Excellent Question

I wanted to write a post in response to Irene’s comment from last Thursday’s message.  She stated, referring to my computer crash, that had the computer not crashed, would I have seen the task as a success or failure? EXCELLENT QUESTION! She continues, “This is where I get hung up: not recognizing that my “success” is failure, too, apart from Jesus.”

This is precisely my point and only the Spirit of the Living God can reveal this to us.  His job is to lead me into the TRUTH of living in the power of Christ’s Life and then to bring about the reality of His Life not mine.  The issue with this is, though there is a once and for all choice to have Christ live my life, that is not where the choosing ends.  Every moment from that choice will poise itself as an additional choice—Him or me.

Though the performance of His Life is in His Life, the walking it out is in each of my moments.  This is the relationship of choosing. My fellowship with Christ is walked out moment by moment.  You see, this Life is relational but at any point I can choose to lead it out on my own.

I can’t tell you how many times “getting the job done” has been my motivation rather than allowing Him to perform my tasks.  Even if He is calling me to do something, He still has to perform what He has asked.  And to be perfectly honest, performing the will of God in my flesh sometimes seems easier and more expedient. “It’s done, God, there You go!” But the results are often a mop-up job and my humiliation.

Because, as frightening as it is, Jesus will let me go the hard way and do it myself. If I willfully want to live in my own strength, then I can.  And as I have heard Martha quote someone, “He will let you go to hell if that is absolutely what you want to do.” My performance is hell!

The crucial choice is whether I want my life to be eternal or merely temporal.  It’s like, do I want to live my life like a hamster in a Habitrail® or in Christ? I wish this example remained contained as the hamster but truly not. My hamster life is deceptive and misleading. When I perform even the best of intentions, I deceive all around me that it can be done.  I wish it wasn’t this black and white, but it is.

The Holy Spirit is the litmus test of this life.  He knows and can reveal when Christ’s performance is being worked out in our lives.  And ultimately at the end of our life, we will know who it was who lived out our lives.  But my focus now is about the relationship. His Life as my life is relational, like a dance where He leads. In it I can experience His strength, feel His passions and know Him as He would reveal Himself to me. I can’t be faithful in this, so He will be my faithfulness. He will actually perform where I am unable. This leads us back to the YES!

The mystery which hath been hid from ages, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery …which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26-27