Several times in the past couple months I've found myself wondering how in the world God can expect so much of me. The minute I find myself living out the Gospel in one area of my life, I realize I'm forgetting the others.
God, there just aren't enough hours in a day to accomplish everything you've asked of me, I pray quietly.
Spend focused time in the Word. Be a person of prayer. Fast on a regular basis. Let every act be full of worship. Live in true community. Love the poor, the widowed, the orphaned. Work as if working for the Lord. Lay down your life for the people around you. Develop the fruits of the Spirit. Display hospitality. Put your trust in Him. Examine the motives of your heart. Operate in humility. Surrender ALL.
I could go on with that list. Those were just the first thoughts that come to my mind as I think over what God is stirring up in my heart. Am I doing all, or even most of these well? Absolutely not. I'm struggling to understand how to "juggle" them all. How does one person live all this out and more? Is it possible, or are we as Christians who desire to live the words of Christ simply setting ourselves up for failure?
Even as I write that question, I know the answer in my head. But do I know it in my heart? I know because I trust that Jesus hasn't set us up for failure. I know that He walks with us, carrying our burdens, and enabling us to live like Him because He is in us. I understand that this is why He came, so that we no longer live under the letter of the law, but under grace. It's less about what we are doing and more about who we are becoming.
Yet I am reminded of verses like Revelation 3:15-16, which says
"I know your deeds, that you are
neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either
one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm -
neither hot nor cold -
I am about to spit you
out of my mouth."
And I wonder to myself, Am I fooling myself? Will I be one of those in Matthew 25 that say to the Son of Man on Judgement Day, "Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?" Will he look at me and say, "Depart from me..."?
I have yet to decide if this is a healthy concern or not. Part of me thinks I'd rather be aware of it than not, but it also seems like a terrible burden.
Which brings me to this past week and what God has been speaking to me as I listen to... Christmas jingles.
"Oh you better watch out,
you better not cry,
you better not pout,
I'm tellin' you why,
Santa Claus is comin' to town!
He sees you when you're sleepin',
he knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been
bad or good,
so be good for goodness sake!"
I know it's a familiar tune, but one day this week I heard it and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit whispered something to me.
Jesus isn't anything like Santa.
I know... profound, right? But as I let this truth begin to penetrate my busy, overcrowded mind, I began to realize that my thoughts and actions were being dictated by a conviction that Jesus operates somewhat like that jolly old Saint Nick.
Whether or not I want to admit it, I've been trying to get my name onto Jesus' "Nice List." He can check it twice, or however many times he wishes, but I will not be satisfied as long as I'm counted amongst the "Naughty." Problem is, I can't keep it all straight. There is so much work to be done in me, it's almost frightening. But guess what?
Jesus is nothing like Santa.
He doesn't come only once a year, in fact the prophet Isaiah spoke of Him, saying,
"Watch for this:
A girl who is presently a virgin
will get pregnant.
She'll bear a son and name him
Immanuel (God-With-Us)."
(Isaiah 7:14)
And centuries later, angels announced the arrival of Immanuel, God with us. He's here. To stay. We are no longer removed from Him, hoping to catch a glimpse of Him once a year or once in a lifetime.
This has infinite significance in regards to the questions and frustrations I've been dealing with lately. But maybe it's best to leave it again for Isaiah to explain:
"A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse's stump,
from his roots a budding Branch.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him,
the Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,
the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God will be all his joy and delight.
He won't judge by appearances,
won't decide on the basis of hearsay."
(Isaiah 11:1-3)
The passage goes on, but I hope you caught it. I specifically chose the Message translation because I think we hear this so often - especially at this time of year - that we skim over the meaning of the words.
He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay.
It's almost as if the prophet Isaiah is saying, "He doesn't simply exist to calculate your naughty-or-niceness, isn't solely fixated on whether you've been bad or good."
You see, even as I try to figure it all out, I'm slowly but surely coming to realize on a deeper level that the baby found in a manger came to extend grace. To offer freedom. From now into eternity!
What a relief it is to know that I'm not just one of Jesus' hurried stops before gliding off to the next rooftop... er, heart. He doesn't look at me as just one more person who can try harder next time, but for this year will have to be satisfied with a lump of coal.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Because Jesus chose to reside in me, the "life-giving Spirit of God" hovers over me, as well.
Let me repeat.
The life-giving Spirit of God hovers over me.
And you.
What does this mean? It means that we aren't in sole charge of directing ourselves. His Spirit gives direction. What about when I'm too tired? Too weak? Too overwhelmed? Too confused? Oh, wait. It says that His spirit builds my strength.
His spirit builds my strength.
And yours.
It's not just up to me to instill within myself a knowledge and Fear-of-God.
His Spirit can do that, too.
All because of this babe in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
We are not alone. God is with us.
"The angel said, 'Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful
event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has
just been born in David's town, a Savior who is
Messiah and Master."
~Luke 2:9-11
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