I have this glass lamp that I keep avoiding. One day, while dusting, I knocked it against the bed stand and the bottom half shattered just enough to make it unstable. The lamp is very much still usable just an annoyance for anytime that I need light.
I'm an avoider. I've noticed this about myself and my own brokenness. There are indeed so many broken things about me. I, often, shove them to the side in an attempt to continue on with life. I see the broken glass, tell myself I should do something about that..someday..and move on to the next thing on my to-do list. Thing is, at any time that glass lamp could shatter and leave me with a lot of cuts and pieces to pick up. You know, even if I tried to glue the lamp together myself, there's a good chance it wouldn't fit quite like it did. I was thinking about this today. (Dusting again...O' how I dislike dusting.) A verse came to mind...
"...But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
When Paul speaks of the "jars of clay" he refers to the baked clay pots of his day. They were "cheap, breakable and replaceable. Sometimes they were used as a vault to store valuables, such as money, jewelry, or important documents. But they were most often used for holding garbage and human waste. The great power of God overcomes and transcends the clay pot. The messenger's weakness is not fatal to what he does; it is essential." (MacArthur Bible Commentary)
Our weaknesses are not only useable, they are essential. God's power shines more brilliantly because of our frailties. He reaches into the ugliest parts of our broken lives and chooses to shine through the common.
We are afflicted, perplexed, and struck down but, Praise Jesus, we are not crushed, forsaken or destroyed. This is our hope! Because of Christ's love and sacrifice we are not left to be replaceable or broken...because of his wholeness, we are made whole.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Nothing to Add
I so often fail to remember the simplicity of the gospel.
I read this yesterday...
"Because it is finished, there is nothing that any of us can contribute to Jesus' work on the cross to bring us any closer to salvation." -She Reads Truth
When we believe and rest upon Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection, it changes the way we function. It's hard for me to admit that I am helpless. It is something we are taught from a young age to avoid. It is something everything inside of us fights. "I'm able; I can do this." I have repeated those words to myself in various situations...until a situation arises and I realize "I am not able. I don't have this." The truth is, even having the ability to pretend we depend on ourselves is a gift from God. I don't live like that most of the time.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time, God died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
This Easter I am so thankful that in all of my struggling to "be good" the work has already been done. We can rest on Christ's perfection. We can rest on the finished work of Christ. I pray that we hold this truth close. That instead of tuning out the signifigance or storing it in the back for a truly difficult time, we live each day like this is true. There is nothing we can add to our salvation, nothing to earn. It Is Finished.
I read this yesterday...
"Because it is finished, there is nothing that any of us can contribute to Jesus' work on the cross to bring us any closer to salvation." -She Reads Truth
When we believe and rest upon Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection, it changes the way we function. It's hard for me to admit that I am helpless. It is something we are taught from a young age to avoid. It is something everything inside of us fights. "I'm able; I can do this." I have repeated those words to myself in various situations...until a situation arises and I realize "I am not able. I don't have this." The truth is, even having the ability to pretend we depend on ourselves is a gift from God. I don't live like that most of the time.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time, God died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare to die-but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8
This Easter I am so thankful that in all of my struggling to "be good" the work has already been done. We can rest on Christ's perfection. We can rest on the finished work of Christ. I pray that we hold this truth close. That instead of tuning out the signifigance or storing it in the back for a truly difficult time, we live each day like this is true. There is nothing we can add to our salvation, nothing to earn. It Is Finished.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)