Conformed to Transformed, Part I

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.  ~Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)

To many, the Bible is seen as a bunch of rules and regulations and the Christian life about following those rules and regulations.  When in reality, the Bible is a description of who God is and what He desires to do for anyone who would believe Him.  The Christian life is not about rules and regulations but about relationship with a loving and just God.  God pursues man that He might give something to him which will fulfill and transform -- Himself.

I have known God since the age of 5, at which time I accepted the gift of redemption offered by Him through His Son.  I have no memory of life without God.  I memorized His Word, but did not always understand His Word.  I desired to serve the Lord, but did not always know what that meant.  I read God's Word but, when it came to meaning, I usually accepted the explanations of others.

I did have a relationship with God.  I talked to Him.  In so many ways, I trusted Him.  He was everything to me, yet I did not realize that He was everything to me on my own terms.  My life was about what I could give to Him, about doing for Him -- and then, due to illness, it came to the point that there was nothing I could do for Him.  I had nothing to offer, no strength, no ability, nothing...and I was broken.  Lonely. Scared. Confused.  Disillusioned.  I was filled with doubt, filled with questions.  Who was this God who allowed extended times of physical, emotional and material loss without any sign of relief?

Like Jacob, I struggled with God. (Genesis 32:22-31)  Though I was scared, confused and disillusioned, I kept crying out to God, kept holding on to Him.  I began reading His Word to understand Him.  Little by little, focus was shifted from my circumstances to the One who wanted me to know Him.  The eyes of my heart were opened to the unseen, to the eternal.  For the first time in my life I realized that I never had anything to offer God, there was nothing I could give to Him, nothing that He needed from me.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3 NIV)

As I adhered to God, as I sought Him as the only Source for life and godliness, my heart was truly ready for both fulfillment and transformation.



Part II will soon follow...

A Master Treasure Hunter

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-8 (NASB)

I love watching Antiques Roadshow. To me, it is exciting to see what people find at garage sales and flea markets. I laugh with them as they find out that their $2.00 find is actually worth $2,000. They found treasure! In one way or another, all of us are treasure hunters. It is a thrill to pay next to nothing for an item that is really worth something. But sometimes the thrill of treasure hunting taints our outlook. When we find that we can get something for almost nothing, we begin to think that greater effort or investment should bring a higher margin of reward. Pretty soon, we begin to apply this outlook to every part of our lives, even our service to Christ. We tithe - we expect God to increase what we have. We sacrifice our time - we feel that God should reward us for our sacrifice. We expect our service to reap dividends of blessing and for the most part, the blessings being sought are material and physical.

In Job 8:5, in the midst of Job's intense suffering, Bildad said these words to him: "...if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, if you are pure and live with complete integrity, he will rise up and restore your happy home."(NLT) Bildad felt that if Job was really serving God and doing what He desired then Job would not know his current suffering. In his own way, Bildad was a treasure hunter. He expected godly living to reap material benefit. How much do our expectations line up with a Bildad-view of blessing? In some ways, do we want the material and physical reward so that others will see it and say that our life is blessed? Or, do we just think that we deserve material and physical reward? Is material reward the only thing that makes service to Christ worth it?

If our focus is on external benefit -- in suffering: release, in sacrifice: reward, in ministry: praise -- then our service is to ourselves. Such a description does not define a bond-servant or true friend of Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8 shows us that Paul did not agree with Bildad's outlook. Paul had known the deepest of suffering and yet he did not see this suffering as a lack of blessing. On the contrary, he saw the suffering itself as blessing. Why? Because he entrusted his entire life to God. He knew that anything that God allowed in his life was to bring about the greatest of treasure: deeper relationship with Christ which would enable him to be made into the image of Christ. Yes, Paul was a treasure hunter, but his treasure was not financial gain, physical blessing or release from suffering, Paul's treasure was Jesus Christ -- his greatest pursuit was to know Christ more.

External reward will deteriorate, but true friendship with Christ is an eternal treasure which will never depreciate. Paul, like any good treasure hunter, knew that consistent appreciation is the most coveted characteristic in treasure. Actually, Paul was not just a good treasure hunter, he was a Master treasure hunter. He sought the lasting treasure of his Master, Jesus Christ.

~Lord, you know I love a good bargain. I want to be a good steward of all that you have given me, but I do not want to look for external treasures at the expense of eternal treasures. May lasting treasure be the focus of my life. I want to be a Master treasure hunter. In Jesus' Name, Amen~

Words Fitly Spoken

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
~Proverbs 25:11 (KJV)

In the third testament, Malcolm Muggeridge says of Saint Augustine: "Augustine was so aware of the universality of God's love and presence that he could easily communicate with all sorts and conditions of men."

This statement gives hope, for I desire to easily communicate with all sorts and conditions of men. I realize that my faith in God's love, His working out His will in me and my yielding to it, is the vehicle by which this becomes a reality. Faith in God's love - a love that has no evil in it, a love that will go to any length to make me like His Son - is the prompt of His leading in both word and deed.

Such faith in God's love produces an abundance that fulfills and stimulates a thirst for more of everything that God desires to bestow. This thirst (seeking) for more of God's abundance is what Mark 9:50 refers to when it says, "Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." Salt in yourselves is a constant desire for righteousness, a consistent thirst for more of Christ.

This thirst for more of Christ will have an impact on every moment, word and deed of your life, for yielded lives are Christ-empowered lives. Your saltiness, or thirst for Christ, will impact others. To some, it will be a source of thirst, leading them to thirst for Christ (or thirst more for Christ). For others, such saltiness will repel, yet seeds of salt will be planted.

Words fitly spoken -- words suited for every occasion (for all sorts and conditions of men) -- result from yielded, salty, lives. Christ knows the words which need to be spoken. As we trust Him and surrender mind and heart to His full command, we become salt-dispensers and His salty words of life are spoken through us.

Incorruptible

...it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ... ~I Peter 1: 18

I have been redeemed by the incorruptible blood of Christ to an incorruptible inheritance which makes possible an incorruptible faith so that I may serve an incorruptible King. One day, I will have an incorruptible body and lay an incorruptible crown at my King's feet. This is glorious and incorruptible truth, all revealed and activated through the incorruptible, eternal Word of God.
(I Peter 1:4-7, 23; I Timothy 1:17; I Corinthians 15:53;
I Corinthians 9:25)

Today, I cannot get away from the wonder of the incorruptible. Because I was born with a corruptible body and live in a corruptible world, it is hard to fathom the incorruptible...yet because of God's grace, I can know and live for the incorruptible!

Sandpaper Situations

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ~Hebrews 12:13-14 (NIV)

The admonishment from these verses reverberates within me. God gently says to me, "Crysta, child whom I love and desire to transform, get over yourself so that My grace can be expressed through you."

I have always had a strong sense of justice. I do not want others to be hurt or mistreated. I empathize with the pain of others and deeply grieve when I have been the cause of pain. But all too often, my sense of justice has been spent on myself: A threat is perceived, hurtful words are hurled, disrespectful treatment catches me by surprise and every nerve in my body cries for justice. Thoughts of defense and protection come to my mind, my feelings and emotions demand that I take up the fight against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 tells me that my fight is not against flesh and blood, so why does my flesh cry out for a roll-in-the-mud, let's-settle-this-now, flesh-and-blood fight?

James 4:1-3 asks this same question and gives a very powerful answer: What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires that war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. (NLT)

Basically, when my flesh rises to take on a fight with flesh and blood, it is because I didn't get what I wanted. I coveted something different than what I was given. I wanted a different scenario. I was offered unkindness, I coveted kindness. I was ignored, I coveted attention. I was interrupted, I coveted respect. I looked at the situation, the hurt, the insult and said, "This is not just treatment." At this point, whether I recognized it or not, I took my eyes off of God's truth and God's way and wanted my own way. My heart, which a moment before was yielded to God, stood up in rebellion against this slight of injustice which God had allowed.

Is God unable to work for good in me or in this situation? Is God too weak to enable me to respond in service and kindness? Is this person too difficult for God to show mercy? To all three, the answer is No. Flesh and blood may have meant that hurt or insult for evil, but God, in His foreknowledge, meant it for good.

The hurts and insults that come into my days are sandpaper situations. In order to buff out the rough edges of self, these sandpaper situations are lovingly used by God so that Christ's beauty may smoothly flow from my life. When the pain of the sandpaper is at its greatest, the rough edges of self are the most predominant. When self has found its proper place of anonymity, the sandpaper slides smoothly across my soul producing greater reliance on the Giver of all good things.

In Genesis 4:3-5, Cain faced a sandpaper situation. Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. Cain offered some of the fruits of his garden. Abel offered the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked on Abel's offering with favor, but He did not look on Cain's offering with this same favor. So enters the sandpaper. Cain wanted his own way AND recognition for his offering. He coveted the favor given to Abel. Instead of seeking to do what was right, he became angry because he did not receive what he coveted.

The Lord talked with Cain and admonished him, saying: "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6, NIV)

Cain did not listen to the Lord's admonishment, instead he allowed sin to master him. As a result, he killed Abel - his own brother. Cain could not have two masters. He chose the master of sin over the Master of love.

The warning given to Cain rings in my own ears, yet God's mercy and offered grace beckons even louder. God will give me the grace and strength to stand against my own selfishness and covetousness, but I must submit to Him and resist Satan, the master of sin. God must be my only Master. (II Corinthians 10:3-5, II Corinthians 12:9-10, Hebrews 4:14-16, James 4:6-8)

The temptation to fight against flesh and blood is crouching at my door. Wanting the comfort of my own way, my soul will attempt to resist the sandpaper of submission and transformation, but grace...Grace reminds me that I have been bought with a price and my life is not my own.

I am graced to grace others. I am set apart to be a vessel of grace. The question is, will I get over myself and submit to the Sander and Lover of my soul that His grace can be expressed through me?

Kingdom Postcards

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments...are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~Deuternonomy 6:5-7

Jesus told His disciples, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field..." (Matthew 13:31) A mustard seed. Small. Not eye-catching or newsworthy. Yet place a mustard seed in the hands of Jesus Christ and it became an opportunity to share Truth. Jesus saw everything in multiple dimensions: He viewed the seen and the unseen. A mustard seed not only had interesting physical properties, it also had spiritual applications. That little mustard seed could be used to teach the disciples about faith or to shed light on characteristics of the Kingdom of Heaven. That little mustard seed contained snapshots of Truth.

In the designs of the universe and the laws of nature, in our day-to-day occurrences, in the seemingly mundane, there are unlimited instances to view snapshots of Truth. Buried all around us, illustrations of the eternal and unseen are waiting to be unearthed by discerning hearts.

Psalm 51:6 says that God, who desires Truth in my inner parts, will teach me wisdom in my inmost places. When God's Truth seizes my heart, when it envelopes my hidden places, that same Truth will overflow from my life. God's Truth will transform my thoughts and grace my words. God's Truth will also enhance my vision, causing everyday circumstances and surroundings to metamorphose into Kingdom Postcards: pictures that increase understanding of and longing for God and His Kingdom, pictures that help me communicate His Truth to others.

The Truth that I put into my heart will affect everything that I see and everyone which I encounter -- When I sit at home or walk along the road, when I lie down and when I get up, this world that is not my home will give me glimpses, postcards, of the World for which I was made, and the One for whom my heart beats will incite occasions for me to share these Kingdom Postcards with each soul that He places into my life.

Thirst-Provoking Provision

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. ~Psalm 42:1-2a

The Lord has begun to widen my imaginations. The inception of this widening was sparked as I pondered on Matthew 6:33 and all the implications involved when considering the truth and precision of God's daily provision. I began to think about the days when I feel so wiped out, when my energy is truly depleted: in the past, I have just accepted these days. A true level of contentment has been mine because I trust God's goodness and I believe that He would not bring a time of pain or struggle unless there was purpose, a goodness that would blossom from such pain or struggle.

Yet, somewhere in my mind, I think I still considered these days of depleted energy to be days that contained a lack of something that was needed. I understand that God is always going to provide my greatest need and I believe that He is my greatest need...I want the provision of Him, but somehow my mentality was to still see illness and weakness as lack. Is it possible that illness is part of the provision? Could it be that what this perceived lack will bring about in and through me is exactly what I need, thus making the illness or weakness part of the provision?

I have come to believe that though I can rest in exactly what is provided for each day, there are times when I will not understand what God has provided, times when His provision will not be clearly seen. It is in those times that He wants me to seek Him more, seek to understand the provision, and trust that even when I do not come to a complete understanding of what is provided, I can rest in the knowledge that He is true to His promise and has provided precisely what is needed.

The Lord is rearranging my perspective, showing me that where He reigns supreme there is no lack -- there may be an expected comfort that is not present in my life, but this does not constitute lack. Whatever the Lord provides, this is truly what is needed. True lack is to cease seeking after God.

Oswald Chambers says, "If you ask for things from life instead of from God, you ask amiss, you ask from a desire for self-realization. The more you realize yourself the less you will seek God." Basically Chambers is saying, the one interest that should mark my life is a hard seeking after God. Whatever will cause me to know God more, whatever enhances my desire for Him, this is what I need. That is the essence of Matthew 5:6- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. Whatever causes me to thirst more for God - be it illness, weakness, struggle, bounty, grace, beauty, love - is part of the blessing and is the grandest form of provision for it will result in sweet satisfaction of the soul.