A New Way

"Do not be stiff-necked,

as your ancestors were;

submit to the LORD.

Come to his sanctuary,

which he has consecrated forever.

Serve the LORD your God,

so that his fierce anger will turn away from you."

2 Chronicles 30:8

I may have come from a long line of faithless people, as was the case with the people of Israel.  Perhaps no one could picture me following Jesus wholeheartedly.  It could be I even have a hard time imagining such devotion myself.  Or what if I'm known as a heathen who would never let anyone else rule my life?

Whatever the pattern or expectation, Jesus is offering a new way.

Yield.  Jesus did everything that was necessary to make me right with God.  Through His death on the cross, I am made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  All that is left for me to do is to yield to His work in my life.  I say, "all" as if that were an easy thing, which it is not.  Yet when I do let God have His way, I find it is not as scary as I may have first thought.

God loves me with a love that is beyond my ability to understand.  Since there is nothing that I can do, or that can be done to me, or that I can experience in life, that can make God stop loving me, I am secure in His arms (Romans 8:38-39).  Therefore, I can step forward in obedience to Him, in complete blind faith knowing without a doubt that His love will sustain me.  I have nothing to fear (1 John 4:18).

Due to the fact that God is love (1 John 4:16), I don't need to worry about being taken advantage of by Him, or of being left out to dry by Him, or of being hurt just so He can watch me suffer.  His love would not allow such treatment.  Instead, I can expect that He has my best interest at heart whenever He allows anything into my life, that He will never leave my side, and that He will weave all the ugly and hurtful parts of my life into a beautiful tapestry (Romans 8:28,Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 61:1-3).

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can yield to a God who loves me beyond my comprehension.

Come.  I am used to doing things in my own strength.  Since I live in a world that encourages independence, this innate tendency is cultivated as I go through my days in such an environment.  Jesus, however, has a new way for me to live.  He died so that I could confidently approach my Father to receive whatever I need to take another step.  Instead of fearing His judgment, I can come as a child approaches her loving Daddy, knowing without a doubt He will generously heap His blessings on me (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Not only can I receive from Him, but I am encouraged to unload on Him as well.  My Father never meant for me to walk this path alone, bearing my own burdens and handling my own pain.  Instead, He extends the invitation to me, "Come, unload!  Let me carry your worries, your hurts, your fears." (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:7)

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can yield to a God who encourages dependence on Him.

Serve.  I am naturally the center of my attention and it is me and my life that I most often consider when making decisions.  It's easy for me to spend my waking moments furthering my own agenda, or defending my own rights, or chasing after my own dreams.  I'm used to looking out for my best interest and working hard to protect  and improve my own comfortable lifestyle.

Jesus, however, offers a new way.  In dying on the cross, taking my own sins and the punishment I deserve upon Himself, He freed me from the flesh that drives me toward selfish living (Romans 6:6-7).  Now, instead of choosing to focus on my own best interest, I am empowered to make God's priorities my own.  When I seek His perspective, He will freely give it, breaking my heart for what breaks His.  

Furthermore, as a follower of Christ, I have been made holy and therefore able to serve Him and be used by Him.  Not that He needs me to accomplish His mission here on earth.  Rather, that He desires to include me in what He is doing.  I have been given the privilege to see His love in action as I serve Him as my Lord and Savior.

Instead of stubbornly living my own way, I can serve a God who desires to include me in His kingdom work here on earth.

I have many excuses to refuse God's free gift of salvation and continue to live as my own lord.  When I do accept Jesus into my heart, however, I will find a new way to live.  Because of God's great love for me, I will learn to trust Him enough to yield to His leading.  I will also find that as His child, I can come to Him at any time.  It also may astound me to learn that He desires my companionship so much that He wants me to work alongside Him.  This is the new way of living offered through Jesus Christ.  What am I waiting for?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can truly fathom God's great love for me.

When am I afraid to trust God enough to obey Him?

What is my greatest fear when it comes to placing my life in His hands?

The Secret

"'So now, with God as our witness,

and in the sight of all Israel

--the LORD's assembly--

I give you this charge.

Be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God,

so that you may continue to possess this good land

and leave it to your children as a permanent inheritance.

'And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God

of your ancestors intimately.

Worship and serve him with your whole heart 

and a willing mind.

For the LORD sees every heart 

and knows every plan and thought.  

If you seek him, you will find him.

But if you forsake him,

he will reject you forever.

So take this seriously.

The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary.

Be strong,

and do the work.'"

1 Chronicles 28:8-10 NLT

Everything was in place.  David had reached the end of his reign and was ready to place the crown on his son's head.  Before giving him such a responsibility, however, there were some things Solomon needed to know.  The charge David gave to his son could be a blueprint for living a life that is pleasing to God.  

What's the secret?  Well, it's really no secret.

Know and Serve.  It's easy to do one without the other.  I get caught up in serving, doing things for God, things He never asked me to do.  Things I think are necessary to the workings of His kingdom.  Things that seem good.  As I labor with gusto, I find myself growing weary as my own strength peters out.  Before I know it, the ministry I used to relish is nothing more than a chore; a responsibility added onto my long list of tasks to be done each week.

I was never meant to do things for God.  Instead, He'd rather I spend time with Him, getting to know Him in a more intimate way each day (Luke 10:38-42).  Then, when I see Him at work around me, I can join in, working in Him.  In this way it's really Him doing the work through me, empowering me to persist and enabling me to succeed (1 Corinthians 15:10, John 15:5).

I recently cut some blackberry vines that were intruding into our yard.  Before I severed their link to the main part of the plant, they were healthy and vibrant, producing delicious berries of their own.  Within an hour of clipping those branches, the leaves were withering and wilting.  I am just like this blackberry vine:  Apart from Jesus, I don't have the necessary resources needed to thrive and I will never bear kingdom fruit.  If I make it my life's pursuit to grow closer in my relationship with Him each passing day, relying on His Spirit for all that I need to live, fruit will be produced in abundance and I will never run out of steam.

I am charged with knowing God and serving through Him.

Seek.  Meaning.  Purpose.  Wealth.  Fame.  Praise.  Security.  There are many things I can seek in this life.  Some seem beneficial while others are obviously destructive and self-serving.  None, however, will bring satisfaction apart from one pursuit.

I am promised to find God if I seek Him with all of my heart (Deuteronomy 4:29).  He is not a God who plays hide-and-seek, withholding his affections if He's having a bad day, or is overwhelmed with requests from others, or just doesn't feel like hanging out with me.  Jesus is always ready to meet me where I am and desires nothing more than to be invited in to the most mundane parts of my life (Revelation 3:20).  He wants to be found.

If I will hold God as my most valued treasure, worthy of being pursued as my utmost endeavor, I will find contentment and fulfillment.  If, however, He is just one of many pursuits, I will always feel like there is something missing and my heart will always be found wanting.

I am charged with seeking God with all of my heart.

Be strong and do it!  There are some callings that seem more important than others.  Missionary work in a war-torn country.  Preaching God's Word to a hungry flock.  Feeding the hungry and hopeless on the street.  Somehow, it's easy to glamorize some work while minimizing others.

In God's kingdom, however, every position is important, vital to the function of the whole (1 Corinthians 12:18).  Therefore, wherever God has placed me to serve, I must do so with gusto, realizing it's importance to God and His kingdom (1 Corinthians 10:31).

If I am called to be a mother, even if it doesn't seem very life-shattering to wipe runny noses and tie little shoe-laces, I can do my job as if it is the most important job in the world, which it is.  

If I am placed in a position as a janitor, while I may be looked down upon by many, I can clean with all my heart, letting Him use me for His glory and keeping in mind that doing my best is important to God.  

If I sometimes feel overlooked in the place God has positioned me, thinking there is nothing special about my life, I must remember that what I do is vitally important in God's eyes.  Since He saw fit to drop me down into this situation, it means I have a job to do that has kingdom merit.

I am charged to stay strong in the Lord and do my job to the glory of God.

David's charge to Solomon is filled with godly wisdom.  When I follow his advice, I will see the value in building my relationship with the Lord daily and being a willing servant, make it my life's pursuit to seek Him wholeheartedly, and to realize the importance of the position in which He's placed me and do my work to His glory.  In these ways I have discovered the secret of living a meaningful and fulfilling life that pleases God.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop going after meaningless pursuits.

When do I forsake my relationship with God in order to go after the latest craze?

When do I get caught up in looking for meaning in all the wrong places?