Friends, you are not your story. Wherever you have been, whatever you have gone through, and whenever you look back on what your life was before this moment in time, is the past. You are not your story.
Christ Jesus has written a better story for you and me. He has a plan for our lives. No matter how much we have deviated from the plan He had for us, that plan has not changed. What is Christ’s plan? What is the “real” story?
Please indulge me in a feeble attempt at telling you His story. It is an informed conviction based on one Great Fact: Christ Jesus demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt His unfathomable love for us. This tremendous gift must be received, opened, and treasured. We must dwell in His presence. Anything less dishonors the Greatest Gift Giver of all time.
DON’T BE UNREASONABLE
It is unreasonable, meaning “beyond rational thought and reason,” to doubt this total, complete, and never-ending love of the purest form.
Anything that is less than totally pure is impure, even to a microscopic degree. Our love for Christ often informs us, incorrectly, of Christ’s love for us. We cannot compare our love with Christ’s love. Ours is flawed. Christ’s love is flawless. Our love is selfish, Christ’s love is selfless. Our love is conditional. Christ’s love is devoid of all conditions.
Christ Jesus will never love us any less, and He will never love us any more, than He does right now.
CHRIST’S LOVE IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION
It is impossible for the holiest woman or man to fully comprehend the incomprehensible love of Jesus Christ. That is, until that most blessed of days when we shall see our Lord and Savior, Master and Best Friend, face-to-face.
Don’t be unreasonable. He who is above all things, seen and unseen, who has all power, who sits in total control of all things, it is only He who is reasonable. It is Christ who has demonstrated His love for you and me. His work is finished until he returns to earth. He shall come when we least expect. The hour is soon. The time may be now. We are His creation. Christ will come to claim his children and destroy the powers of darkness at war in the spiritual realms of this world.
MAKE NO MISTAKE
Mark His words.
He is coming soon. But “soon” for Christ is not bound by our wholly limited concept of time and space. The Limitless is beyond limits. The incomprehensible is beyond comprehension. The Infinite One, Christ Jesus, is beyond our tiny finite minds. No matter how much we know, it will never be enough to understand the Unknowable One.
We can try with all our might to “know” Christ, but to fully know Him, to fully understand Him, and to fully be with Him is not possible in this broken vessel we call the human being. The most learned Biblical scholars amongst us fall far short of adequately understanding who Christ really is. We can preach about Christ. We can lead others to meet Christ. We can teach others to follow Christ. All this is proper and right. But to fully know the depths of Christ is reserved for those that are with him, in person, in Heaven.
Our job is to try, with all our might, to know Jesus Christ. That is what He wants. His greatest desire is that we seek a deep, intimate relationship with Christ. And we cannot do that if we are busy taking care of all these things that will not stand the test of eternity.
HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?
It is totally reasonable to fully surrender to Christ. Either He is everything, or He is nothing.
Either Christ is Lord and Master, and we prostrate ourselves in complete and utter surrender to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, or we don’t. It is a black and white decision – yes, or no. There is no middle ground. We fool ourselves if we think that there is a “lukewarm” option. Are you hot or cold?
We are yielded to Christ, or we are not. It is a moment by moment choice we make. Ultimate love gives ultimate freedom, and it is the greatest blessing and the greatest curse, because we have to choose, second by second, minute by minute, and hour by hour our surrender to the authority over us.
BROKEN VESSELS
Who am I? Who are you?
We are broken vessels that hold no water on their own. We are little voices in the vast sea of much more learned Bible scholars who can explain every facet of God’s Holy Word in amazing detail.
I, for one, am no one. A nobody. And yet, Christ calls me by name. Who are you? Does He call you by name as well? I believe He does. He yearns for us to call out to him with the desperation of one drowning. Save me! Rescue me! I want to live! I don’t want to die!
My flesh is yearning to fight for life. It is terrified of perishing. For if I die, so my flesh thinks, there will be nothing left. I will lose everything. All things of this world that I hold so very dear will pass away, slipping through my hands like fine grains of powdered sand. I can’t let go. And yet, I must.
To be saved, I must let go, and slip lifeless to the bottom of the sea of utter surrender. I must sink until I can no longer breathe on my own. My lifeless body sinks to a shadowy grave in cold, dark waters. Then, I fully surrendered into the ocean of Christ’s love. Vast in every direction. And yet, I live. But no longer I who live, but Christ who breathes His breath into my starving lungs. I gasp for air, and come back to the surface a new creation, with an amazing story to tell. I was dead, but now I live. My sin buried me deep, yet Christ raised me to life. That is my story. That is yours.
A REASONABLE CONCLUSION
How now shall we live, if we have truly died to self?
The only reasonable conclusion is that we are on “borrowed time.” We have been given a tremendous gift. Jesus Christ rescued us, and we now are alive with Him. Yet, it is so easy to forget this Great Fact. And we can easily try to navigate our own lives, once again. But we can never be the same, can we? We can never forget, or can we? To do so would be a great mistake and a poor choice. We must choose to stay dead to our flesh, and live ONLY for Him, Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. And when we see resurrected flesh, we must put it back where it belongs: dead and buried. For now we have two lives to live. I can live “my” life, “my way.” Or, I can live the life Christ wants me to live, His way.
It was called “The Way” by the early church for a reason. There is only one Way.
NO MORE WORDS; LET’S GET INTO ACTION
Enough with the words of Christianese we use to pretend like we are surrendered.
It is easy to pose as a yielded Christ-follower. We can say the right things, go to the right church, and read the right books. But just because someone goes to church, for example, does not make them a Christ-follower. Just because one pastors a church or leads a major ministry does not make one a Christ-follower.
What counts are our actions. At any moment in time, Christ knows our degree of surrender to His Lordship. How truly yielded am I to Christ? Let’s look at my bank records and my calendar. Where do I spend my money and time? It tells me where my real priorities lie. Am I really working to fulfill the Great Commission? Or am I “looking” like I am doing it?
Christ knows our hearts better than anyone. He knows everything. What is my motive for pastoring this church, leading this ministry, or writing this blog? He who comprehends all, Christ Jesus, it is He who really knows. I can lie to you. I can’t lie to Him. My actions betray me. Am I loving with Christ’s love? Am I doing what Christ would do given the same circumstances I find myself in this moment in time? Christ knows. Only He can judge. But judge He will. So let’s not fool ourselves with fancy words. Let’s get into action!
ACTIONS TO TAKE
If the Holy Spirit has gotten hold of your attention today, and you have realized this message was written for you, what action are you going to take?
What is the call you will answer? Christ Jesus, who loves you more than you will ever know (this side of Heaven) has a plan for your life. He has a plan for everyone who confesses “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Now is the time for action, and more action. It is a radical call to selfless service in the Name of Christ, to a world that is not ours to control. We are loaned this life for a short while, and during this “loan period”, there is interest on the debt we have incurred. Yes, Christ paid for our sins, past, present, and future. But that does not mean we can go on sinning. We must surrender to the Lord Jesus. Full surrender means full surrender. There is no holding back a reserve, in case we might need to gain back control of our lives.
THE GREAT JOURNEY
Fully let go of all that you know, and join me in this glorious journey. It is never too late to turn from selfish, self-centered living, to Holy Spirit-led living.
We are all on this road together. You and I are pilgrims in a foreign land that is not our home. We are only passing through. Let’s make the most of this time on earth, by giving Christ EVERYTHING. You are not your story. Christ’s story is a much better one. And, I really like the ending. Don’t you?
Your aspiring servant,
Daniel M.
28 July 2023
POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at Daniel@SOLIDpastors.org. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily conversations with Christ.
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