Letter

Amica-

Have you ever held a fresh mint leaf? It's green (obvi) and fuzzy in a slightly prickly way. The funny thing about it is that it really doesn't smell like anything by itself. If you rub it, the friction releases some of its fragrance. But you really have to bruise it and crush it to release its essential oils and the full mintiness of its fragrance. (Sometime go to a Mexican restaurant and watch the way they make a mojito - the way they crush the mint and lime together.)

Isaiah 53 says of Jesus that the "LORD was pleased to crush him." God wanted to release the full essence of Christ to the world. He was made complete in this suffering (Heb 2:10) - meaning the diffusion of his true person and purpose could only be drawn out by being beaten, bruised, pierced and crushed.

Jesus wants to diffuse his aroma and essence through you - and I know you want that too. In your fatigue and brokenness; in your striving to love; in your inadequacies and failures; in the whirlwind around you and all the areas that seem to be crumbling around you - I see a God who is pleased to crush you so that the essence of Jesus will pour out. It hurts, but submit to the tribulations you face because you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ - which means that you will share in his glory (Rom 8:16-17)!! It doesn't feel like it, but the old nature is passing away and Christ is being formed in you. He is pleased to call you sister and to console you in your trial as one who went before you (Heb 2, 1 Cor 1:5).

I don't want to be melodramatic or preachy, but I think these are things you should hear. Your grace and mercy are more evident than you know, and Jesus is doing great, great things in you - as he makes you an "aroma of life leading to life." ......"And who is sufficient for such things?" (2 Cor 2:16).

God's peace & my love,
Jerry

Counter-intuitive

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight."

There's a huge difference between the way we think the world works and the way God says it works. Because of this, trusting Jesus is usually counter-intuitive. Here are a few examples:

If you are struggling financially - give sacrificially.
If time is tight - observe the Sabbath.
If you want to be great - serve everyone.
If you want to be exalted - humble yourself.
If you want your heart to be filled - empty it.
If you want to be fed spiritually - go hungry.
If you want to be fulfilled in life - lose your life.
Robbed - give more.
Pray for your enemies.
Bless those who curse you.
Help those who can't give back.
Love the unlovable.
Forgive.
If you want to understand the mysteries of the God of the universe - adopt the mind of a child.

Throughout all of Scripture, God calls his servants to the most counter-intuitive acts of trust in Him. The ones who obey the most ridiculous commands are the ones we admire most. The call always comes with a promise. The call in Proverbs does too: "He will make your paths straight." Not only will he place us on a narrow road - he will carve it out in front of us. He will clear thorns, fell trees, chisel through mountains as we put one foot in front of the other - despite how loudly our hearts cry that it's the wrong way, no matter how backwards people tell us we are.

Faith my window, Hope my light, Love yours

You live in a room that has no lights, but one small window. That window has shutters on it that have never been opened. Darkness is all you've ever known. Muffled voices make you believe that there's something outside.

This belief that there is an outside is the beginning of faith. You work up the courage to walk to the window - you're starting to think that the voices aren't in your imagination, but they are real. You begin to think that there is an alternate reality to the one you've known and you begin to call out to the voices to see if they respond. They do. You pause at the window before tearing away the shutters. What if there is no outside? But there must be. These voices are louder and clearer and they tell you to look for yourself.

But if you open that window and there is an alternate reality, what if it's a darker reality, scarier than the one you know? You tell the voices what it's been like in your room and ask if it's any better outside - and all of them assure you that it is joyous and bright, that there is a sun, foliage, animals, so much life to see. You've never heard these words and can't imagine what they might mean, but the sound of these voices makes them sound so good you want to believe. You pull up the window, break open the shutters -- wow.Wow.

Faith is the belief that a reality exists other than the one we can see or experience with our senses or reason alone. Hope tells us that the alternate reality is ultimately good. Both propel us to action. But greater than these is a love that humbly and joyously remains a voice of that alternate reality amid doubt and despair.

None of these can occur or grow without God's word. It is the main voice that causes us to believe in an alternate reality, it is the word that teaches us that God and his world are good, it's his word that reminds us to build each other up, to love our brother despite his hypocrisy or faithlessness, and to give hope to those trapped in darkness. "You were once darkness, but now you are children of light. Walk as children of light."

Righteousness equals Freedom

Consider this: righteousness equals freedom; freedom is the lack of a need to justify.


"Against such things there is no law" (Gal 5:23b).


If we are walking in righteousness, we have the complete freedom to do whatever we want. Freedom of action, freedom of thought and freedom of will. Not only that, but if we are walking in righteousness, we don't have to explain our actions to anyone, ie, justify ourselves.


Of course the question is whether we walk in righteousness, right? What if we turn the equation around. Think about justification. We can justify our own actions according to law: "It's illegal to steal; I paid for it; I'm eating it; leave me alone." Or we can be justified by someone else meeting the law: "It's illegal to steal; I stole it; my mom went back and paid for it; I'm eating it; leave me alone." In both scenarios the law is met and the act of eating is justified. To be justified is to be declared righteous. And freedom of action follows.


So we're supposed to act like someone who has already been justified and accept the freedom of action offered by that declaration. Problem: do we maintain this justification and freedom by beginning to obey the law for ourselves? Is there an operation outside of the law that allows us to be positionally justified and practically free...righteous? This operation would have to at once fulfill and destroy the need for the law. It would have to be supernatural.


"If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Gal 5:18).


The Holy Spirit is the operation, the agent in our lives that allows the position of our justification to meet the practical working out of our righteousness. Even though we continue to sin, we are no longer guilty because we no longer answer to the law. We can begin to love Christ, not out of guilt, but because "Christ's love compels us" 2 Cor 5:14. We can move and act in freedom as the Spirit gains control over our lives: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" 2 Cor 3:17.


Can you imagine God ever asking us, Why are you so sacrificially looking out for someone else? Or, Why is your trust in my providence so deep that you have joy and peace? Why is your own sense of contentment and well-being so strong that it becomes patience and gentleness when you interact with other people? We don't have to justify these things. Others will ask. We still don't justify - we say: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law....I am crucified with Christ; it is no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me."


(P.S> This touches on a lot of other topics. Maybe I should write about free will versus free agency sometime. Sorry if this post has been way abstract.)

No Nets

I'm definitely not the definition of finesse. Could you imagine me on a tight rope? If I were told that I had to perform the high wire act, I'd make sure there were layers of nets, an ambulance and paramedics. I'd climb to the platform then stretch out on the rope with my whole body, close my eyes and pull myself with my sweaty hands inch by inch to the other side. I'm not so afraid of heights; I'm just afraid of falling. I don't think I'd get much applause.


What if some of the variables changed? What if the tight rope were only a few inches from the ground. Or what if I could be absolutely certain that no matter what I did, there was no way I could fall? I might test it out, experiment a little more, get creative. I might take the nets away, start raising the rope, stretch it across the city, swing on it, do handstands and somersaults. I'd get crazy. I'd tell you to come on and get crazy too - make a pyramid while juggling torches and balancing on tea cups. We'd wow everyone.


I'm convinced that if we really understood the grace of God, we would stop concentrating so hard on every single sweaty step we take and start living in free, crazy abandon! We'd screw up big time; we'd rejoice big; we'd bring such big glory to God!


We know God is watching; we know the eyes of the world are on us. But we get dainty and careful - in our fear we make ourselves nervous and everyone else too. God doesn't get nervous. He's not afraid of what we might say or do. He's not afraid that we might fall or doubt. I can imagine if he didn't 'know our frame, that we are dust,' watching us would get boring and more than a little tedious. Every time we lift our foot to take another step we hesitate, look around, look at him, bite our nails, then shuffle on hoping it's okay, hoping we haven't fallen or done something wrong. What about that abundant life thing?


These are just a few verses that come to mind. Twist them together to make a tight rope from which you cannot fall. "For while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly." My power or his? "For it is God who works in you both to desire and to do his good pleasure." My work or his? "If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there your hand will lead me and your right hand will lay hold of me." My faithfulness or his? "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." Without fault AND with great joy!! Amen!! 


I don't want to imply that we shouldn't take time to examine ourselves - but if we spend all our time examining ourselves, we're not BEING ourselves!! Take the nets away; know the promises of God; trust them; be yourself; get crazy.