Darkness for light.
Death for life.
Jesus endured terrible suffering and became our sin for us to be free from wrath and the penalty of sin.
Not only that, but we died with Him and are given new life!
As Aslan says in Narnia when He resurrects, death is working itself backwards. And He, being the Christ figure in the story, starts the ball rolling when He, a blameless victim, is killed but comes alive in due time and returns to His people to redeem them for His kingdom. He had to experience death before the resurrection.
I feel like life is so similar as we grow and change, and as we are exposed to death so He can heal us by bringing life into that place...I like to think that redemption is not a cycle but something that is CONSTANTLY happening! We have no idea the volume of our "old man"/fleshy thinking patterns, but they are there nonetheless and He is faithful to expose and redeem them!
If we were to be 100% transformed, all at once, we would never know what hit us! So he does this process gently- layer by layer. Changing us and allowing our lives to move and change at HIS pace to sanctify us but ultimately because this is how he can love us best. One way to know the depths of His love is to come face to face with the depths of my need.
Disappointment and bruised expectations bring death, unbelief and fear expose the death that He is wanting to free us from. If we don't make the exchange we are at great risk to spiral down.
Whether I feel it or not, I have no option but to chose life! HE did, and He did so on our behalf! He values our lives so much so that he took on the worst for our best! When the lies creep in, when that discontentment tugs at your feelings you can place them at the foot of the cross, knowing that He has overcome all of this for the glory of His name and so that we may have victory in knowing He has our best interests at heart.
Feeling alone? Father knows best- He wants to be your companion- He wants to be THE companion. It may be that the loneliness is a deeper cry to receive Him to yourself. The truth is, He IS better and HE DOES care and He allows this to open your eyes to the fact that real companionship first comes from being in Christ.
THIS is the FINISHED work of the CROSS!!!! ( I am saying this to myself right now)
How can we ever truly believe, truly hope, if we don't see the need? If we don't see the need, what or who are we hoping in?
"As you truly hope more deeply in the evidence of the finished work of the cross for you, that releases supernatural holy spirit power in your life." -bob flayhart
Even when all evidence and feelings point to the opposite, this is the HOPE we have- this is our victory! The life of Christ- living, moving, breathing in and through us. How else will we go on? HE IS OUR HOPE!
...and sometimes He removes that which we hold on to, knowing that the end result will be my seeing HE is BETTER than that which I was clinging to. I have to learn to tap into His supernatural, resurrection power! He removes my ideas so I will simply stop and hear HIS. He allows me to have less than I had hoped for so that He can prove Himself worthy of every bit of my hope and trust. (because I often hope for less than He wants to give me)
Who better to give yourself, your whole heart to, than the most trustworthy one of all?!
He is NOT witholding good things from you for any reason but to give you His best for you- and that is Himself. Today it looks like one thing tomorrow it will be another.
You are learning to trust Him from every angle and depth.
I choose to praise you Lord because you are worth it. You have been nothing but faithful and you will be nothing but faithful! Thank you for taking me on the adventure of knowing you and challenging me to believe you. You are my source of life, the rest is just... well, the rest.
