Be Like Jesus (part 4)

     Hmmm. It occurs to me that my posts are not really going to deal with simple church issues per se! That's because I believe that what God is doing in the earth is far more than a change of structure of even core practices or values. As I have said before, He is calling us back to Himself and to a truly vital and alive life with Him. To that end, let's continue the journey of becoming like Jesus.      Jesus was the only totally selfless human being ever to live because He was completely secure in His Father's love for Him. And He challenged any who would follow Him to first deny self even before taking up the cross and following Him. Most followers of Jesus know this, but in the past I find that I often tend to become preoccupied with self even as I try to deny self and die to self! Then one day I read the following in Bill Johnson's book, When Heaven Invades Earth (pp. 147-148). May his words set you free from self-focused self evaluation!      
     In my own pursuit of God, I often became preoccupied with me! It was easy to think that being constantly aware of my faults and weaknesses was humility. It's not! If I'm the main subject, talking incessantly about my weaknesses, I have entered into the most subtle form of pride. Repeated phrases such as, "I'm so unworthy," become a nauseating replacement for the declarations of the worthiness of God… 
     I struggled for many years with self evaluation. The main problem was that I never found anything good in me. It always lead to discouragement, which led to doubt, and eventually took me to unbelief. Somehow I had developed the notion that this was how I could become holy—by showing tremendous concern for my own motives.
     It may sound strange, but I don't examine my motives anymore. That's not my job. I work hard to obey God in everything that I am and do. If I am out to lunch on a matter, it is His job to point that out to me. After many years of trying to do what only He could do, I discovered I was not the Holy Spirit. I cannot convict and deliver myself of sin. Does that mean that I never deal with impure motives? No. He has shown Himself to be very eager to point out my constant need for repentance and change. But He's the one with the spotlight, and alone can give the grace to change.
      There is a major difference between the believer who is being dealt with by God, and the one who's become introspective. When God searches the heart, He finds things in us that He wants to change. He brings conviction because of His commitment to deliver us. Such a revelation brought me to pray in the following manner:
     Father, you know that I don't do so well when I look inward, so I'm going to stop. I'm relying on you to point out to me the things that I need to see. I promise to stay in your Word. You said that your Word was a sword—so please use it to cut me deeply. Expose those things in me that are not pleasing to you. But in doing so, please give me the grace to forsake them. I also promise to come before you daily. Your presence is like a fire. Please burn from me those things that are unpleasing to you. Melt my heart until it becomes like the heart of Jesus. Be merciful to me in these things. I also promise to stay in fellowship with your people. You said that iron sharpens iron. I expect you to anoint the "wounds of a friend" to bring me to my senses when I'm been resistant toward you. Please use these tools to shape my life until Jesus alone is seen in me. I believe that you have given me your heart and mind. By your grace I am a new creation. I want that reality to be seen, that the name of Jesus would be held in highest honor.
      Amen and amen! Becoming like Jesus means that we allow God to be God, and that we focus on Him, trusting Him to lead us and change us according to His plan and power, not ours! 

Stay lost in His love,

Tom, the least of Abba's Children