Has to be ‘inside out’

The discussion I enjoyed with the young man was fascinating. He was a churched kid, well taught in the Scripture, knowledgeable of the traditions of Christianity. He is morally upright and in comparison to most of his peers, would seem to be a saint! Yet, he somehow senses there is more, that for all his goodness he cannot claim a rock solid assurance that he is God’s child. He was a little like the man who came to Jesus asking how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him about his observance of the Commandments, he responded: “I’ve kept them all for as long as I can remember.”  (Luke 18:21, The Message) Since the Lord did not challenge his claim, I believe he was being truthful. He was scrupulously moral, yet he did not know God as his “Abba,” his real Father.

Jesus told that righteous man he had to go and sell all he had, because the Lord knew it would break him, reveal to him the one thing he could not do on his own. God brings everyone of us, in one way or another, to the end of ourselves. It is not because He is the Divine Sadist, enjoying our misery. It is because He desires that we will open our mind and heart to Him, faithfully receiving what we can never earn or gain. It’s a transformation that comes from the inside out, by revelation, instigated by the Spirit of God acting on us. We are not passive. In the mystery of His plan, He asks us to answer His gift of grace with faith.

Paul describes this as the ‘foolishness of the Gospel.’ It takes away any reason for pride, any hope that we have in our own discipline, intelligence, or heritage. At the Cross, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the royal and the commoner, those morally upright and those whose lives are a drama of self-destruction – stand on level ground. "We neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing." (Ephesians 2:10, The Message)

The Christian life is an ‘inside out’ transformation. God does look for change. The things we once love should lose their appeal as we come to love Him. As we ‘keep in step with the Spirit’ we will learn to say yes to love, forgiveness, and generosity;  no to self and sensual indulgence.  Jesus was not compromising on the truth. If we claim a revelation of God’s grace, then there will be new life in us. That new life shows up in ever increasing measure. "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." (Matthew 7:16-18, NIV)

Have you been broken?

Are you desperate for the love of your Abba?

Don’t insult Him by pointing out how good you’ve been or how much you have sacrificed in pursuing Him! Rather, thank Him for His amazing love. Invite the Spirit to overflow. Worship humbly, listen intently, wait for Him. And, He will come to you.

Here’s a word from the Word.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods." (Psalm 40:1-4, NIV)

____________

Like a foolish dreamer,
trying to build a highway to the sky
All my hopes would come tumbling down,
and I never knew just why
Until today, when you pulled away the clouds
that hung like curtains on my eyes
Well I've been blind all these wasted years

and I thought I was so wise
But then you took me by surprise

Like waking up from the longest dream,

how real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I've been lost in a fantasy,

that blinded me
Until your love broke through

All my life I've been searching

for that crazy missing part
And with one touch,

you just rolled away the stone that held my heart
And now I see that the answer

was as easy, as just asking you in
And I am so sure I could never doubt

your gentle touch again
It's like the power of the wind

Like waking up from the longest dream,

how real it seemed
Until your love broke through
I've been lost in a fantasy,

that blinded me
Until your love broke through.

-       Copyright, Keith Green