I have found truly joyous Christians only in the
Bible, in the Underground Churches, and in prison...
(p. 102, Tortured for Christ, Richard Wurmbrand)
I had an experience today in which I approached a woman and handed her a tract
I happened to have in my purse. She gladly accepted it, stating that
she too was a Christian. However, following immediately on the heels of
her proclamation, this same woman point-blank asked me if I was a Jehovah's
Witness! I reassured her that I wasn't, but shared with her how her
automatic assumption (that I might be a Jehovah's Witness) certainly
seemed to indirectly reveal how "unusual" it was for a follower
of Jesus (at least here in the U.S.) to be handing someone a tract about the
Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) as compared to
another religion. How indescribably sad. If I may be so bold
to applaud the Jehovah's Witnesses right now, if only for their dedication to
sharing their firmly-held beliefs.
So what about us?
I'm positive Reverend Wurmbrand's statement above is not all-inclusive. I
even thought of a few of you who might end up reading this, and the joy which
you so often exude due to your relationship with Jesus your Risen
Messiah. Of course the Reverend's observation does not include you
(unless you are in the Bible, in the Underground Church, or in prison right
now!). But for the rest of us (and I do say "us" -- including
me big time!), I hope this truly penetrates our soul and spirit; even
dividing them from each other (Hebrews 4:12), especially when
the soulish parts of us become a severe blockade to the functioning of the Holy
Spirit within (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
Seriously, as I write this, I am realizing that there is really not much more
that needs to be said about Reverend Wurmbrand's explosive declaration
above. It acts as a mirror for me, and maybe for some of you, in which to
gaze and inquire why, when I happen NOT to be in the Bible (well, God DID knit
"me" together in my mother's womb [Psalm 139:13]!), in the Underground
Church, or in prison, is my joy in the Lord...my love and dedication to
Him...so wavering...so circumstances and emotion-based...so "up and
down" (James 1:2-8)...and frighteningly
yes, so lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-16)?
Man, I can open the fridge and see that there is no more milk for
my coffee, or have a planned-out day suddenly "infiltrated"
by changes and all of a sudden my faith (would it then actually BE faith?)
seems to get wobbly beneath my feet. If that is the case, I
guess the question then that should follow is on what, or whom, am I
really standing...am I truly believing...if even a modicum of joy tends to rely
on milk or a sturdy and successful agenda?
“But everyone who hears these
sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand: and
the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:26-27)
Jesus tells us that unless He is the foundation from which
anything and everything arises (1 Corinthians 3:10-11), our life
will overall be one big precarious house, whose uprightness relies pretty much
solely on "good weather." Hard rains, floods, heavy
winds...and good-bye "safe and sound" home. It is the same with
having joy. True joy can only come when Jesus is He Who supports us
(even carries us at times); and we can not only recognize that,
but LIVE in the awareness of HIM within and around us: rejoicing in and
doing battle with Him in both easier and
harder times, and refusing to give satan that foothold (which can come in a
variety of ways: through circumstances, emotions, feelings to name a few) that
will almost inevitably begin to drain us of joy (Ephesians 4:26-27; John 10:10)...
...Thus the reason why those in the Bible, the Underground
Church, and in prison (for Jesus' sake) were and are able to experience
and retain true joy: they KNEW/KNOW "face to
face" and heart-to-heart (Psalm 27:4) He of Whom Moses in the
law, and also the prophets, wrote (John 1:45)! Jesus of
Nazareth...the son of Joseph...the Son of God (Luke 1:30-35)...the Suffering
Servant (Isaiah 53)...the Crucified One (for
us - Galatians 3:13)...the RISEN and
LIVING Savior of the world (Mark 16:1-7)...He Who comes to give
us ETERNAL Life (John 10:10) (who in fact
IS eternal life made manifest - John 17:1-3)...and Who promises that
if we believe that (John 6:28-29) and hold on to
the hem of HIS garment (Matthew 9:19-22; Mark 6:56), we can have an
inexplicable yet everlasting joy...
...come rain or come shine...
(When) Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of
whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph," Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" (And) Philip (offered) to him, "Come
and see." (John 1:45-46)...
...Jesus said to his disciples before He went away:
"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you
again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will
take from you..." (John 16:22)
Come and see...I will see you again...THAT is why
those in the Bible, in the Underground Church, and in prison (and many of you)
can say the following (or similar):
"In our darkest hours of torture (or emotional
upheaval, or physical pain, or spiritual attacks, or...), the Son of Man came
to us, making the prison walls shine like diamonds and filling the cells with
light. Somewhere, far away, were the torturers below us in the sphere of
the body. But the spirit rejoiced in the Lord..." (p. 81, Tortured)
They can see Him...He wants us all to see Him:
Come rain or come shine...
In His Precious Love,
Terri
Friday, November 29, 2013
Walking Through the Acorns - November 23
Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to
be saved?”
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to..." (Luke 13:23-24)
This is a hard saying (John 6:53-61) and can actually likewise (like the verse referenced here from the book of John) be very offensive. What does it mean that "many...will try to enter and will not be able to"? Is this fair?!
It keeps coming back to mind the example of a worksheet we sent home with a group of fourth graders the other day. They actually had a hard time comprehending how to do it; and thankfully, I was given some insight on how to make it clearer to them. And as I adapted this homework paper for their understanding, a spiritual reality came alive in this cute little math maze assignment.
A squirrel had to find his way through a bunch of acorns that were lined up in rows across the entire page. HOWEVER, the path the critter followed had to go in between ONLY the acorns that displayed a multiplication problem that resulted in a multiple of three. I have to admit, at first it did seem a little overwhelming (seeing a whole page splattered with acorns with numbers on them); but as I looked at it, I saw that if the students first circled the appropriate acorns and then drew a line in between the marked nuts, the task was made a little easier. O.k., but here is what leapt off the page spiritually and continued to do so until this very moment...
That path the squirrel had to follow was SO specifically-defined and SO narrow: he (or she) could go in between ONLY certain acorns, and the space in between the correct ones was SO tight that barely even a pencil-drawn line could fit through them. This is the narrow door (or gate, or road...Matthew 7:13-14) through which one must enter and on which one must walk in order to be on the CORRECT path with God. And what are the requirements for staying on that path...? In this case, each "acorn" would have written on it one of the many love-filled commandments given to us by God in His Word; here are just a few:
- Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another... (Romans 14:13)
- Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice... (Ephesians 4:31)
- But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts... (Romans 13:14)
- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength... (Deut. 6:5)
- And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself."... (Mark 12:28-31)
As long as our journey follows the line drawn between these Living Words from God, we know we are in the right place; but if one of our acorns does not have a multiple of three on it...that is, if It goes against anything that is given to us by God's Holy Word, we are going in the wrong direction and need to get back on course as quickly as possible...and Who helps us with that...?
Jesus offers, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me..." (John 14:6)
No one can (nor even desires to) stay on that right path with God unless he or she has had a personal encounter with Jesus and observes the beauty of walking the way He did (and does) in utmost righteousness (read almost any part of Psalm 119). And even with a yearning to do so, no one can remain on that narrow road "in between the acorns" very long unless he or she is empowered by the Holy Spirit of Messiah to do so (Romans 7:18-25, esp. v. 25):
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thank you, Father, for giving us Jesus - who IS the Way to walking between those acorns!
In His Love,
Terri
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to..." (Luke 13:23-24)
This is a hard saying (John 6:53-61) and can actually likewise (like the verse referenced here from the book of John) be very offensive. What does it mean that "many...will try to enter and will not be able to"? Is this fair?!
It keeps coming back to mind the example of a worksheet we sent home with a group of fourth graders the other day. They actually had a hard time comprehending how to do it; and thankfully, I was given some insight on how to make it clearer to them. And as I adapted this homework paper for their understanding, a spiritual reality came alive in this cute little math maze assignment.
A squirrel had to find his way through a bunch of acorns that were lined up in rows across the entire page. HOWEVER, the path the critter followed had to go in between ONLY the acorns that displayed a multiplication problem that resulted in a multiple of three. I have to admit, at first it did seem a little overwhelming (seeing a whole page splattered with acorns with numbers on them); but as I looked at it, I saw that if the students first circled the appropriate acorns and then drew a line in between the marked nuts, the task was made a little easier. O.k., but here is what leapt off the page spiritually and continued to do so until this very moment...
That path the squirrel had to follow was SO specifically-defined and SO narrow: he (or she) could go in between ONLY certain acorns, and the space in between the correct ones was SO tight that barely even a pencil-drawn line could fit through them. This is the narrow door (or gate, or road...Matthew 7:13-14) through which one must enter and on which one must walk in order to be on the CORRECT path with God. And what are the requirements for staying on that path...? In this case, each "acorn" would have written on it one of the many love-filled commandments given to us by God in His Word; here are just a few:
- Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another... (Romans 14:13)
- Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice... (Ephesians 4:31)
- But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts... (Romans 13:14)
- You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength... (Deut. 6:5)
- And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself."... (Mark 12:28-31)
As long as our journey follows the line drawn between these Living Words from God, we know we are in the right place; but if one of our acorns does not have a multiple of three on it...that is, if It goes against anything that is given to us by God's Holy Word, we are going in the wrong direction and need to get back on course as quickly as possible...and Who helps us with that...?
Jesus offers, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me..." (John 14:6)
No one can (nor even desires to) stay on that right path with God unless he or she has had a personal encounter with Jesus and observes the beauty of walking the way He did (and does) in utmost righteousness (read almost any part of Psalm 119). And even with a yearning to do so, no one can remain on that narrow road "in between the acorns" very long unless he or she is empowered by the Holy Spirit of Messiah to do so (Romans 7:18-25, esp. v. 25):
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Thank you, Father, for giving us Jesus - who IS the Way to walking between those acorns!
In His Love,
Terri
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