Thy Will Be Done Page 57

Recently, in deep reflection I searched my mind seeking an understanding regarding a couple of thoughts related to Jesus’ death.  I realized that many of us don’t have to face a death-sentence from our own government; however, some of us do have to face down other issues that threaten our own lives or others around us.   I’ve walked through the valley of the shadow of death as I witnessed folks around me lose family members.  I’ve mourned with several close family friends who lost a child.  Personally, I’ve lost my grandparents, my mother-in-law, several very special aunts and uncles, my sweet cousin and even my precious nephew.

Christianity philosophically opens the door and ushers in a sharp perspective, or poignant, line-of-thought regarding life after death.  Christ flat-out said that he was sent to earth by his Father- who is God himself!  That is flabbergasting.  If you’ve ever pondered why he would say such things have you considered that, perhaps, it’s true!!!  AND, if it is true…. What does life-after-this-life look like?  Where is it that God resides?  Certainly the answers to these two questions are otherworldly.

We do know that death takes us off this planet!  With modern medicine and the Internet we’ve been given a glimpse of the “other side” through the testimony of many people who have experienced death and returned to tell their tale.  What I’d like to share with you is the personal revelation and actual example Jesus set when facing his inevitable death.  If you are unfamiliar with what scripture says regarding how the man, Jesus, faced his upcoming crucifixion here are some details:

Scripture says he sweated blood.  Through medical research we now know that this ailment, known as Hematohidrosis, is brought about by extreme physical or emotional stress.  Luke, a physician stated “and being in anguish he (Jesus) prayed more earnestly and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)

Scripture tells us that Jesus was fully God and fully man. (John 17: 1-5) This man knew that he was about to be tried and crucified.  The man, Jesus, at the exact time that his anxiety was causing him to sweat blood, prayed and sought godly council and actually asked that this cup (or situation) be removed from him:

“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me;
yet not my will, but yours be done.”

Luke 22: 41-42

The point that I am getting to is the human example Jesus set for all us as he faced down his looming death.  He had extreme anxiety, like we all do when facing life-threatening dilemmas…. but he prayed, as we all should, when in great need.  Then, humbly, he accepted the situation in front of him in the form of a confessed surrender “yet not my will, but yours be done”. 

Now, we’re on to something!  The Bible is full of stories of people who rose above their plight to inspire us with their examples.  Now, let’s add Christ’s name to that list for another reason than the obvious- for he truly gave us an example of how to face down the fear of death.  With such a huge obstacle in front of us the answer seems too tentative really, but Jesus simply and powerfully used PRAYER and SURRENDER!  Yes, he prayed with great urgency and earnestly wanted to “pray away” the issues in front of him.  So high was his human stress-levels that he sweated blood.  He knew the excruciating death that awaited him; but the answer to his prayer was no! 

Many of us receive that same answer and we’re at a loss!  When this happens our spiritual strength is strained, our emotional life is drained and our literal heart feels the intense pain.  The point of this writing is that our example is Christ.  With death approaching he surrendered himself to the will of God. With no other options, he prayed.  Under great duress and with earnestness, he prayed.  With no other recourse he prayed and stayed the course.   He walked from the Garden of Gethsemane through the Valley of the Shadow of death to Golgotha where he was crucified. (see John 19:16-18).  Certainly, like all of us, he didn’t want to but he knew he had to.  He didn’t feel the courage but its absence didn’t change his path; he was forced to walk there anyway. Christians are called to be “Christ-like” and our death is no different.  We can pray that death doesn’t take us but we must eventually face it.  Compassionately, I say-there is no changing it! Like Jesus, may our final prayer be “Thy will be done”.

RvH

Song Recommendation:

Thy Will

By:  Hillary Scott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAmh3yvmzXs

 Song Recommendation:

Trust in You

By:  Lauren Daigle

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_aVFVveJNs&list=PLWvahZRxLnLMSWeULnub0CCeQzvxGM8hB 

Scripture says: 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it weren’t so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

John 14: 1-4

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered:

“I am the way, and the truth and the life.
 No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14: 5-6

An Intriguing Opportunity Page 56

 Jesus was sentenced to death.  We all know that death is the end-goal of corporal punishment.  Jesus’ death sentence was excruciating and final.  He was tortured and pronounced dead!  Executed!  Don’t take my word for it or even the Holy Bible’s; history books say it happened!  Here is my point in the form of a question:  Why is it that death is such a large part of Jesus’ story?  The answer lies within the unexplainable! Scripture and historical writers tell us that Jesus came back to life three days after his death and appeared to many people.   This story put the leaders and military men involved with the responsibility and details of this important execution into a frenzy- as they tried to sort out and contain the situation.  People are still in a frenzy about Jesus’ life and death, even today! 

All these years later we clearly see that this unbelievable story in history did several things:  it fulfilled ancient Jewish prophesy, it opened up the revelation that death is not final, and it pointed the way to something other-worldly-a power that can conquer death-and asked the world to believe in the unexplainable.  As a side-note, I always enjoy tying our universe and scripture together because to believe in the unfathomable planets, stars and galaxies out beyond our vision and our skies provides a great opening or floodgate really, that begs for a belief in an all-powerful creator-or in the least- in an indescribable creation.  Interestingly, one of Jesus’ teachings was this:  “Blessed are those who believe in what they can’t see.” If you believe in our universe and all the planets you’ve studied as a child- then you, indeed, believe in things you cannot see- so the ability to believe in the intangible is something you ARE capable of doing and there is validity in doing so.  Now, the question in regards to life after death is the next step!

Why did the story of Jesus death include an unbelievable account of him coming back to life again? And, why was it pivotal that Jesus over-throw death?   I think we all get so hung up on a human coming back to life that we forget we have a destiny with death (though hopefully of natural causes not an execution).  Once we decide to look at our death sentence and compare it with Jesus’ - we actually may find “some correlation and some hope” and THAT is exactly the purpose of ancient writings that predicted Jesus’ life and the very reason he came to earth to begin with; to give humanity HOPE.

Jesus said:
“Fear not, for I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

The world he is referencing is full of decay.  Life is birthed, immediately begins to age and sooner or later death comes when this unpreventable and decisive decay has completed it’s job.  We all have a destiny with death; that one great appointment that we simply can’t elude.  With that truth standing ever-present it seems like a divine plan to have a belief system that gives us a way to outwit death. What an intriguing line of thought and hypothesis of hope - but even beyond that-what an amazing validation of scripture, being that all of this was written about in ancient texts that have with-stood the test of time and intense scrutiny. 

It excites me that there is a belief system that gives us a way to over-come death. Jesus was the human example that it can be done.   Here is a crucial question:  Do you see the gift in that? This ONE hope allows us to open ourselves up to the possibility of “something beyond this life”.  It gives us the opportunity to seek the truth of what could be.  Jesus’ birth, life, teachings and death sets itself up to provide quite a few pieces of information that fits perfectly in to the puzzle-of-life that the Holy Bible references and that is unfinished for each of us-till death takes us off the earthly plane and into the unknown.   What then???

Jesus taught us that there is an eternal plan for each of us and he flat-out said that his teachings were and are the gateway to God.  If we take other puzzle pieces, such as the indisputable Intelligent Design of our universe and piece that together with divine writings that states in Genesis that "God created the heavens and the earth" and that also prophesied that there would be a savior that would conquer death….we have ourselves an intriguing opportunity to ponder the fate of humanity…but more importantly, the fate of our own personal life and inevitable death! 

Bear with me as I write out an amazing summary from Jesus' very own words about his purpose on earth detailed in John 12: 44-50

"When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.  When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.  As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.  For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.  I know that his command leads to eternal life.  So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." 

May you find the feasible faith to believe it or, perhaps, enough need in your life to ponder it! God, himself, will give you the hope to perceive it!  I will pray that you receive it, in Jesus name!

Amen and Amen.

Jesus taught this:

*“I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

Jesus’ statements and His follow-up question:

“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”
John 11: 25-26

Scripture says:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
 Jeremiah 29:13

“Godliness with contentment is great gain;
for we brought nothing into this world
 and we can take nothing out.”
 1^st Timothy 6: 6-7

Song Recommendation:

Worth

By:  Anthony Brown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX59fjowutw

In Grace I Stand! Page 55

Birth. Celebration. Achievement. Health.

Renewal. Revival.  Transformation. Reconciliation.

In the fullness of life and during the catalyst of change-I stand in Grace!

Abundance. Blessings. Contentment. Success. 

Loss. Heartbreak.  Sorrow. Destruction.

In my good fortunes and in my defeat- I stand in Grace. 

Encouragement. Kindness. Understanding. Love.   

Anger. Fear. Bad choices.  Failure.

In the reverence of compassion and in the agony of distress-I stand in Grace!

Uncertainty.  Turmoil.  Embarrassment.  Shame.

Confidence.  Boldness.  Strength.  Respect.

In the silence of awkwardness and in the intensity of aptitude - I stand in Grace.

Mercy.  Forgiveness.  Peace.  Pure joy.

Pain. Bitterness. Grief.  Despair.

As the recipient of all good and in with the deception of lost hope-I stand in Grace!

Human.  Mortal.  Weak.  Selfish. 

Bewildered.  Betrayed.  Doomed.  Dying. 

In the calamity of my humanity and at the end of all things-
I stand in THE GRACE of God! 

Grace is a gift beyond measure because it is undeserved.  Grace is incomparable to anything else and is kindness in its purest form!  In this tumultuous world we live in is the kindness of grace all that important?  For Christians, grace is a subtle precursor to our salvation and perhaps something we need to look into a bit more!

 Christians and non-Christians alike know that this earthly life is cursed and death is the price to leave this doomed land. This stunning truth puts a spotlight on a philosophical scripture that states the blaringly obvious:

  "... for we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it”.  

1 Timothy 6:7  

Nothing in this world is gain; however, our belief system about what happens to our life after death changes things.  This is where grace comes into play.  Age-old manuscripts point the way to an ancient God who professes to be our creator and, by grace alone, our savior.  With scripture as a reference we discover that grace is the gateway to Christianity’s entire spiritual belief system! It also says that there is nothing that we can do to deserve grace-it is given freely to the underserving.  In the Book of Ephesians there is a passage of scripture that talks about the grace of God that saves us from death.  With death as our catalyst let’s peer into ancient scripture that explains our plight so that we can acknowledge why our need to be “saved” is relevant:

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world
 and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,
 the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
 
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings
 of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. 
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 
But because of his great love for us,
God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ
 even when we were dead in transgressions—
it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2: 1-5

In the following two verses we find the explanation of grace and kindness…and the point that I am trying to make: 

“And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us
 in Christ Jesus. “
Ephesians 2: 6-7

The phrase “incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us” is the essence of this writing. It reminds us that God’s grace is expressed or given to us through an abundance of kindness.  Isn’t it interesting that human nature can so easily express itself, abundantly, using the complete opposite attributes of kindness.  (Think anger, jealousy, impatience, envy, or simple selfishness.)  Kindness, indeed, has a nemesis.

Does the Christian belief system and what happens to us after death come down to an underserved abundance of kindness and grace-which is actually a free gift from God that includes eternal salvation?

Evidently so! 

 “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith—
and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2: 8-9


____________________________________________________________

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. 
 For we brought nothing into the world, 
and we can take nothing out of it."
1 Timothy 6:6-7

Song Recommendation:

In Christ Alone
By:   Brian Littrell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKMABkIv45Y

Victory in Surrender! Page 54

Surrender is not for losers!  It is one of the bravest things many of us have ever done.  To surrender can be defined as the “laying down of arms”.  When we remove the win-or-lose aspect of surrendering we find a great spiritual truth-one that will change the scope and direction of our lives as we live and breathe on earth!  Though it is an act of “giving up” it has the capacity to save us as well as mature us- in our hearts, minds and souls. 

Here is the spiritual truth I’m speaking about:

There is victory in surrender!

In the culture that we live in, most of us have a huge blind spot in seeing that there is victory in any sort of surrender!   What I am talking about is spiritual in nature-so we must move away from the physical act and into the spiritual realm to understand the spiritual mechanism of which I’m referencing.  Lets start with this thought: When we spiritually surrender our  goals and desires and open our minds to God's ultimate plan for our lives- we will find ourselves on an incredible road to victory!!  You see, our hopes for the future are limited by our human capacity but God's plans are not bound by earthly barriers for he is capable of moving beyond the limits of this world and can literally move heaven and earth to guide and provide for us.  We just overlook this monumental truth at times. 

 In our cruel world, where mercy is not always available, many of us do not comprehend this path to victory because we don’t see godly surrender as useful or practical! Spiritual surrender does not come naturally to us.  Perhaps, we simply can’t grasp this spiritual concept because our worldly minds are distracted and we’re “up in arms”; dressed for battle, with our eyes and ears shielded and our adrenaline pumping-as we strive to achieve our personal goals-thinking that Success and its minion, Money, will fix our problems, usher in contentment and make us happy! Many of us are on this path because our eyes are fixed on earthly success and our hearts have forgotten to pump for godly pursuits. 

The World’s salesmen have sold us on the mantra of Success and we’ve suited up to take what we “deserve.  Success has been packaged to look a certain way and nothing else will do.  Deep in our hearts we believe success to be the ultimate goal of our lives and some of us, with no real substance to this sustain this deception, think we’ve earned it.  The World taunts us into believing that a certain level of success defines us and with the flashing lights of Hollywood and the echoes of roaring crowds chanting the beautiful song of success in our culture, on our TV, in our books and magazines –soon, our hearts are enchanted and we now know exactly what we want! Mesmerized and empowered with this overt AND sometimes subliminal call-to-arms we chase every dream and fight every battle to succeed and in the meantime we’ve left behind what is important and neglected the Call of Truth.  

What is the Call to Truth?  God wants our hearts and minds fully committed to him!   Contrary to this godly call our worldly goals do not like this too much! With the Genesis of Man the godly Tree of Life stood as pure encouragement asking humanity to maintain self-control-but original man failed-to the demise of all.  Because of that, this thesis has been playing out from day one! Humanity has historically been drawn into this dilemma-we could rightly call a world war- and the taunts of worldly success have paved an enticing, well-lit road where many a battle has been won- or lost.  This global battle takes place on every level: personal and professional as well as economically, spiritually and politically. 

The world pulls us to this systematic grind and we battle it out everyday:  in our business environment, in our personal lives, in our financial house, in our house of residence-that sacred place where our family dwells and we call home!  With modern culture as it is- Self –Interest has been promoted above anything godly and Self seeks to win no matter the cost!  Survival seems to dictate this consuming call-to-arms and our natural call to selfishness sees this as worthy.  With our minds controlled by our consuming desires and our foolish hearts caught up in the daily battle to win-neither failure nor surrender is an option.

 In the personal battle of Pursuit of Success our brilliant minds are planning ahead and our physical arms are busy clinking blades with our daily enemies; our obstacles!  To our left and right are strewn the evidences of some of our “wins”; our trophies, medals, certificates, and paychecks.  Of course some of our losses and strewn about as well; physical wounds from real battles, broken bank accounts, broken marital agreements, broken homes and hearts- to name a few.

We would never willingly to lay down our personal orders (our ambitions) or drop all our earthly goals (our personal desires and plans) even though they overshadow God’s plans for our lives and even though they overload us with concerns, dilemmas, obstacles, problems, stress, fear, unhappiness and pain!  Graciously, yes graciously, when we are forced to do so-as most of us understand the act of “surrender” – we think defeat has just knocked us down, devastated our lives and demanded that we relinquish our plans for the future!

Now, I welcome you to the Freedom and Victory of Spiritual Surrender!!! Here is how it plays out: 

Many of us have been down-for-the-count; at our wit’s end and metaphorically standing in front a fortified brick wall-with no other recourse but to yield.   When we come to this point we are truly at the end of ourselves…and our personal plans!  Any motivating thoughts escape us! Our inquiring minds are stumped, our breath is held and our world has gone quiet!  Perhaps our money is gone, our plans are now obsolete, our goals completely irrelevant, our future is uncertain and we are as well.  Our way seems lost; we’re standing there alone, our physical body is limp and our Sword of Success is lying in the dirt in front of us.  We fall to our knees out of pure exhaustion and only one word comes to mind!!! I dare say at this moment, most of us, even those who are not particularly religious, have cried out “God!!!” With this, we have just been ushered into a place of spiritual surrender. 

Unfortunately, circumstance will at times bring us to this place.  This surrender, of sorts, may happen in the private recesses of our hearts and minds but it may also happen in the court of opinion or law.  Many times this happens as our friends and family stand looking on, bewildered.  No matter when-no matter where, we are now front-and-center of an obstacle that will not be moved except for the power of something beyond our human mind and might.  Surrender has come with force and our heart of stone, that we thought was honorable and worthy, can now begin to beat again because we have been rescued from the battle and the revival of reality has set in!  We can now flesh out truth from fiction and find where we went wrong! 

Let’s admit this:  “When we’re at our wit’s-end it no longer feels like the cowardly thing to pray”1 If we’re in touch with anything spiritual at all- we can admit that we’re in desperate need of every form of salvation and spiritual surrender begs us to submit to God!  It is now, however, our choice whether we remain in the stance of godly surrender…. or not! Those who do find victory –for the moment our knees hit the ground in honest faith we have summoned a power beyond our understanding to battle by our side.  At this time our prayer needs to be-

“Lord, open my eyes that I may see you.
 Open my ears that I may hear you.
 Strengthen my faith that I may be sustained by you. 
Soften my heart that I may trust you.
 Renew my mind that I may know you.”

  Those who don’t seek God at this pivotal point in their lives remain bound and are prisoners in this Cultural War that has us chasing after temporary worldly success as we forsake the destiny of our eternal souls.   Whether we know it or not-the choice to remain self-reliant or chose spiritual surrender as recourse has eternal consequences-for the longer we chose Self over God the longer we will dwell in the mutiny of the mundane and we bind ourselves to the material realm where our earthly trophies will be our only prize.  But the second we surrender our Self to God we’ve opened the door to Victory and a success that is abundant and overflowing-for the Commander of an Army of Angels is now on our side!

Our own personal instinct to call out to God when we’re down-for-the-count is our intuition that quietly tells us there is truth in surrender.  Christians call this instinct “the Mind of Christ” or the Holy Spirit.  With this understanding, we must be willing to let down our guard and spiritually meet with something holy within our minds-for when we meet with God in a stance of spiritual surrender we are truly in the midst of holy ground.  Here is a breath-taking scriptural reference of this exact type of revelation: 

…”Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it”

Genesis 28:16

End Note:  For those of us already in Battle: Believing that defeat is part of surrender- we wait to the last minute to relinquish our battle plans and that is so typical of us humans.  Who among us wants to abandon our goals, no matter how selfish, quit something we had committed to-no matter how wrong it now seems… or find the courage to say that we cannot continue on the path we chose-because we were wrong!  The courage to do exactly that arrives when we have the spiritual clarity and courage to kneel in surrender to a Holy God!

Spiritual Truth of it:
 When seeking Spiritual change through surrender we must be willing to let go of all our desires and plans. Surrender can be defined as "a giving something up as a courtesy".  That's a polite way of seeing it.  But we humans don't comprehend courtesy as part of surrender and instead see it as a devastating blow.  With our hearts spilled out we must find a willingness to only allow truth back into our minds and then freely allow God to speak to the recesses of our soul.  We must pray, and wait for direction that will arrive only when our minds are quiet, our desires have truly ceased and our faith has risen to the point that we know without a doubt that God can and will work in our lives-visibly, literally, spiritually, practically, kindly, compassionately!  With true faith, we must literally believe that He is a force that can move through the material realm to take care of the one He loves.  We must firmly believe that He can be trusted to attend to our needs, our hearts, our minds, and souls and that He will indeed do it.  We must believe with such a depth that unbelief is absurd!

THIS IS SPIRITUAL SURRENDER!

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful and he will do it”

1 Thess. 5: 23-24

Song Recommendation:

I Surrender
By:  Hillsong Live

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFORjUcHkKU