Most of the time, when God is trying to teach me something by allowing me to experience pain, I sit around and complain. I tell Him that I hate what He's doing, and I want Him to stop. I tell Him I want out of whatever particular circumstance is grieving me at the moment.
And He reminds me that the point of the pain is to help me rely on Him more, know Him better, and, ultimately, reflect Christ more accurately to others.
So I stop complaining.
Well, not entirely.
I still complain, I just change it up a bit. Instead of telling God to end my painful situation, I tell Him to speed it up. Just get me through it as fast as possible. Help me to learn whatever it is I need to learn so the pain can end. Fast forward this bad boy, and get me to the happily ever after.
And then I get convicted.
I am desiring comfort and relief more than I am desiring to know Christ better. I would rather feel good now than walk the long, hard road that leads to an unbelievably satisfying relationship with the Lover of my soul.
There was a guy in the Bible just like me. He asked Jesus what he had to do to get eternal life. And knowing that the man's sense of security and comfort was in his great wealth, Jesus told him he had to sell everything he owned, give the money he made to the poor, and come follow Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22).
Jesus wasn't just trying to promote humanitarianism in this story. He was trying to illustrate in a tangible way that unless we are willing to give up everything that makes us comfortable to know Jesus more deeply, we need to seriously consider whether we actually love Jesus as much as we like to say we do.
After Jesus told the rich man what he had to do to get eternal life, the Bible says, "the man went away sad because he had great wealth," (Matthew 19:22). The man wanted eternal life, but not enough to give up his money.
How would you complete this sentence:
I want a deeper relationship with Jesus, but not enough to give up __________________.
Whatever you put in that blank is an idol. The rich man was sold out to his money. And it was his god.
I find it interesting that the man didn't walk away feeling justified or confident that he had made the right decision. No, he was sad. He knew in his heart that he was missing out on something wonderful. But he just couldn't get it through his thick skull.
His worldly logic failed him.
He kept his money. He desired comfort and familiarity over Jesus. And he lost his soul.
When we find ourselves in the middle of a painful situation, we can pursue comfort, or we can pursue Jesus.
Comfort is temporary.
Jesus is forever.
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
3.25.2011
3.14.2011
I Killed Jesus
In Revelation 12:10, we are told that Satan stands in Heaven, day and night, accusing us before God. "Accusing us of what?" you might ask. Job 1:9-11 indicates at least one thing Satan accuses believers of - not really loving God. We're only in it for the blessings, Satan says. Day and night, Satan tries to convince God that we believers don't love God for who He is; we love Him for what He gives us.
And, from time to time, Satan is right.
All too often, I love God for what He does for me, not for who He is.
I don't have proof, but I have a hunch Satan accuses us of a lot more than being fair weather believers. Like a tattling sibling, I think Satan tells God a million reasons why we deserve punishment.
"Kelly succumbed to that temptation today, Lord. She doesn't deserve Your love."
"Kelly chose herself over You just now, Lord. You shouldn't bless her anymore."
"Kelly deliberately disobeyed You, Lord. She deserves Your wrath."
On and on the Accuser goes, often making sure I am painfully aware of what he's telling God. The good news is Satan isn't the only one petitioning the Lord. The Bible tells believers, "If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ," (1 John 2:1).
Right next to the Accuser, Jesus Himself is defending us! He is saying, "Lord, I've paid for Kelly's sins with my own blood. She stands forgiven. Bless her and love her as if she had never sinned in the first place," (Hebrews 8:12; Romans 5:1-2).
A mental battle ensues. Am I going to believe what Satan says about me, "She is guilty! She is guilty!" Or am I going to believe what God says about me, "She is forgiven! She is forgiven!"
Revelation 12:11 tells us Satan can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb. When Satan tries to make you feel guilty for sin of which you've already repented, proclaim the forgiven state in which you perpetually live through Christ. Also, let the idea that Christ had to give his very blood on account of our sinful choices motivate you to sin no more. Sin is murderous. It killed Christ! Too often we think of our sins as harmless transgressions. But the truth is Christ would never have been beaten and crucified if I, Kelly Levatino, had never sinned. I don't think it is taking it too far to say, in a way, I killed Jesus.
And so did you.
Let that sink in. Let it break your heart. And let it motivate you to resist sin with renewed vigor.
You can do it; He can help (1 Corinthians 10:13).
And, from time to time, Satan is right.
All too often, I love God for what He does for me, not for who He is.
I don't have proof, but I have a hunch Satan accuses us of a lot more than being fair weather believers. Like a tattling sibling, I think Satan tells God a million reasons why we deserve punishment.
"Kelly succumbed to that temptation today, Lord. She doesn't deserve Your love."
"Kelly chose herself over You just now, Lord. You shouldn't bless her anymore."
"Kelly deliberately disobeyed You, Lord. She deserves Your wrath."
On and on the Accuser goes, often making sure I am painfully aware of what he's telling God. The good news is Satan isn't the only one petitioning the Lord. The Bible tells believers, "If anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ," (1 John 2:1).
Right next to the Accuser, Jesus Himself is defending us! He is saying, "Lord, I've paid for Kelly's sins with my own blood. She stands forgiven. Bless her and love her as if she had never sinned in the first place," (Hebrews 8:12; Romans 5:1-2).
A mental battle ensues. Am I going to believe what Satan says about me, "She is guilty! She is guilty!" Or am I going to believe what God says about me, "She is forgiven! She is forgiven!"
Revelation 12:11 tells us Satan can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb. When Satan tries to make you feel guilty for sin of which you've already repented, proclaim the forgiven state in which you perpetually live through Christ. Also, let the idea that Christ had to give his very blood on account of our sinful choices motivate you to sin no more. Sin is murderous. It killed Christ! Too often we think of our sins as harmless transgressions. But the truth is Christ would never have been beaten and crucified if I, Kelly Levatino, had never sinned. I don't think it is taking it too far to say, in a way, I killed Jesus.
And so did you.
Let that sink in. Let it break your heart. And let it motivate you to resist sin with renewed vigor.
You can do it; He can help (1 Corinthians 10:13).
3.11.2011
Do You WANT to Be Healed?
If you've been on this planet for any measurable amount of time, you've been hurt. You've been beat up emotionally by people who love you, by people who despise you, and by all the people whose affections lie somewhere in between. People have harmed your psyche deliberately and unknowingly. There is no escaping messy relationships. I imagine that even if you holed up on an island all alone, eventually, your feelings would be hurt by birds that ignored you and volleyballs named Wilson.
These hurts pile up until we are so weighed down that we can't seem to do anything without our baggage making itself known. In response, some of us quit. We quit relationships and activities because we just know our baggage will ruin them. So why bother? Some of us try to ignore. We press on in life, pretending that we don't have the baggage we know we do. We act like we are fine, and it's everybody else who has problems. But when we finally admit that quitting and ignoring don't help (in fact, they amplify the pain), we reach our last resort... We seek healing.
We seek healing in food. And in people. And in success. And in a million other places.
Turns out, though, we don't get healing from those things. We get distraction. We get temporary pacification. We get physical and emotional pleasure. But we don't get healing.
Our baggage needs more than chocolate, a significant other, or a promotion at work.
Our baggage needs Christ.
Some of you are done reading this. But hear me out.
In John 5 Jesus bumps into a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Verse 6 says, "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'"
I find it interesting that Jesus did not assume this man wanted to get well. Apparently, some of us are not discontent enough with our wounds to truly desire healing. And, at least in this case, Jesus wasn't going to force healing on him.
We get a choice.
Do we want healing or not?
The invalid did. His response to Jesus was, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
The invalid wanted healing. He pursued healing. He put himself in the place where healing was likely to occur (by the water). He tried to heal himself (by trying to get in the pool under his own power), but when that didn't work, he acknowledged he needed help.
And you know what Christ did? He healed the invalid. John 5:9 says, "At once the man was cured."
AT ONCE!
So, do you want to be healed? Are you pursuing it? Are you in the right place? Are you acknowledging that YOU CAN'T HEAL YOURSELF? Are you asking Christ to do it? Are you believing He can and will heal you from whatever colorful baggage you have?
It's possible.
It was possible for the invalid.
And it's possible for you and me.
These hurts pile up until we are so weighed down that we can't seem to do anything without our baggage making itself known. In response, some of us quit. We quit relationships and activities because we just know our baggage will ruin them. So why bother? Some of us try to ignore. We press on in life, pretending that we don't have the baggage we know we do. We act like we are fine, and it's everybody else who has problems. But when we finally admit that quitting and ignoring don't help (in fact, they amplify the pain), we reach our last resort... We seek healing.
We seek healing in food. And in people. And in success. And in a million other places.
Turns out, though, we don't get healing from those things. We get distraction. We get temporary pacification. We get physical and emotional pleasure. But we don't get healing.
Our baggage needs more than chocolate, a significant other, or a promotion at work.
Our baggage needs Christ.
Some of you are done reading this. But hear me out.
In John 5 Jesus bumps into a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Verse 6 says, "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'"
I find it interesting that Jesus did not assume this man wanted to get well. Apparently, some of us are not discontent enough with our wounds to truly desire healing. And, at least in this case, Jesus wasn't going to force healing on him.
We get a choice.
Do we want healing or not?
The invalid did. His response to Jesus was, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
The invalid wanted healing. He pursued healing. He put himself in the place where healing was likely to occur (by the water). He tried to heal himself (by trying to get in the pool under his own power), but when that didn't work, he acknowledged he needed help.
And you know what Christ did? He healed the invalid. John 5:9 says, "At once the man was cured."
AT ONCE!
So, do you want to be healed? Are you pursuing it? Are you in the right place? Are you acknowledging that YOU CAN'T HEAL YOURSELF? Are you asking Christ to do it? Are you believing He can and will heal you from whatever colorful baggage you have?
It's possible.
It was possible for the invalid.
And it's possible for you and me.
1.17.2010
Passion
Today at church Ernie talked about passion. He described passions as God-given gifts that are unique to individuals. They are given to us from God so we can use them for God. Each person's passion(s) is their primary way of impacting the world for the cause of Christ.
Ernie asked us to think about what our passions are and whether or not we are using them to show the world Jesus. Two passions came to my mind: writing and digging into the Word of God.
I discovered my love of the Bible shortly after my conversion at age 16. I surrendered to God in the summer of 1999, and my Christmas present to myself that year was a Bible. I accepted that Jesus is the one and only God because I saw how others were impacted for the better by him, and, ultimately, because I experienced firsthand that he could be trusted. As C.S. Lewis puts it, "I gave in and admitted that God was God." And upon admitting that, I found myself wanting to know everything about him. So much so that I decided to major in Biblical Studies and Theology. I could not think of a better way to spend my time than learning more about God and how to communicate those truths to others.
I have always been a writer. I was reading when I was 4 years old, loved books growing up, and started writing my own short stories somewhere around 8 years old. I moved to writing song lyrics/poetry during my I-hate-everyone-and-everything stage in my early teens. My first year of college I wrote a series of devotionals out of a need to think through the Bible while studying at a school that would rather have me throw the Bible out the window. I've also written in blog format for several years, sharing stories about my family, observations of life in general, and testimonies of what God is doing in my life.
I've felt for a couple of years that God wants to use my two passions in a big way, I've just never been clear on the details. And I certainly have a lot of obstacles preventing me from fleshing that out right now. For one thing, time is not a luxury I have. Raising two small children affords me about 30 minutes/day of solitude. There is a lot competing to fill up that half hour. (In fact, I was just interrupted by my 6 month old.) I can choose to meet with God, exercise, write, rest, read, watch TV, or, God forbid, clean when I finally get time to myself. But I can't do ALL of those things everyday. That being the case, I struggle finding the time to develop my passions and to actively pursue using them for God. I don't know what the solution is, but I'm guessing it doesn't involve putting my passions on the back burner until my children are older.
Ernie asked us to think about what our passions are and whether or not we are using them to show the world Jesus. Two passions came to my mind: writing and digging into the Word of God.
I discovered my love of the Bible shortly after my conversion at age 16. I surrendered to God in the summer of 1999, and my Christmas present to myself that year was a Bible. I accepted that Jesus is the one and only God because I saw how others were impacted for the better by him, and, ultimately, because I experienced firsthand that he could be trusted. As C.S. Lewis puts it, "I gave in and admitted that God was God." And upon admitting that, I found myself wanting to know everything about him. So much so that I decided to major in Biblical Studies and Theology. I could not think of a better way to spend my time than learning more about God and how to communicate those truths to others.
I have always been a writer. I was reading when I was 4 years old, loved books growing up, and started writing my own short stories somewhere around 8 years old. I moved to writing song lyrics/poetry during my I-hate-everyone-and-everything stage in my early teens. My first year of college I wrote a series of devotionals out of a need to think through the Bible while studying at a school that would rather have me throw the Bible out the window. I've also written in blog format for several years, sharing stories about my family, observations of life in general, and testimonies of what God is doing in my life.
I've felt for a couple of years that God wants to use my two passions in a big way, I've just never been clear on the details. And I certainly have a lot of obstacles preventing me from fleshing that out right now. For one thing, time is not a luxury I have. Raising two small children affords me about 30 minutes/day of solitude. There is a lot competing to fill up that half hour. (In fact, I was just interrupted by my 6 month old.) I can choose to meet with God, exercise, write, rest, read, watch TV, or, God forbid, clean when I finally get time to myself. But I can't do ALL of those things everyday. That being the case, I struggle finding the time to develop my passions and to actively pursue using them for God. I don't know what the solution is, but I'm guessing it doesn't involve putting my passions on the back burner until my children are older.
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