“The Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name; He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you”
(John 14:26)
There are many areas where we tend to fall short
in the Christian life. For instance, many fail to live for the Lord
because we think we CAN'T do it and therefore we don’t try. Another
mistake is that we think we CAN carry out the will of God in our lives.
If it is really the work of God in us, it’s not you and me who can do
the work – it’s the Lord in us who calls, accomplishes and completes all
good things. He does the work - He can, we can’t.
When we come to Christ, UNDERSTANDING is
possible, for we begin to see ourselves as we really are. In Him, our
perspective is remarkably changed. Instead of comparing ourselves to
those around us, God emerges into our understanding, and we compare
ourselves to Him. We recognize that He is wonderful! And, of course, we
see, in this shock of awareness that we are comparatively not wonderful;
though He loves us just as we are.
John Calvin said, “Before
God there remains nothing of which we can glory, save only His mercy,”
and Calvin’s statement is very true. As beings in relation to God, we
flunked the course, we failed the exam, we lost the race and didn’t
carry the day. Is there ANY good thing in us? Yes, there is good that
comes into us and fills our hearts and lives when we trust in Jesus
Christ as Savior and let Him be Lord of our lives!
If we breathe “yes” to Him, God says “yes” to
us. Everything is different. From that moment we no longer are the enemy
at the gate of the camp of our Lord. We become His friend, and most
important of all, He becomes your Friend and mine.
From a simply human perspective, there are
“good” people and “bad” people. The “kindly” are somewhat easily seen,
especially when we view them against the black velvet of others who are
vicious in nature. The merely human individual seems good by comparison
with those who “fly the black flag of piracy” and harm others for
selfish purposes.
And yet, we have the testimony of the Holy
Spirit through the Apostle Paul, that “ALL have
sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There
are no exceptions. The true nature of sin, by the way, is that we want
to succeed on our own; but He (God) created us for a loving relationship
with Himself and with each other. When Frank Sinatra sang the song, “I’ll
Do It My Way,” he revealed the terrible mistake of many in this
world.
The aging process is so interesting. We have
weaknesses but we also have strengths and we have enjoyed every one of
our strengths while hiding as many weaknesses as possible. As we grow
older, the same weaknesses we had before are present in exaggerated
form, and we also acquire new IN-abilities in many areas never expected
or wanted.
Physically and mentally we lessen in
effectiveness and see that we cannot do as much for ourselves or others
as we once did. We wonder, “Why, God?” Many want to be “nice” people. We
are supposed to be “ready to give, willing to
share” (1 Timothy 6:18), not “greedy to get
and anxious to take.” Jesus taught us, “Give
and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38), but we oddly can do
less now. The reason for the weakness of aging or illness is partly that
sometimes in learning to receive, we finally see how to really give.
We might think we have much to give, and we may
indeed have something that will lighten the load of another human being.
And yet, it’s God who really helps them. Human efforts are simply
bandages that wear out and are eventually discarded. The wound needs to
be HEALED, not bandaged, and only God can do that work in our lives.
Paul the Apostle was severely weakened by events
in his life which were awful in nature and far beyond his ability to
control them. Beatings, imprisonments and heartaches would seem to be
poor soil for spiritual growth, but Paul had those problems and more.
And yet, it was out of such disasters that the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). His situation was
terrible, but God's grace is strong.
Recently, several of us were in a setting in
which we were ministering one-on-one to others, and I was pleased to be
praying for individuals in a large group, one at a time. We had been
there most of the day, and I was noticing that I no longer easily
remember names. I tend to pray by need rather than by name, because I
might get the name wrong. When I’m sure I use the name and when I’m not,
I don’t.
Later, one of them, in giving her testimony,
spoke of her disappointment that the pastor who prayed for her did not
use her name. “Use my name,” she thought,
but he did not. I was not sure if she was one of those I prayed for, and
I felt an infinite sadness, for I want to be EFFECTIVE in the lives and
needs of others. I thought that the pastor was likely me.
She said that she experienced pain that she had
not previously recognized. She, like so many, had felt “invisible” to other people. As she continued sharing,
she mentioned another, later time when that same pastor DID use her name
and it blessed her. As she continued sharing, it became apparent she had
a WONDERFUL experience, but it was not because she was authenticated by
a mere human being. She met the Lord, as we all did during that time,
and He knows YOUR name, just like He did hers. Our names are in the
Lord’s “book of life” (Philippians 4:3),
and He has said, “I will not forget you; behold, I
have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:16). We
forget, but He does not.
N. T. Wright, a New Testament theologian, said,
“We live in a world full of people struggling to
be, or at least to appear strong, in order not to be weak; and we follow
a gospel which says that when I am weak, then I am strong. And this
gospel is the only thing that brings healing.” It’s not that we
TRY to be weak, anymore than it makes sense to “try” and be humble. We
just are what we are, and what we are includes plenty of weaknesses. Yet
He knows you and loves you – just as you are. And in your weakness, you
are useful to God.
God is PERSONAL to each one, and He wants His
personal touch to be felt – by you! Jesus Christ inscribed us on the
palms of His hands by dying for us on the cross. His death allows us to
really LIVE for the first time. And I continually find that, when and
where it really counts, the following is true: “The
Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name; He will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I
said to you” (John 14:26). Yes, I am inadequate to live the
Christian life. And I’m sorry to say – so are you. But HE IS adequate in
every way, changing our lives for the good – forever.
Lord, we receive You, now. Change our lives.
Let us TRUST in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
