Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
O captive Daughter of Zion.
Burst into songs of joy!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Come out from it and be pure.
-Isaiah 52:2-11 (edited)
Perhaps this is to teach me how to be humble and meek…not only how to forgive. The grace of God has redeemed me even from this–a hurting heart; for what reason should I try to hold on to that pain? What good would that do me when freedom and life in Christ’s love are mine to take and walk in? Christ has made me secure in his promise. Its time for me to stop attempting to make it a reality until he deems it to be time.
Lord, teach me where to grow. Build me where I am weak. Thank you for the work you are doing and the truth that sets me free. Thank you for your love and grace that pours out and over like a refreshing rain. Because you love me, I am able to love and I ask that my actions and words would reveal that.
I started reading “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey today. Sitting there at Global Village across from Dusty, who was already engrossed in her novel, I decided to pull mine forth and get a decent start on it. The following are two main points that stuck out the most to me from the little bit that I could read:
- Sometimes, I accept Jesus’ audacious claim without question. Sometimes, I confess, I wonder what difference it should make to my life that a man lived two thousand years ago in a place called Galilee. Can I resolve this inner tension between doubter and lover?
- Other people affected Jesus deeply: obstinacy frustrated him, self-righteousness infuriated him, simple faith thrilled him. Indeed, he seemed more emotional and spontaneous than the average person, not less. More passionate, not less.
The first point is something that I’ve been struggling with now for about a year. I think it has to do with me coming to terms on what I believe verses what the church promotes I should believe and how I act based on those beliefs. A lot of times, I find myself with no reasonable explanation for why I believe in Christ and, faltering, end up just blaming it on faith. Or, well, blame isnt the correct word in this case, but I push it off as faith. But faith is good and all, but the question is really becoming “why?”. I can’t go through life just reading the Word and expecting to follow Christ without some understand and questioning of His character. And His character is so vast that I tend to forget that He is indeed a warrior king, coming with an army behind him to save what is rightfully His. Instead, I view him as a mild-mannered God-man who loves children and never did anything wrong and never got angry. But that view of Him is so incredibly wrong on so many levels. Im at the point in my life where I sincerely want to know who Christ is, what His character is, and everything that encompasses His being. I’m sick of just accepting it because I’m told to. I’m sick of doubting myself and my belief because I have nothing substantial to back it up with. I need that tangibility in my walk with Christ. And I vow to find it and run with it.
The second point just screams of how Jesus is more than I give him credit for. He is more spontaneous, loving, passionate, emotional, giving, humble, and more of a fighter than I’ll ever be. Why do I forget all the qualities that he possess and just grant him ones that I have as my own? Why do I make Him out to be as I am when He is so much deeper and fuller than I? Because I am a misled little girl in need of a Savior to reveal Himself to me and once again this is what I’m striving to go after.
All in all, I am looking forward to reading this book and finding out more of the God-man that I call my Savior. He deserves my interest and my pursuit. He alone deserves that.
Go in peace and pursue Christ for yourself more-so than what you’ve been doing already.
