Partners

"...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  (Philippians 2:12-13)

"...for in Him we live and move and exist..."  (Acts 17:28)

"...Christ in you, the hope of glory."  (Colossians 1:27)

This morning Galatians 2:20 floated wonderfully into my thoughts:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I started repeating it over and over, as I attempted to "work out" of myself so many of the world's stresses and flesh desires that I seem to be allowing to brutally direct my life these days.  (But of course, as the scripture from Philippians above emphasizes, it is God who is at work in me Who helps me to recognize the need to "work out" these things - Psalm 23:2).  And as the words flowed through me and started bringing peace and Real Life back into my being, an interesting "interpretation" of the verse started to formulate:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live...This COULD be (and hopefully hasn't been) interpreted as the Apostle Paul (who, inspired by God, penned this verse and many others) stating that once we receive Jesus into our very spirit (Galatians 4:6), WE - our very God-given personality (Psalm 139:13-16) - disappears..."dies" so to speak...so that we are just walking around like Jesus-speaking robots.  But that's NOT what happens...

but Christ lives in me...This in and of itself, BY itself, is a PHENOMENAL, BEYOND COMPREHENSIBLE, yet supreme Reality that, despite the actual truth of it (it is not a metaphor for anything!), probably does not get the attention that something of this extraordinary nature would normally receive.  The Spirit of God, through His Son, is sent to LIVE IN (John 14:16-20, 25-26; John 16:5-13; Galatians 4:6) those who realize their need for a cleansing of the old sinful nature (with which we are all born, and which is in opposition to God - Psalm 51, esp. verse 5; Ephesians 2:1-5) and the necessity of receiving the new heart and new spirit which the Holy Spirit comes into a person to form (Ezekiel 36:26-27).   Oh my gosh.  In fact, this entry of God's Spirit into a person's being is what Jesus refers to as being "born again" (this event too has become too-often minimized, marginalized, and/or misunderstood...and even within the church itself!!!), and it is actually this SUPERNATURAL REALITY that acts as the key to entering God's Kingdom when Jesus returns (John 3:1-3).  Those who hold the Spirit in their hearts ("the key") will have access; those who do not, will not.  It is in fact:  Christ IN you, the HOPE OF GLORY...  

(And even as I write this, I am praying that no one reads these as just words in a devotional; but as the foundational, central Truth of God's desire for us to be reconciled to Him now and to be enabled to be with Him in eternity.  I am also hoping that you read the scripture verses, which are God's heart-cry for us to understand this Reality). 

and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me...I sort of got off track there(!) due to wanting to highlight the utmost significance of Jesus coming to abide in us.  But what I believe the Holy Spirit shared with me by dividing this scripture from Galatians into the way that I have here actually illustrates the amazing association we have with Him (the Holy Spirit) once He comes to dwell in us.  "I" no longer just lives whatever "I" wants to do (sometimes "I" still tries!!!); because once Jesus (by the Holy Spirit) comes to live within, it does become a "partnership" of sorts in which "I" (ideally) is in constant conversation with the Holy Spirit, who does "guide into all truth" (which includes how to walk in the way that makes God glad- John 16:13; Ephesians 5:8-10).  It's a partnership (Galatians 5:16-17, 25); it's a "student-teacher"-ship (1 John 2:25-27); but ultimately, it's a reconciled relationship (2 Corinthians 5:18-20): a relationship with the Living God in which one is actually MORE alive than ever before (John 10:10).  And it's an ETERNAL life (John 17:3; 1 John 2:25) that will be able to dwell securely and serenely forever with God: in His Amazing, Beautiful, Wonderful, and Peaceful (that last descriptor means a lot to me right now and I'm sure many others who may be experiencing a lot of stress in their lives!) Presence (Revelation 21:1-7, 22:1-5).

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).  (Galatians 5:16)

THIS is the Way to Eternal Life and True Peace...

What a partner!

Thank you Holy Spirit!

Thank you Jesus!

Thank you God!

In His Love,  
Terri

Happy Passover

When you come to the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep this service.

 

When your children shall say to you, What do you mean by this service?

 

You shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He slew the Egyptians but spared our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

 

The Israelites went and, as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

 

At midnight the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.    

 

(Exodus 12:25-29)

 

This was the last plague inflicted by God on the Egyptians which He used to convince Pharaoh to let His people, the Israelites, go free -- to be able to experience their relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their God...our God --- and to do so without the yoke of slavery chained around their necks and emblazoned on their backs.  Yes, essentially God killed the firstborn of every Egyptian household in order to communicate to them that He was serious about His people no longer being held hostage.  

 

Some might call this cruel.

 

However, flash forward.  There was another first (and only) born whom God allowed to be crucified so that another group of people could be liberated, released from being held hostage, set free.  This time, that One (and only) was His Son (John 3:16).   Sacrificed for us.  So that WE could (and can) also have the opportunity to experience a renewed relationship with God without the yoke of slavery chained around our necks and emblazoned on our backs. 

 

Maybe it's not cruel...

 

...Maybe it's the ultimate act of Love.

 

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.   (Romans 6:22-23)

 

Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed.  (1 Corinthians 5:7)

 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

 

But it didn't end there.  It was that Same Love that was so powerful that it raised Jesus from the tomb to live again (Luke 24:1-7; 1 Corinthians 6:14; Ephesians 1:19-21); brought Him up to be reunited with His Father (John 20:17; Ephesians 4:7-10); and then offered Him again, this time as that "gift of God" which IS eternal life - the Holy Spirit, Who was sent to live in (John 14:12-18, 25-28), regenerate, and renew (Romans 5:10, 6:4; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 4:16) anyone who would receive Him (John 1:12-13). 

 

That IS the ultimate act of Love.

 

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life.   (Romans 5:10)

 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

 

Happy Passover...

 

Blessed Resurrection Day...

 

Terri 

 

 

Fast from Complaining!

Devotional from March 7, 2007

Complaining

This will be interesting: writing a devotional about complaining without it being one that complains about complaining!  Actually, the Lord revealed some powerful things to me about complaining about two weeks ago that I really want to share.

“Do all things without complaining or disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…”  (Philippians 2:14-15)

I have realized recently that not a whole lot snuffs out lightness and beauty quicker than complaining (I know; I am a big complainer!).  Examples of complaining begin early on in Scripture; one of the chief cases being that of the Israelites soon after being rescued by God (through Moses) from their enslavement in Egypt:

“Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  And the children of Israel said to them, ‘Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt (oh dear, this sounds scarily similar to things I have said, just leave out ‘in the land of Egypt’!), when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full.  For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’”  (Exodus 16:2-3)

Other examples follow, including one in which the Israelites’ complaining about how Moses wasn’t coming down the mountain of God fast enough led to the construction of a golden calf to assumedly replace God (who also was taking too long I suppose – Exodus 32:1). 

 And even when God listened to and tried to palliate their complaints by providing them with meat and bread (Exodus 16:11-15), the children of Israel continued to mistrust God by not following his commands regarding how they were to receive his provisions (verses 20, 27-29)…

…and herein lies the chief point: complaining (about whatever) uncovers a mistrust of God: of what He has created, of His works, of what He has provided, and of His good and perfect will.  Moses makes this clear when he tells the Israelites that ultimately their complaints are not against he and Aaron, but against God Himself (verse 8); and God Himself does not always respond to these grumblings against Him as favorably as He did in the beginning with His children (Numbers 11:1, 19-20).    

But this is not specifically what the Lord revealed to me about complaining.  Apart from the fact that over the years I have noticed an increased amount of complaining coming out of my own heart; in really listening, I have noticed that more and more these days complaining about this or that has become an almost  automatic and “typical” mode of expression in both monologue and dialogue.  But it wasn’t until several weeks ago that a connection was made in my mind; that this complaining has become increasingly (how can I put this) a deep, disturbing “existence” or phenomenon emanating from the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12) – with peoples’ hearts and mouths just being the conduits through which these complaints come pouring forth. 

I know this sounds a wee bit dramatic (!) – but just take some time to listen: to yourself, to others, to what is expressed in the media and see how much of what you hear is some type of murmur against something – no matter how small it might seem.  Also, be aware of how you feel when you are speaking with someone and they begin to complain against someone or something (especially if that complaining persists for longer than 30 seconds or so): do you feel light-hearted and glad?  Or do you begin to feel somewhat burdened, or even begin to “catch the bug” of the complaining and find yourself slipping into the same complaining mode?  And please note, by “complaining” I mean pointing out the flaws in something, usually because it annoys or inconveniences the one complaining, and typically not offering any positive solution.  Oh, and pay attention to how your heart and mind feel when you complain.

Add to the negative internal and external atmosphere that is created when we complain the fact that complaining is mistrust in God’s ability to take care of things (having to voice our own aggravation against His creation, His creatures, or, even Him!) and what better formula could you think of for Satan to subtly, yet pervasively, engender an atmosphere in which peoples’ hearts are getting harder and in which God is either implicitly or explicitly put on trial for things not being good enough (often according to our expectations)?  So the warning is that, more generally, complaining has become a major tool in this world of the dark powers that reside here, who are somehow succeeding in getting us to focus more and more on what is wrong, or essentially on what we “don’t have” (they began this strategy a looooong time ago – Genesis 3:1-6) and, ecstatically for them, seeing it take up a bigger place in our hearts and in our speaking.  More specifically, God struck deep (thank you, Lord) to cause me to realize that my own heart was becoming dangerously more encrusted by complaints (and voicing them instead of resisting by His grace) – to the point in which I was quite horrifyingly seeing that almost all I could do was find things about which to complain (John 8:34; Romans 6:16), instead of being able to see anything good.

Now I’m not saying that we are not responsible for our own utterances; but what I am saying is that complaints and complaining seem to have a power over our hearts, minds, and mouths that does not seem entirely natural.  But don’t listen to me…just listen.

*********************

“Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by God’?  Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired and weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  (Isaiah 40:27-31)

“Finally…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”  (Philippians4:8)

Father, please forgive our complaints, which ultimately reach your ears and are an expression of the still-existing crustiness of our hearts and mistrust in you.  Remove our hearts of stone and give us new hearts (Ezekiel 36:26-27); give us your Spirit that alone can substantially and consistently enable us to think on the good things, which glorify you.  And please continue revealing to me and to others how complaining has become an increasingly strategic weapon in Satan’s battle plan, so that, also by the Love, Wisdom, and Strength poured out by your Spirit, we can resist our natural as well as increasingly supernaturally-imposed tendency to complain and focus on the Good and Right, which is manifested in You.   

Thank you. 
Love, Terri

 

 

The Danger of Discontent

Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.  The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.   (Numbers 11:7-8)

When I read this, particularly the last line about the taste of the manna (funny, how this devotional fell right on the heels of the last one about the blessing of flavorless food!), I was struck by how yummy it actually sounded: the taste of pastry prepared with oil.  There is no doubt I am a donut/pastry/any-type-of-bread-and-I'll-eat-it type of woman, but I don't think that was the core of why this morsel sounded so delectable...or should I say...heavenly.  I think the answer is found in another scripture from God's Living Word:

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.  I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.   (Psalm 84:10)

But before explaining the connection between these two scriptures (and maybe some of you can see it already), let's take a look at the reaction of the Israelites to having to consume this food sent to them directly from God:

Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?    We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”  (Numbers 11:4-6)

Wow.  God Himself was giving them this manna (John 6:30-32), yet His people protested.  In fact, not only did they complain, but they also essentially compared the care of God to the treatment they had received from their slave drivers in Egypt...with God being found deficient...defective...the One who didn't know what He was doing!  Ouch. 

 

But God ALWAYS knows EXACTLY what He is doing...and although it may hurt sometimes....He ALWAYS wants to use it for our good.  If we can remain in a place of contentment (Philippians 4:11-12), and continue to trust Him, somehow the blessings will flow.  BUT if we yield to our own cravings...and trust their reality more than God...this will almost always lead to discontent... 

 

Which brings us to two critical, life-giving (or taking, as the case may be) principles: 

1.  If we can be lured, whether by the world (television ads, movies, songs...), our flesh's cravings (like those of the Israelites above, 1 John 2:15-17), or satan himself (he enticed the first humans to question God's Plan) into being DISCONTENT in our circumstances, we can then be pulled onto a path that can potentially (most likely) lead to mistrusting God.  Now there is a discontent that God can actually use to encourage or prod a person to make a change, but that transformation is always so that the person will become aligned with or remain in His Will...come closer in relationship with Him.  The discontent about which I am speaking is that itchy, gnawing, uncomfortable, at times overwhelming sense that life just isn't right (according to our perception or how we think it should be)...that there is "something (or someone) better" for us out there...and that we have to find "it"...we must find it...or we can't possibly be at peace...can't rest.  And what usually follows?  Well, in order to relieve ourselves from that "discomfort of discontent," we will almost inevitably attempt to come up with a "more perfect" (more perfect?) plan than what God is providing at the time.  It may work for a while...but if we're blessed...it won't work, or at least not for very long:   

 

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside...anything from God to us, including what might seem like a plain piece of bread, will always supremely surpass anything that we may perceive to look, sound, smell, taste, or feel better to our senses, our thoughts, or our emotions.  Discontent will try to convince us otherwise, which will only lead to further discontent.  And the second point:

2.  Like the last devotional about lack of taste related, If we place pleasing our senses (and add to that the often misplaced cravings of our hearts: Jeremiah 17:9) above seeking after and following God, then here too we will most likely end up in that rotten state of discontent.  Why?  Because sensual indulgence and self-gratification were never, ever, EVER meant to satisfy us more than or replace the filling up that comes from knowing and being united with God-through-His-Son-Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:18).   Never.  But when we fall or are dragged into the belief that the former can satisfy us more completely than the latter; once again, discontent will inevitably result quite simply because nothing or no one can delight us more than God Himself! 

 

So what were a few of the results for the Israelites when they tried to create a "more perfect" plan than God's?  See for yourself:

 

(So you want meat...?  Numbers 11:16-20):  "...But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.  So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves of Craving), because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving."  (Numbers 11:33-34)

 

(God's manna plan - communicated through Moses - versus man's manna plan):  "And Moses said, 'Let no one leave any of it (the manna) until morning.'  Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses.  But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank..."   (Exodus 16:19-20; parentheses mine)

 

Worms...stench...plague...death...Adam and Eve were at perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) in the Garden of Eden...until satan lured Eve into fixing her gaze on the ONE THING that God would not allow them to have (and this for their own good: Genesis 3:1-6) = discontent.  The Israelites were absolutely thrilled with and in awe of God as He broke them free from bondage (Exodus 14:29-15:13)...until their stomachs got the best of them (Exodus 16:2-3; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Philippians 3:18-19) and they started focusing on them more than on Him = discontent.  We are dragged every day by our flesh's cravings, the world's messages, and satan's deceptions (2 Corinthians 11:14) into thinking that everyone but God knows best, and so constantly end up in that terrible state = discontent.   Which almost always leads us into even greater upheaval when we try to find that contentment in any person, place, or thing other than an ever-intensifying relationship with the One, True God...

 

Therefore say to the children of Israel: "I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians (I will bring you out from your burden of trying to find contentment and peace), I will rescue you from their (that) bondage, and I will redeem you (I will bring you back to Me, Who will fill you to the full) with an outstretched arm and with great judgments."  (Exodus 6:6; parentheses mine)

 

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  (John 17:3)

 

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.  I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.   (Psalm 84:10)

This is eternal - and completely fulfilling - life... 

 

In His Love,  

Terri   

 

* This idea of discontent was inspired by a study from "Today in the Word" (September 2014), a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

** PLEASE read the scriptures included in the text.  It will be so much more gratifying(!), and will reveal that much more the Truth of God and His Word.

*** For those of you who are really hardy (or who have some time later to do this), I have attached a devotional from way back in 2009 I was inspired to write that addresses and supports this same topic.  I pray you will take a read.   God bless you!

 

*******************************************************************************

From  7/19/09

 

 "They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert...

...And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul."  (Psalm 106:13-15)

Wow.  This verse from the Psalms I believe alludes to when the Israelites had been set free from their bondage in Egypt (often paralleled with our bondage to Sin.  Numbers 11:16-20, 31-34; Romans 6:5-7), but commenced to complaining about their conditions in the wilderness.  "Where's the meat?!" (and leeks and onions), they demanded of Moses (and God): "We want meat!  And by the way, why did you free us, anyway?!  Stuff was much better back in Egypt....!"  Their bodies had been freed, but their hearts were still craving what their flesh desired: meat; the "old wine" (Luke 5:39); "Egypt," where (didn't they remember?!) they had been slaves....and badly mistreated ones at that. 

But guess what?  God gave them their desires, even though what He had to offer them was so, so, so much better.  BUT...being the gracious and wonderful God that He is, along with satisfying the desires of their flesh, He also gave them leanness of soul...made sure that even though the quail (meat) was so profuse, and certainly filled their bellies (even said it would overflow out of their nostrils! - Numbers 11:20), that it would not satisfy the emptiness that resided in their hearts and souls.

So why in the world is that gracious?  Because God, I AM, our Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God and Lion of Judah was and is the only One Who is supposed to bring to us the fulfillment that now we consistently seek from other things; and even though those things may seem to bring temporary gratification, when all is said and done (when the lights go out at night, as they say - or something like that), they do not, and were never meant to, truly FILL us with Life:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men..."  (John 1:1-4)

Only the Living Word, Jesus Himself, now risen to bring that Life, can fill us like we are meant to be.  Even when our flesh craves the things of this world (the list is exhaustive: recognition, approval from men, wealth, sexual immorality, revenge, misplaced sympathy, material items, relationships, etc., etc., etc.), if we lust after and pursue those things, then God will be gracious if He sends with it a leanness of soul.  Because then maybe, we'll recognize and feel the pain of that emptiness, continue searching, and end up in the arms (or BACK in the arms) of our First Love and filler of our souls and spirits.

"...Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity..." (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

"...I have come that they may have life (Zoe), and that they may have it more abundantly."  (John 10:10)

*"Zoe" and the two other types of "life" mentioned in the New Testament ("psuche" and "bios"/"biotikos") are very different from one another.  In sum, "psuche" is the life consistently mentioned that we should lay down (as Yeshua did) (e.g., Mark 8:35; Matthew 20:28); "bios" (or "biotikos") was that "life" that involves just our daily affairs, and which actually causes worries and is burdensome (e.g., Luke 8:14, 21:34).  Yeshua obviously did not come to give us abundance in those.  He even said about the "bios" (life):

"Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does life consist of his possessions."  (Luke 12:15)

The "life" of which Jesus came to give us abundantly was essentially His Life.  Here is how it is described in one resource:
 

1. of the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature.
2. life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.  (www.studylight.org; Interlinear Bible section)

 

THIS is that Life which satisfies completely (even to overflowing! - John 7:38).  And thank God He will allow leanness of soul...an emptiness...when we pursue anything else to attempt to have take the place that only He was meant to fill.

"In Your Presence is FULNESS of joy..."  (Psalm 16:11)

Praise His Wonderful and Glorious Name.

In HIS Love, 
Terri

Don't Taste...and See - January 25, 2015

"Oh, TASTE and see that the Lord is good..."  (Psalm 34:8)

There are actually several devotionals-worth of writing in this verse.  One is that the more we truly feed on (John 6:53-57) and taste God and His Reality, the more we are able to (spiritually) see Him...literally experience His Amazing Presence.  But that devotional is for another time perhaps.

The one that I want to share with you now actually came through the experience of losing the ability to taste - food that is - and the incredible lesson this temporary deprivation provided about the critical nature of serving God alone.  So in a way, the scripture verse on which this writing is based could actually be...

 

Don't taste...and see that the Lord is good!

Who wants to not be able to enjoy the flavor of food (and drink)?  Certainly not me!  And probably, I would assume, not many of you.  And guess what?  God must not have wanted us to go tasteless or flavorless either: He did give us taste buds, right?  And I like to think that when God created the Garden of Eden, and placed fruits and vegetables in it for man to eat (Genesis 1:11-12, 29), that these were more succulent and mouth-watering than any morsels we could ever imagine now. 

But like so many other things, food and drink (and their tastiness, and for what we use them) often become more important than God, making them a rival to God...making them A god... and this was never meant to be (1 Corinthians 10:31).  There are so many competing forces that distract us from truly seeking God (Jeremiah 29:13).  One of these is that due to the sin nature, we have become enslaved (Romans 6) to self-gratification (1 John 2:15-17), which so often involves the need...the craving...that one or more of our five senses be indulged.  It no longer is a treat to see a beautiful sunrise; we have to surround ourselves with eye-pleasing items that must be periodically replaced because they lose their optical "flavor."  We complain if what we hear does not make us feel good in one way or another.  And I know in my own life (especially when I am under stress and wanting something...anything to take away the edge...), if something I am eating (or drinking) does not taste just so, I am beyond disappointed.  Let's face it, whether the flavor of something satisfies our senses (or not) can in fact all-too-often-and-quickly become a god; a god, however, that serves us.  If we are sensually pleased, we keep and praise it; if not, we throw it out.  We quickly move from appreciation to whether or not we are being gratified. 

So here is where the lesson of the "flavorless food" comes in.  Last night I had to eat.  My body was telling me I needed nutrition.  I was feeling a little shaky.  But I couldn't TASTE anything!  I didn't want to eat if my taste buds couldn't be satisfied!  I ate anyway.  And I actually found myself thanking God for tasteless food.  Why?  Not only because I realized that He was helping sustain my physical body by providing the meal; but more so because I found that He was using the lack of flavor in the food to cause me to focus more on HIM...on His "flavor"...on His Presence.  As I chewed the tasteless food and thanked Him for the nutrition it was providing, I actually found myself appreciating the food more because I wasn't so focused on how much the flavor was pleasing me or not, but more on that He was the Provider of it.  This whole experience also helped me to understand more deeply the concept of fasting: although I may not have been depriving myself of food, I was being "treated" to a "flavor fast," which caused me to be less focused on whether I was being sensually pleased and therefore more free to be focused on, filled, and gratified by God.  Through the lack of the flavor of the food (and having to surrender my "need" to have my taste buds satisfied), He revealed the supremacy of the savor of Himself:

TASTE and see that THE LORD is good...

 

Interestingly, the loss of taste lasted only until the next day: long enough for me to have this experience...and to be able to share it with you.  May the lesson linger, though, that "tasting" God is so much more important and satisfying than whether the eyes, ears, nose, taste buds, or sensory nerves are being gratified.  He does want them to be pleased; but always so that through the pleasure we receive, we can taste and see...Him. 

 

In His Love,

Terri

 

SUFFERING

"...that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

"When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him... "  (Luke 24:30-31)

 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me..." (Psalm 23:4)

"And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."   (Luke 22:44)  

"...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings..."   (Philippians 3:10)

It seems from the above scriptures, there is something very significant about suffering.  

Of course in this world...and often even in the church...suffering is avoided, downplayed, and even used - what a travesty - as evidence that one does not have enough faith.

That is not what is being told us in these scriptures. 

As the two Emmaus travelers were leaving Jerusalem, where Jesus had just been severely mocked, beaten, and then brutally crucified on the cross for OUR Sin...so that WE could have a relationship with God again (Romans 5:10)...they talked (Luke 24:13-34).  They talked and walked.  And as they walked toward Emmaus, the risen Jesus joined them.  But they did not recognize Him.  They could not see that it was Him. 

They did not see Him in the walking and talking.  (verses 13-16)

They did not see Him in the instruction Jesus spoke to them.  (verses 25-27)

They did not recognize Him through the informal invitation to their home.  (verses 28-29)

It wasn't until he broke the bread...symbolic of the agony He went through on the cross...a representation of unimaginable suffering...that they saw Him...that they recognized Him...that they knew Him. 

There's something about suffering that can bring us into a deeper fellowship with Jesus. 

Granted we can certainly see Him "on the mountaintops"...during the free flowing times.  Several of the disciples sure did - in ALL His glory - when they followed him up a literal mountain:

 

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here...'"  (Matthew 17:1-4)

Unfortunately, the radiance reflected from Jesus experienced while being with him during the good times - those that are less challenging and more defined by light-heartedness and laughter - can suddenly become a potent, all-consuming light that blinds us into thinking that it is the person or the experience which is bringing us the fulfillment (2 Corinthians 11:14)...that is casting the glow of glory...thus pulling us ever-so-subtly from the true Source, Jesus, to focus on the "good times," which were never meant to be that which completely satisfies (Hebrews 12:2).  To be enjoyed by us, yes.  To be thankful for, definitely.  To fulfill us absolutely?  Positively and absolutely: no (Deuteronomy 5:6-8). 

In the harder times - those situations that rip at our minds (hmmm, sounds like what happened to Jesus's flesh when he was being flogged with spiked whips), tear at our hearts, and/or cause us to feel like we are dying (hmmm, like on a cross...?) - it is much more difficult to be deceived into praising and "worshiping" the external circumstances.  Oh, we can be tricked into thinking other wrong things, such as that we are being unjustly punished or that God has abandoned us, but very rarely will someone look to his or her suffering and say, "YOU are what I worship, YOU are what completes me, YOU are my god...".  Instead, other options arise.  For those who have not yet known Jesus (and still for many of us who do: I'm speaking for myself!), there is avoidance of the suffering, downplaying it, escaping from it (goodness knows there are many ways to do that these days), cursing it, complaining about it (BINGO for me!)...and the list goes on.  But for the two men on the road to Emmaus, and for countless Christians today, theirs is a glorious alternative:

In the midst of their suffering (or for the two on the road, through a symbol of suffering), they recognize Jesus...they truly "know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings...".  And if it means anything to any lover-of-words and their original meanings (StudyLight.org): the original word (transliterated) for "recognize" ("epiginosko": Luke 24:31) and "know" ("ginosko": Philippians 3:10) both contain or are comprised of the Greek word "ginosko," which means to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly, and is even referred to as the Jewish idiom for intercourse between a man and a woman: something that was meant to be an amazing supernatural union between a husband and wife, and which is also a representation-of-love between Jesus the Messiah and His Bride, the Human Church (Ephesians 5:25-32).   How far we have fallen...

 

Those men on the road to Emmaus were not given the opportunity to recognize Jesus...to have their eyes opened to Who He Was (and still Is) until He broke the bread...which is what He did prior to His crucifixion... which was a symbol of His own suffering. 

 

Jesus can be known more deeply and intimately in our own suffering...if we let Him open our eyes to Him in it. 

 

One more thing: how wonderful that even before considering above the relationship between husband and wife...Christ and His Bride... an amazing example of a real follower of Jesus, someone who had come to recognize (epiginosko) and truly know (ginosko) Jesus, and her response to impending, intense suffering came to mind.  Please indulge yourselves (and me) by reading this one last thing:      

"One of our workers in the Underground Church was a young girl.  The Communist police discovered that she secretly spread Gospels and taught children about Christ.  They decided to arrest her.  But to make the arrest as agonizing and painful as they could, they decided to delay her arrest a few weeks, until the day she was to be married.  On her wedding day, the girl was dressed as a bride - the most wonderful, joyous day in a girl's life!  Suddenly, the door burst open and the secret police rushed in.

When the bride saw the secret police, she held out her arms toward them to be handcuffed.  They roughly put the manacles on her wrists.  She looked toward her beloved, then kissed the chains and said, 'I thank my heavenly Bridegroom for this jewel He has presented to me on my marriage day.  I thank Him that I am worthy to suffer for Him.'  She was dragged off, with weeping Christians and a weeping bridegroom left behind.  They knew what happens to young Christian girls in the hands of Communist guards..." (Tortured for Christ, pp. 40-41). 

...yet she knew that her suffering for Truth was because Truth Himself (John 14:6) suffered at the hands of those who did not yet recognize Him as God in the flesh (John 1:14), come down to restore the broken relationship with Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)...and she knew, because of that restoration, the One Who would be with her - intimately -  in the midst of the torture...

...she KNEW...

Jesus can certainly be seen, by those who have been given eyes to see (and ears to hear: Isaiah 29:18-19; Matthew 15:31; Mark 4:8-10) in the glad and happy times.  But in the midst of pain and suffering, if we surrender our natural desire to avoid...downplay... escape...curse...and complain about it to Him, He can use it as an opportunity for fellowship, and a way to share in a deeper understanding of that through which He walked on behalf of the Father...for our sakes.  ...who for the joy set before Him endured the cross... (Hebrews 12:2).  Yes, we can see His glow in the good times; but both naturally and supernaturally, light shines even brighter in the darkness. 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light...  (Ephesians 5:8)

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison... (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

(And for a multitude of examples of those in "real time" who knew Jesus clearly in their suffering, please, please bless yourselves with a free copy of Reverend Richard Wurmbrand's Tortured for Christ on this link - middle of the page).

May I now be empowered to live what I write...and may you who claim to know Jesus be enabled to do the same in the midst of your own suffering.  God bless you.

In His Love,  
Terri