He is Responsible for Us, not Vice Versa

Jesus is alive.

He is our life.

He is not a figment of the imagination.

We are not responsible for keeping Him alive and aware in our lives.

He is our life, and is responsible for us.

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” (Galatians 4: 9)

Notice that Paul deliberately corrects himself, and so too more of us need to correct ourselves.

It is not about how much we know God. We need to realize that He knows us!

In this life, in our walk with God, we are not connecting with someone who may or may not know us. We are connecting with someone who knows everything about us, including everything that we are going through:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4: 15)

And thus:

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4: 16)

This revelation still tickles me, and gives me much room for pause.

My Savior, my high priest forever, knows what I am going through, and wants me to come to Him whenever I have a need.

He is responsible for us, not vice versa.

This is taking some getting used to for me. What about for you?

Be Still and Know that He is God

"Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46: 10)

Why is this exhortation so difficult?

Because the noise in our heads starts to scare us and spark us into panic:

"If you don't do anything, nothing will happen."

Last time I checked, there was nothing that I could do to be saved.

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast."  (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

And apart from Him, we can do nothing:

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

Notice that Jesus is the branches, therefore we can rest in Him.

Why was this so difficult?

We get a mixed message so much of the time,

"You have to do your part, so that God can do His part."

We have no part to play apart from Him.

I must say that in the past week, I have sensed a greater sense of rest than before.

For the first time, I did not feel that I had to generate life and options, outcomes or opportunities on my own.

I understand a little more every day why Paul prayed, declared to the Ephesian Christians "I bow the knee" that we would know the love of Christ for us. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

So, most of us refuse to rest because we do not believe that He is at work.

For me, especially, the reason why I believed that God was not on the job was that I kept looking at myself. What was I thinking or feeling? What was I doing?

This is an old discussion, perhaps, and a number of fearful thoughts have arisen for me.

The entanglements in which we find ourselves can cause so much frustration.

He is God, we are not. He is in charge, we are not. We need to know Him, and more importantly understand that He knows us.

I have spent so much time trying to figure myself out.

What?!

Let’s see more of Him, and how He is taking care of all things.

Jesus: Thank You for Being My Life

This is the hardest transition I have yet faced in my walk.

Notice that I no longer write "my life", for it was never my life to begin with.

The prophet Micah informed us about walking (identifying) with our God:

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6: 8)

All of these demands are met for us in Christ Jesus, who is our righteousness, has graced us in every way, and granted us His standing before God the Father, and thus we have no boast in anything that we did to get there (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

This rest is more than I can fathom sometimes.

I am not trying to bring Him into every conflict and hardship.

He is already there.

I am not praying for God to be with me.

He is with me already.

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew 1: 23)

Not only is God with us, but He now lives in us:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27)

The Devil has worked so hard to convince sons and daughters of the Living God that they must continue to work and strive to bring God into their lives, to fix their hardships, to restore,

The fact is that He is already here with us, in us, and working through us:

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 29)

and

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

Jesus, thank you for being my life, and living in and through me.

Today, show me more of what you are doing, how you are working in and through me. Like Paul, I do not want to frustrate your grace working in my life.