Authority

Luke 7:1-17

I was looking at the characteristics of the centurion's approach to Jesus this morning.  And my first thoughts were of his faith in Jesus' ability and his humility in the way in which he asked Jesus to heal his servant.  Then I took that to my relationship with Jesus and with God the Father.

I guess I have never really had the sense that I can "boldly" declare or "claim" God's answers to my prayers.  Although I know that I am His child and a member of His household, I still consider it an awesome thing to ask God for things.  I am not saying that I question His love or care for me, but rather that I just believe He is in control and He knows what is best in every situation.

And yet, I am probably still much too careless and cavalier in my dealings with Him.  It can be a struggle to find that place in my relationship with Him where faith-filled expectation that He will provide meets the humble recognition that He is my great and might Lord and God over all creation and over me/my life.  I don't want to get to the point that I begin to see Him as the safe and snuggly 'dad' I have wrapped around my little finger.

And going back to yesterday, I see this as another area for my digging deep to remove all my cultural and personal prejudices as to how one should relate to 'father' to find that place of intimacy/love/trust/acceptance and honor/respect/awe/obedience.

I was so very blessed to have had a father (earthly father) with whom I developed such a loving relationship.  I always felt so accepted and loved.  And yet, he had earned such loving respect, which began as a sort of awe/fear and deepened into a longing to live to please him because I loved him so much.

This passage of scripture shows Jesus' great love and compassion for people.  He was moved by the faith of men, moved by the grief and loss of a mother's heart.  He is not at all the sort of god we often see in this world who rules and judges from a distance.  Rather, Jesus reveals to us that God is personal, loving, caring, feeling and sympathetic.  He feels our pain; He knows our sorrows and fears; He truly loves us.

It also reveals His unique authority in all creation.  I think the centurion recognized that Jesus was not performing some magical 'faith healing,' but rather that He was carrying/wielding a power and authority above and beyond all that this world had seen.  It wasn't 'prayer' or request for healing; not some type of medical treatment that would hopefully overcome the disease; this was authoritative intervention in the laws of 'nature,' in any spiritual hierarchy, and in the very nature of physical reality.  Jesus didn't give it a try; He didn't have a decent win/loss ratio; His authority was complete and unlimited by time and space.  Even death itself had no power to stand or to hold a life where Jesus called that life to rise.

But perhaps when I look at that authority, I need to see more to it than the answers to my prayers, my help in times of trouble.

I am thinking that I need to recognize that the same authority that calls forth life from death rules in and over me and my life.  God is not a genie or a powerful servant to do my bidding, meet my needs, answer my calls.  On the contrary, He is my LORD, whom I am to serve with loving respect, humility and obedience.  It is as my Lord that He not only rules over my life, but He also provides for my needs.

My concept of who God is has been so pitiful and self centered.  I have lived so selfishly and rebelliously, never considering His will for my life.  My desire is to better recognize His authority over all things, especially over my life.  And I pray that He will forgive me, discipline and train me to do all His good will, to be obedient and respectful of all that He is!    In Jesus' Name

Digging Deep for the Rock

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayins, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.  Luke 6:47-48

Now I know that this passage is talking about doing rather than just hearing.  But I was really touched by the illustration of the home builder.  That picture of digging down deep to the solid rock really spoke to my heart.  It seems so very easy in this day and this culture to be a 'Christian.'  And yet, how often, when the storms of life and the attacks of the world take their toll, are we left shaken and overthrown?

I was so encouraged by this passage of my need (and now my desire) to push down past all the stuff of this 'Christian life' to find the Lord Himself, to meet Him face-to-face, to go beyond the knowing about Him to the KNOWING Him and SEEING Him clearly for Who He is.  I may have been there at one time, but I think that over the years so many things have shifted in between us and it is so hard to see Him know through all the conflicting and competing representations of Him that surround us.

So, anyway, for what it is worth, I want to share my thoughts on this idea of digging down deep to build our foundation:

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Effectiveness and stability in the Christian life depend on what we choose to build our lives upon.  Jesus Christ is the only immovable, unshakable One upon whom we can set our foundation.  Everything in this world, a teaching, a teacher, a culture, a country, a 'truth,' a belief, or any code of ethics, everything changes and passes away.  Only Jesus Christ is unchanging.

The church changes, its teachings change, 'the truth' changes, right becomes wrong and wrong right.  Yet, Jesus Christ -- not our representations of Him, not our assertions, not our illustrations of Him -- Jesus Christ, Himself, is unchanging and immovable.

That being said, He is not so readily found.  By that I mean, He, Himself, His very being, His discipleship is not so easily come by.

Oh, there are invitations, clues, bread crumbs all around us because He really wants us to find Him.  But to find HIM, to find His heart, His face, His very being, we need to dig down deep, removing layers of selfishness, pride, misinformation, false-Messiahs, worldly attitudes, easy feel-good spirituality, harsh judgmental self-righteousness, our desires for 'signs and wonders,' our longings for knowledge and being 'right,' our cultural prejudices, our patriotism, our racism, and our fears.

Dig down past the comfort of the pews, past the recitations of orthodox creeds, past the feel-good self-sacrifices to earn acceptance.  We have to dig down beyond all that we want to hold on to -- jealousies, angers, fears, longings and desires.  Past all that we hide in our hearts -- our secret sins, our fears of being uncovered and our 'real' selves being exposed.

Then we can begin to build our foundation of truth.  Such a foundation is paramount.  But even a foundation of truth, if not built upon the solid bed-rock of the Source of Truth (the One who Himself is Truth), will not stand.  Truth, facts and evidence, alone cannot stand without His bedrock beneath it.

So we build the foundation of His Word and His Spirit, brick and mortar.  These two must go together, when they do, they are strong and sure.  And then, upon the foundation, we build our lives.  And here, too, how we build matters.  We measure, plumb, and choose only the finest materials, setting each stone in place with care and consideration.

Such a structure founded upon the True Rock can withstand all that this world can throw at it for it will take on the characteristics of the Rock it is built upon.  It will not be moved by opposition, assault, injustice, or turmoil.