or hear sermons about transformation. I get a vision, I sense the fresh air of a transformed life. All the junky parts of myself seem to lose their appeal, their hold, and I hope. I hope that I can be the person that scripture tells me to be. I hope that I too can be like Paul and Peter--giving over my whole life for Christ and the Kingdom. The topic of a transformed life is like my pre-season with the Lions. Full of Hope and excited possibility.
BUT THEN...
every opening weekend, every single one, the Lions fail Josh. A key player gets injured, the defense isn't as tight as it should be, a coaching strategy falls short. They lead through the first part of the game only to give up a touchdown in the last minutes. This past weekend, that happened. In the course of the game the Lions lost their quarterback to a shoulder injury, and then allowed the Bears to score in the last part of the game. To add insult to deep injury, they were able to rally in the last drive down the field and in the final seconds Calvin Johnson catches a TD pass, only to have it taken back by a review of the play. Josh is crushed. This failure leads to next week's and the next and by mid-season Josh has lost all hopes and packs away the Lion's jersey for another year.
Back to me: The day after I hear that inspiring talk about being a transformed person I screw up. I screw up big, I screw up little. I live out the worst part of myself. Selfish and disrespectful with Josh, annoyed and impatient with the kids, I run toward gossiping about a sweet friend or an enemy (gossip about an enemy is just as gross), I give in to lazy thoughts, lazy habits, lazy life. And the hope I had turns into shame, despair and self-hatred. I begin to see the call to be transformed from a cynical, self-protective suit of armor, hating myself for being weak, and ignoring a nagging frustration that God doesn't seem to show up for me like he does for my friends. And I pack away my hope, my excitement over being the person that the Bible calls me to be, that God has freed me to be.
But as I was in this 2 Corinthians passage God challenged me, corrected me, and gave me hope anew that I can be (and actually already am) a fully alive, deeply compelling, transformed person. So over the next week or so I am going to commit to blog every to every other day to talk about what I learned in 2 Corinthians 5. I hope you'll join the conversation.
Here is that glorious catch that was called back!
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