- Dec 22, 2023
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Something I pray we who believe come to embrace in rising each morning striving to die to self, and becoming an empty vessel for another day...
To realize that considering others as more important than ourselves, as Jesus did, is not achieved through regularly telling ourselves we are inferior. That self-abasement is not achieving Christ's humility. And that becoming nothing, as He made Himself, does not mean losing our identity.
I know I'm not fully able to overcome these lifelong tendencies, how about you?
But I think I can see two challenges we can choose to accept that will bring us closer to His goal for us.
One, is to adapt this attitude of the Apostle Paul:
1 Corinthians 4:3 NIV
"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself."
As little children in Christ, yet fallible, we have this tendency to being lured into our own little makeshift thrones and passing judgement upon ourselves. Part of the problem with that is that our judgement is clouded by what we think others think about us.
Congratulations, no matter how successful our walk, we are still allowing ourselves to being suckers to the devil's schemes.
Let's be wise like Paul, and remain bowed before God's throne and allow Him to convict us to FREE us, and alternately allow Him and Him alone to reinforce our identities in Him.
This makes us impervious to our own scorn and the scorn of others.
Walking in true confidence of who we really are.
Two, let's listen carefully to how our Lord does it.
For us...
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
"Trying to be like Jesus" means nothing less than allowing Him to live through us and for us. The true gentle and humble heart is achieved ONLY by remaining yoked to Him.
Consider how Jesus reveals this spiritual reality by using one of His favorite tools, a human metaphor to help us visualize and retain what He wants us to successfully embrace for the remainder of our walk.
The farmer buys himself a new ox, wild and untamed. What does he do to train it? Yokes it together with a more experienced and mature ox. While the mature ox plods forward steady and calm, the wild ox kicks and strains and does all it can to stray off of the straight and narrow furrow ahead.
Over time, the younger becomes more and more like the elder and eventually becomes capable of plodding on its own.
Here is, however, where the oxen's reality differs from our own - our desire to eventually do it alone must never be allowed!
We must remain yoked to Jesus for the remainder of our days. Why?
Consider Who we are yoked to. Perfect, sinless, Holy, righteous, indwelt by only one Holy Spirit, with Whom He is One with, along with the Father.
And us? Righteous and Holy and Perfect because of Who we are yoked to - yet unlike Him, we ourselves are still co-habited by the old sinful nature. Though becoming more and more sanctified and therefore being conformed to His image, we are still occasionally tempted to succumb to the influence of the devil at our shoulder - to either condemn ourselves because of our pride (as if we ourselves can recover "our" righteousness after sinning), or going full-tilt in the other direction by considering our achievements in growing in wisdom and fruitfulness as having their source in ourselves - that damnable pride again.
And above all, I recognize if I were ever to be unyoked again, I would return to my old sins like a dog returning to its vomit. Been there/done that. Having returned from the far country once, I resolve to never go back there again!
So back to the challenge of the yoke. I look again to Paul to deal with the temptations in opposing directions...
1) Rejoicing in my weaknesses to obtain His strength - thus defeating the tendency towards self-condemnation.
And
2) Rejoicing in the thorn(s) in the flesh to protect me from exalting myself - to the point of thanking Him every day I endure them.
In the realm of spiritual warfare, from the devil's point of view, he is playing a game - and we're it.
Praise God, from His point of view, He is deadly serious - and has sealed and indwelt us with His superior Holy Spirit - guaranteeing daily victory when we walk in said Spirit.
God has the last Word, and against the impostor and his minions, He will also have the last laugh - eternally.
Considering all this, this is just one aspect we are free to embrace of the hope that we fix our eyes upon in the future - a reality we will surely all experience - it is His guarantee as Author and Finisher of our faith:
Jude 24-25 NIV
"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling 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."
Amen.
Not so coincidently the last Word in His written Word - and the very identity of Jesus Himself - the Amen!
To realize that considering others as more important than ourselves, as Jesus did, is not achieved through regularly telling ourselves we are inferior. That self-abasement is not achieving Christ's humility. And that becoming nothing, as He made Himself, does not mean losing our identity.
I know I'm not fully able to overcome these lifelong tendencies, how about you?
But I think I can see two challenges we can choose to accept that will bring us closer to His goal for us.
One, is to adapt this attitude of the Apostle Paul:
1 Corinthians 4:3 NIV
"I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself."
As little children in Christ, yet fallible, we have this tendency to being lured into our own little makeshift thrones and passing judgement upon ourselves. Part of the problem with that is that our judgement is clouded by what we think others think about us.
Congratulations, no matter how successful our walk, we are still allowing ourselves to being suckers to the devil's schemes.
Let's be wise like Paul, and remain bowed before God's throne and allow Him to convict us to FREE us, and alternately allow Him and Him alone to reinforce our identities in Him.
This makes us impervious to our own scorn and the scorn of others.
Walking in true confidence of who we really are.
Two, let's listen carefully to how our Lord does it.
For us...
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
"Trying to be like Jesus" means nothing less than allowing Him to live through us and for us. The true gentle and humble heart is achieved ONLY by remaining yoked to Him.
Consider how Jesus reveals this spiritual reality by using one of His favorite tools, a human metaphor to help us visualize and retain what He wants us to successfully embrace for the remainder of our walk.
The farmer buys himself a new ox, wild and untamed. What does he do to train it? Yokes it together with a more experienced and mature ox. While the mature ox plods forward steady and calm, the wild ox kicks and strains and does all it can to stray off of the straight and narrow furrow ahead.
Over time, the younger becomes more and more like the elder and eventually becomes capable of plodding on its own.
Here is, however, where the oxen's reality differs from our own - our desire to eventually do it alone must never be allowed!
We must remain yoked to Jesus for the remainder of our days. Why?
Consider Who we are yoked to. Perfect, sinless, Holy, righteous, indwelt by only one Holy Spirit, with Whom He is One with, along with the Father.
And us? Righteous and Holy and Perfect because of Who we are yoked to - yet unlike Him, we ourselves are still co-habited by the old sinful nature. Though becoming more and more sanctified and therefore being conformed to His image, we are still occasionally tempted to succumb to the influence of the devil at our shoulder - to either condemn ourselves because of our pride (as if we ourselves can recover "our" righteousness after sinning), or going full-tilt in the other direction by considering our achievements in growing in wisdom and fruitfulness as having their source in ourselves - that damnable pride again.
And above all, I recognize if I were ever to be unyoked again, I would return to my old sins like a dog returning to its vomit. Been there/done that. Having returned from the far country once, I resolve to never go back there again!
So back to the challenge of the yoke. I look again to Paul to deal with the temptations in opposing directions...
1) Rejoicing in my weaknesses to obtain His strength - thus defeating the tendency towards self-condemnation.
And
2) Rejoicing in the thorn(s) in the flesh to protect me from exalting myself - to the point of thanking Him every day I endure them.
In the realm of spiritual warfare, from the devil's point of view, he is playing a game - and we're it.
Praise God, from His point of view, He is deadly serious - and has sealed and indwelt us with His superior Holy Spirit - guaranteeing daily victory when we walk in said Spirit.
God has the last Word, and against the impostor and his minions, He will also have the last laugh - eternally.
Considering all this, this is just one aspect we are free to embrace of the hope that we fix our eyes upon in the future - a reality we will surely all experience - it is His guarantee as Author and Finisher of our faith:
Jude 24-25 NIV
"To him who is able to keep you from stumbling 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."
Amen.
Not so coincidently the last Word in His written Word - and the very identity of Jesus Himself - the Amen!
