One of the hardest things for followers of Jesus to understand is that we have been "saved to serve." Jesus washed his disciples feet and in doing so reminded them that a servant is no better than the master AND, that if He, their master, washed their feet, they must be willing to do likewise. In II Corinthians 4 the writer reflects upon giving ourselves away for the love of Christ--in response to the love of Christ. Too often we begin to tread down the Christian road of discipleship all the while thinking to ourselves "What's in this for me?", "How will I be enriched?", "Won't people be impressed with me?" This mindset is sure to disappoint us.
This chapter in II Corinthins reminds us that as followers of Jesus we will be "afflicted", "perplexed", "persecuted," and "struck down." But these things will not--they cannot--have the last word. Each is paired with a "Christian" response; affliction is coupled with not being crushed, perplexed with not being driven to despair, persecution with knowing that God never foresakes us, struck down, with not being destroyed.
As the manifestation of the Body of Christ a local congregation finds its life--its true life, its Christ-life--when they are intent on giving themselves away tin service beyond themselves.
The writer of II Corinthians clearly understood what Jesus meant when he said that we can only find our life--both what it means to be alive and our purpose in life--when we give ourselves away.
May 31
I have always found the Psalms difficult. They just didn't speak to my spirit. Recently, though, I while attending a continuing education event led by the Rev. John Bell of the Iona Community in Scotland I was given a different view of the Psalms, a greater insight into how I can use them in my devotional life. The Psalms are to be "lived with". Racing through them in order to "get through them" takes away their richness. We need to live with a particular Psalm for a week or more at a time. You may only read a verse or two a day or you may read the whole Psalm every day for a week, but no matter how you do it, live with a particular Psalm.
The 62nd Psalm touches me at different points when I read it over and over. The first thing that jumps out at me is how temporary each one of us truly is, no matter what our station in life may be. People of low estate are but a breath, and individuals of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are lighter than breath. (Verse 9).
I once read that Charles DeGaulle had a handicapped daughter who died as a youth. As the old leader of the French Resistance in World War II and President of France road with his wife to the cemetery to place their daughter in her final resting place, DeGaulle reflected upon his wife's most cherished wish for their daughter. She had always wished that their little girl could be "like everyone else." Looking at the neat markers he turned to his wife and whispered, "Now our little daughter is 'like everyone else'". Death is the great leveler. No matter what we achieve or fail to achieve in life, life comes to an end for each one of us.
This can be a frightening thought. It can be a frightening thought, unless,...unless we also hear the word of hope that opened this particular Psalm. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be moved. (verses 1,2) Only when bolstered with this hope can we face the truth reflected in this Psalm.
Psalm 63 picks up this torch with its reference to a parched spirit that can find life and refreshment in the knowledge of God's unfailing presence.
June 1
"Seeing is believing" we are told. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" the old adage advises. Such worldly wisdom is not biblical--or at least not New Testament biblical. For we walk by faith, not by sight the apostle Paul wrote in II Corinthians (5:7). The greatest things in life cannot be hoarded, held on to, or captured. No the greatest things in life can only be felt, experienced, sensed. Security is a feeling. To be cared for is both a feeling and a sense. To be loved cannot be adequately described. Security, care and love cannot be proven--at least not scientifically but we know them when we experience it.
In II Corinthians 5 Paul reflects upon how we are swallowed up in life and in death. Both can make us forget who we are. In life we can let accolades go to our head. Or we can let the cruelty of others diminish our spirit to the point that we have the "Eeore complex". The fear of this life coming to its final end can so paralyze us so that we never really live. I have fallen to each of these temptations at one time or another. Perhaps you have, too.
The apostle Paul, in this chapter, also talks about being swallowed up in something else; love or more specifically, the love of Christ that "controls" us (verse 14). This love sets us free from keeping score--rights and wrongs--and enables us to live as true children of God. When we allow this Christ-love to swallow us we find ourselves transformed. (Many years ago I had what I consider a divine insight. My father had been estranged from a sister of his for 15 years or more. Their estrangement was over some feelings and perceived slights that resulted from something very insignificant. I remember talking to him one day about this estrangement and said, "You know, if we take Jesus seriously, forgiveness is his most important teaching. He even gave it from the cross. At times I think that God never excludes us from heaven but we exclude ourselves because with God's sense of humor--yes, God had one--I think that when we die we will discover that the doorkeeper at the pearly gates will be the one with whom we are estranged from on earth. We will have to be willing to have them welcome us into heaven--without apology." I don't know if my "insight" had any affect on Dad but I do know that by the time he died a little over a decade later, reconciliation among all of the surviving siblings was realized.)
Grudges, slights, hurt feelings and pay-backs seem so silly when we consider how brief our time here really is. We would do well to ask ourselves "Is this really how I want to live?" Unfortunately it really is true that pride goeth before the fall. (Proverbs 16:18, KJV)
In this reading the apostle is writing about a better way, a Christ-like way. By Christ-love we are commissioned to set our agendas as well as the world's agendas aside in order to become advocates of God's agenda of a love that will never let us go--no ifs, ands or buts. We are commissioned to be ambassadors of God's Kingdom, entrusted with this message of love's reconciliation.
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