July 1, 2012
There are a very many Christians in the world today who have a very real and genuine desire to please God. We want to do all the right things, and are walking around trying to figure out how to 'be good' enough for Him. The problem is, we are wrong in how we are going about fulfulling that desire to live the life that God intended for us. So many times, we reach for the things we feel God will find sincere, righteous, pure, and humble, but quickly find ourselves disgusted, angry, frustrated, and tired. We will then ask ourselves and God, why? What am I not doing right as a Christian? Why do I still feel empty and lacking? Why is the hole in my heart getting so much bigger? I'm doing all the right things, aren't I? What we are going after is not producing anything.
To get to the bottom of what is going on, we need to ask ourselves a couple questions. The first would be, where does our confidence lie, especially on Judgement Day? Is our faith in what we are doing or what He did? We are actually living in bondage, not much different than the Israelites did so many years ago and don't even realize it. We may have an allegiance to a religion or some such practice or custom that holds us in bondage, or we may be living a life of self-inflicted obedience which only leads to an weak and ineffective follower who rapidly burns out. We may feel our Christian walk is actually getting us nowhere. So if we are really striving to be who God wants us to be, what is it that we keep grabbing onto that we feel is "getting us there"? Is it moral purity? If I can just keep my mind and heart pure...then...Is it external righteousness? If I only attend here, say these prayers, dress this way...go to this service...then...Maybe it's compassionate rescue. I should adopt an orphan, visit the sick...then...I definitely need to pray more, I should set aside a time each day and study...then.....This is the battle that rages inside of us as we struggle to find that deeper, seemingly hidden relationship that always eludes us.
We are sincere in our desire to seek Him with all of our hearts, we just get misdirected. The Bible states very clearly that God hates self-sufficiency. He can't stand it when we do things in our own ability, wisdom, efforts, disciplines, and willpower. In other words, we are acting in our flesh, not our spirit. All of those things we 'do' are good things, but they alone will not produce the relationship we so long for in our souls. When God speaks of wanting us, just for us, He speaks of complete surrender. He asks to abide in us, and we in Him. Abide is meno, and carries a literal sense of "dwell;" but it also indicates the very significant theological and spiritual nuance of "remaining" or "abiding," in intimate relationship with God through the person of Yeshua his Son. Meno indicates the spiritual reality of believers maintaining and being maintained in close spiritual bonds with their Lord and God. We completely surrender and dwell in Him and He in us. This means, Yeshua now has the opportunity to be Yeshua, but using us as the vessel, or the temple, through which HE continues on in doing those things we seek to fulfill God's will in our lives. We no longer have to think about or figure out what God wants, or what we need to grab a hold of anymore. HE will bring about all these things naturally through us. We simply allow Him to flow through every fiber of our being and let Him do what He does best, which is LOVE. All of the wonderful fruits of the Spirit then simply flow from us, because we are not creating them to fulfull our flesh, or working towards a long list of good works to show the Father when we are judged. We are told in scripture to put off the old man, Adam, and put on the new man in Christ. This is exactly what it means to be born again of the Spirit. It means we no longer operate in our own means. We only are being used as the channel for His spirit to flow.
I encourage all of you reading this, if you are having that dark night in your soul, and the battle is raging inside of you because you feel no matter what you do it isn't enough, remember, Yeshua has already done it. When He said "It is finished" on the cross, He meant it. He is our intercessor, and tells us His burden is light and His yoke easy. Abiding in Him and He in you is the only way you will finish the race well. May you rest in this fact and finally find peace in your souls.
King James Version (KJV)
Matthew 11:28
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light
The yoke that we take upon ourselves is the unity found in a daily walk with Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Matching Him step for step, we will find that He takes on the weight of life for we who rely on His strength. Likewise, the burden that we carry is simply the ability to live a life pleasing to Yaweh, an ability given by the Spirit of Yeshua living in and working through us.
There are a very many Christians in the world today who have a very real and genuine desire to please God. We want to do all the right things, and are walking around trying to figure out how to 'be good' enough for Him. The problem is, we are wrong in how we are going about fulfulling that desire to live the life that God intended for us. So many times, we reach for the things we feel God will find sincere, righteous, pure, and humble, but quickly find ourselves disgusted, angry, frustrated, and tired. We will then ask ourselves and God, why? What am I not doing right as a Christian? Why do I still feel empty and lacking? Why is the hole in my heart getting so much bigger? I'm doing all the right things, aren't I? What we are going after is not producing anything.
To get to the bottom of what is going on, we need to ask ourselves a couple questions. The first would be, where does our confidence lie, especially on Judgement Day? Is our faith in what we are doing or what He did? We are actually living in bondage, not much different than the Israelites did so many years ago and don't even realize it. We may have an allegiance to a religion or some such practice or custom that holds us in bondage, or we may be living a life of self-inflicted obedience which only leads to an weak and ineffective follower who rapidly burns out. We may feel our Christian walk is actually getting us nowhere. So if we are really striving to be who God wants us to be, what is it that we keep grabbing onto that we feel is "getting us there"? Is it moral purity? If I can just keep my mind and heart pure...then...Is it external righteousness? If I only attend here, say these prayers, dress this way...go to this service...then...Maybe it's compassionate rescue. I should adopt an orphan, visit the sick...then...I definitely need to pray more, I should set aside a time each day and study...then.....This is the battle that rages inside of us as we struggle to find that deeper, seemingly hidden relationship that always eludes us.
We are sincere in our desire to seek Him with all of our hearts, we just get misdirected. The Bible states very clearly that God hates self-sufficiency. He can't stand it when we do things in our own ability, wisdom, efforts, disciplines, and willpower. In other words, we are acting in our flesh, not our spirit. All of those things we 'do' are good things, but they alone will not produce the relationship we so long for in our souls. When God speaks of wanting us, just for us, He speaks of complete surrender. He asks to abide in us, and we in Him. Abide is meno, and carries a literal sense of "dwell;" but it also indicates the very significant theological and spiritual nuance of "remaining" or "abiding," in intimate relationship with God through the person of Yeshua his Son. Meno indicates the spiritual reality of believers maintaining and being maintained in close spiritual bonds with their Lord and God. We completely surrender and dwell in Him and He in us. This means, Yeshua now has the opportunity to be Yeshua, but using us as the vessel, or the temple, through which HE continues on in doing those things we seek to fulfill God's will in our lives. We no longer have to think about or figure out what God wants, or what we need to grab a hold of anymore. HE will bring about all these things naturally through us. We simply allow Him to flow through every fiber of our being and let Him do what He does best, which is LOVE. All of the wonderful fruits of the Spirit then simply flow from us, because we are not creating them to fulfull our flesh, or working towards a long list of good works to show the Father when we are judged. We are told in scripture to put off the old man, Adam, and put on the new man in Christ. This is exactly what it means to be born again of the Spirit. It means we no longer operate in our own means. We only are being used as the channel for His spirit to flow.
I encourage all of you reading this, if you are having that dark night in your soul, and the battle is raging inside of you because you feel no matter what you do it isn't enough, remember, Yeshua has already done it. When He said "It is finished" on the cross, He meant it. He is our intercessor, and tells us His burden is light and His yoke easy. Abiding in Him and He in you is the only way you will finish the race well. May you rest in this fact and finally find peace in your souls.
King James Version (KJV)
Psalm 55:22
22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
1 Peter 5:7
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
It was a promise from the Messiah: He
will give rest to those who come to Him. It is not rest that is earned. Matthew 11:30
The yoke that we take upon ourselves is the unity found in a daily walk with Yeshua Ha Mashiach. Matching Him step for step, we will find that He takes on the weight of life for we who rely on His strength. Likewise, the burden that we carry is simply the ability to live a life pleasing to Yaweh, an ability given by the Spirit of Yeshua living in and working through us.
Isaiah 61:10
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a
bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Ephesians 4:22
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Colossians 3:8-9
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Romans 13:12
12 The
night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Romans 13:14
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Galatians 3:27
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Ephesians 4:24
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Ephesians 6:11
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:14
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Colossians 3:10
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Colossians 3:12
12 Put
on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Colossians 3:14
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
John 15:5-7
5 I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
