This post will be more on the theme of living upside down, but first a personal note to invite your prayers. I received news last week that due to deep budget cuts the "paid part" of my role with my denomination will cease to exist as of the end of the month. I am so "upside down" in my thinking that when I heard the news I got excited because I found myself wondering what God will do next! And my joy and peace have increased since that time, even as I have also been reminded by Papa to treasure my wife as she processes this turn of events. Since she processes change differently than I do (big surprise, eh?) I sense Papa telling me to honor her in this and to do everything I can to ease the transition (we will have to downsize our house, etc.). Your prayers for Jettie as we walk through this season will be greatly appreciated.
Okay, now to more upside down thinking. I trust that most of you recognize the acronym in the title, and I begin my comments with some highly insightful comments from The Shack (p. 149).
"Mack just like love, submission is not something that you can do, especially not on your own. Apart from my life inside of you, you can't submit to Nan, or your children, or anyone else in your life, including Papa."
"You mean," Mack interjected a little sarcastically "that I can't just ask, 'What Would Jesus Do'?"
Jesus chuckled. "Good intentions, bad idea. Let me know how it works for you, if that's the way you choose to go." He paused and grew sober. "Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus'; it means for your independence to be killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come and live our life inside of you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touched with our hands, and think like we do."
WWJD? Wrong question! Well meaning but wrong. The real question, dear ones, is always "What is Jesus doing, right now, in me and around me, that He is inviting me into?"
He lives in you! The question, "What would Jesus do?" implies that He is external to you and locked in the past somewhere! It also leaves you in charge: you decide, apart from Him, what you think He would do. To help you understand this, picture Jesus asking, "What would Father do?"!! Never would have happened. Jesus knew that Father was in Him, and He was always aware of what Father was doing in Him and also what Father was wanting Him to partner with Him in.
Believers can live with an almost constant awareness of what God is doing, so there is no need to ask this question, folks. Indeed, if you find yourself asking this question, I recommend that you stop and still your heart and listen and watch. You will be amazed at what Jesus is doing!
That's it for this time. May you hear Him well (and remember, if you are listening to Him just to get directions or hear correction, you will miss 90% of what He is saying to you!).
Tom, Abba's Little Boy
1 comment:
Hi, Tom,
You hit the nail on the head! I love what you said, “The real question, dear ones, is always "What is Jesus doing, right now, in me and around me, that He is inviting me into?"
This is truly the real question “What is Jesus doing right now”! “WIJDRN”, is what a life giving intimate relationship with Jesus is all about! Maybe we should also ask the question “WWJHMDRN”, “What would Jesus have me do right now?” An intimate relationship with Jesus requires listening to Him, hearing Him, and doing what He is calling us to do every moment of everyday. This is truly what being led by the Spirit is all about (Gal. 5:16-26)! Spirit led discipleship leads to an intimate relationship with Jesus, knowing Him, listening, hearing His voice, and walking in loving obedience with Him (John 10:27;John 15:9-17).
Due to a lack of an intimate relationship with Jesus many believers have developed, put, and keep Jesus in their religious box or coffin. The religious traditional mindset expects us to stay within its confines of dead religious action (“do’s and don’ts”) according to religious tradition dictated to us, rather than loving obedience born from an intimate relationship with Jesus (Col 2:16-23).
Developing an intimate relationship with Jesus will break the religious traditional mindset, the religiousness that tries to package Christianity in a nice little box and prevent us from being the ministers we were created to be. We must ask ourselves, “Do I have Jesus in a box or a coffin?” If we come to realize we do, then it is time that we let Him out!
Jesus is alive, and living and able to transform our lives if we let Him and bring us into an abundant life of righteousness, peace, and joy. True Christianity is about an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, full of life changing power able to transform and make us whole. Religion is a religious substitute for relationship and is dead and devoid of any power to change and transform lives and not capable of making us whole. An Intimate relationship with Jesus or dead religion, what do you choose?
Let us seek to develop through spirit led discipleship an intimate relationship with Jesus. Let us learn to ask the the question, WIJDRN? Let us learn to listen and hear what Jesus is inviting us to do every day that we may partner with Him to accomplish His purpose and will in our lives and those around us out of loving obedience to Him. In this way we will become His ministers, the ministers we were created to be, free from the religious traditional mindsets and religious trappings devoid of life.
May we all come to rest in His love and life transforming healing power which is able to make us whole, restore, refresh and renew!
May Papa Bless you,
His nothing,
Jeff
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