February 4, 2004

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

Quote[/b] ]"For the love of Christ constraineth us." 2 Corinthians 5:14

Paul says he is overruled, overmastered, held as in a vice, by the love of Christ. Very few of us know what it means to be held in a grip by the love of God; we are held by the constraint of our experience only. The one thing that held Paul, until there was nothing else on his horizon, was the love of God. "The love of Christ constraineth us" - when you hear that note in a man or woman, you can never mistake it. You know that the Spirit of God is getting unhindered way in that life.

When we are born again of the Spirit of God, the note of testimony is on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But the baptism of the Holy Ghost obliterates that for ever, and we begin to realize what Jesus meant when He said - "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me." Not witnesses to what Jesus can do - that is an elementary witness - but "witnesses unto Me." We will take everything that happens as happening to Him, whether it be praise or blame, persecution or commendation. No one can stand like that for Jesus Christ who is not constrained by the majesty of His personal power. It is the only thing that matters, and the strange thing is that it is the last thing realized by the Christian worker. Paul says he is gripped by the love of God, that is why he acts as he does. Men may call him mad or sober, but he does not care; there is only one thing he is living for, and that is to persuade men of the judgment seat of God, and of the love of Christ. This abandon to the love of Christ is the one thing that bears fruit in the life, and it will always leave the impression of the holiness and of the power of God, never of our personal holiness.

 

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

My apologies for not posting sooner. The morning is usually a quiet time at work but this particular morning has been rather busy. I will try to post a message before noon, but should anyone feel led to step up and make a post before then, please do.

 

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

My apologies again for posting this late. I was hoping to have time shortly before or after lunch yesterday to write a devotional, but forgot that yesterday was the day we were to rearrange our office.

When I read this passage, I must confess, I was a bit confused. After reading it twice, though, I remembered the joy of members of the early church when facing persecution. They did not take the persecution personally; they instead understood that the people coming against them were coming against Christ and rejoicing that they were making enough of an impact, being given great wisdom and power by him, that the devil took notice and attacked them. At least, that's how I always read it.

This devotional reminds us that Satan is not coming against us because of our human endeavors. He is not coming against us because of our great works of charity. He would not care to take notice of our loudest screams if it were not for Christ living in us and through us. We are only on the radar for Satan's attacks because he first hated Jesus Christ, and we, much to his dismay, have power, through Jesus, such power as Jesus had in this earth.

This is indeed a humbling thing. We run around our respective towns and cities, believing that this or that errand is critical--as though it is the stuff of life--when we have been given authority to deliver all the signs, wonders, and wisdom that Jesus brought. This is not in the least vanity, for we recognize that none of this power stems from our own flesh or mind. It is borne of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us, and that sacrifice was made out of a love that we, while on this plane of existence, simply cannot fathom (though it is wonderful to try each and every day).

We are bound to the life of Jesus Christ and that binding is a miraculous thing. Every time we step back from angry confrontation and quote Scripture, every time we say "no" to whatever tempts us and "yes" to the thing we should do but our body complains loudly, every time we turn our eyes upon Jesus--and away from our own hands--that is a miracle. It is evidence of God working through "jars of clay" to produce something great, beautiful, and worthwhile in this earth.

If you do something that is right and a person rejects or hurts you because of it, do not take personal offense. Instead, take heart in the one who gave you the strength--the breath, the muscles, the blood, the willpower--to do so in the first place. Understand your limitations in your own self, then take hold of the power God has so graciously offered us and make use of it in the way He intended. "The way He intended" is a lesson for another day...