The Real Goal

The Real Goal

We have heard many sermons.  We have experienced different churches as well.  One of the common themes I personally have heard in sermons is about change – how we need to.   I certainly have “worked on,” change in my life only to be disappointed with myself.   I found out flesh and blood is not so strong.      Is there then, a different way – a better way?

I heard a teacher one time share a personal story about his son.  He said he had asked him to mow the lawn a number of times (he was old enough).   Unfortunately, the son never got “a round tuit,” (around to it), and the father was provoked into some drastic action.

The drastic action was “the paddle.”  He said he had not used it on him in a very long time, because his son was older.  BUT the time had come, after numerous requests for his son to mow the lawn, that he picked it up to discipline him.  His son then took off running out the door – outside – and he was running away from “that thing.”

The father said his son was way far ahead of him, but in time he was just about to overtake him. Suddenly, just before he was about to grab him, the son turned around and blurted out, “The only reason you had me was so I would work!”

The statement was so startling, the father said he did a quick calculation of all the money the parents had spent on this child – let’s see… the hospital bill when he was born, dentist and doctor bills, school, clothes, recreation, sports, “Cocoa Puffs,” etc.  He had about $100,000 in his son mowing the lawn twice!

Therefore with as much money as he spent on him, the answer couldn’t possibly be they had him just to put him to work!  So he dropped to his knees laughing at such a ludicrous thought.

This story (a real one) is an analogy of a real lie that Satan sows into people’s hearts.  The lie is that God wants to save us only to put us to work or just to get us behave a certain way.

Without the knowledge of God’s great, passionate love, people can simply conform outwardly to change, but not experience the incredible warmth, reality, intimacy, and deep, deep love God has for us individually and personally.

Another lie Satan has tried to sow in hearts is that until we change, God isn’t going to speak to you.  This may have been true of Mount Sinai in the wilderness, but it’s not true of Mount Zion in the Person of Jesus Christ.

God took great pains to write the New Covenant epistle letters to the saints to let us know a new day has come.  Jesus Christ is the One who took away our sins in the sight of God so we could ALWAYS have free access to Him.  Also, that it is through coming and “hanging out” with God and Jesus that we will indeed see glorious transformation in our lives!!!!  And it may take a while.

He said so:  “But we all, with unveiled face (freedom), beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from glory to glory BY THE SPIRIT.”  II Corinthians 3:17

THE TRUTH:  God truly wants us to realize is that it is only THROUGH JESUS real change comes.  And that first, we WERE CHANGED in spirit when we were born of God – and this spiritual transaction works itself outwardly through the years as we GROW IN GRACE and in the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord Jesus Christ.  II Corinthians 5:17

So then, the real goal is KNOWING this Person, Jesus, for ourselves – very personally – understanding Him and HOW He is working in me.

When we were little kids we were not so aware of our faults.  Instead, when Daddy came home, our desire was to run into his arms (it may or may not have happened that way).  We did not have a conscience of evil – only Love.  As we grew older though, our consciences grew with lies and hurts.  The reason so many want to go back to their childhood is they are looking for something.

What are we looking for?  We are looking for a true person – a childlikeness – and most of all, that we were cared for as REAL people – not machines set for sail on life’s journey to produce.

In closing, God cares about people and who they are – work comes later.  If work is simply at the forefront and only outward behaviors, we will be puppets with dry hearts and souls.

Yet God is love.  He is alive, full of grace and mercy – definitely animated – enough for you and me. So if I do indeed want REAL change, then it shall come through dancing with a REAL PERSON, Jesus Christ.   “For truly our fellowship is with our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Again, the goal then is:  “To know the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom He sent.”  John 17:3

That I May Know Him,

Sue Gaither

Only Jesus

Only Jesus

Oh how we need to daily feast at this TABLE OF GRACE.  No other TABLE existing will instill in us the magnificent TRUTH OF CHRIST and arm us daily for the day.

Every breathing moment we have the joy of allowing Christ to flow through us – our speech, our thoughts, His ability for our jobs, our relationships, ALL our being and works.

It’s not something flesh and blood does.  And I scrutinized the book of Galatians again this morning to be refreshed in what Paul the Apostle preached, was revealed and taught by the Lord, and suffered greatly for. (Oops, I ended in a preposition).

If we think for one minute we are making righteousness happen in our lives, we need to “look again!”    There is ONLY ONE who fulfilled ALL righteousness in the sight of God and this is the MAN, Christ Jesus.

This is the whole point of GRACE. He suffered on the cross, was buried, then RAISED from the DEAD – ALL for our sins, ALL for the penalty of sins (DEATH), ALL so we could have ABUNDANT LIFE in HIM!  God counted us as having been crucified, buried and raised with HIM!

Abundant Life is NOT coming through our efforts of keeping the LAW. It’s coming through CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE.  If we are looking at the LAW to find some kind of fruit by ourselves – beating ourselves up constantly because we keep failing, we are LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.

The reason we are seeing more sin than fruitfulness, is simply because we are working out of flesh and blood effort, instead of FAITH in JESUS.  God has to teach us this and He will.

Again, the WHOLE POINT of GRACE is that JESUS CHRIST came to live inside of us. He HAS fulfilled RIGHTEOUSNESS – He HAS infused His LIFE inside of us by God’s Spirit – it is THROUGH FAITH now in HIM that we will see GREAT FRUIT in our lives, if we will do BUT ONE THING:  LOOK TO JESUS CHRIST ALONE!  ANYTIME I HAVE A FLESH PROBLEM – GO TO JESUS –NOT AWAY FROM HIM!

Ya’ll this is a GREATSALVATION!  It is GREAT because God is FULLY PLEASED WITH HIS SON!  And His Son lives in you and me.  He is NOT calling us a bunch of “Clunk Heads” – no, He calls us BELOVED CHILDREN of God.  It is Christ in us, who will teach us HOW to walk in Him - HOW, HOW, HOW, so that His life will be expressed.  THIS IS SUPERNATURAL – not of natural , unregenerate man.

If we mix our “hearing” of the Word with anything other than the TRUTH OF CHRIST ALONE, faith will not come!  But if I receive the revelation of Christ’s finished work and His life in me, FAITH in Him will ever be at the forefront of my life and existence.  I will know GRACE – the true GRACE of God. God’s WORD is about UNVEILING JESUS to our hearts and our response of WOW!

Paul wrote, “I pray God will grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him…”  Ephesians 3:17-20  And…

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH! 

Remember, we were justified with God through faith in Christ alone.  Therefore we live and walk by faith alone.

Unredeemed, unregenerate man wants to achieve something in and of himself before God.  But Christians have caught that disease.  God will let us walk in that wilderness for along time, until we go “DUH!”

And when we go “DUH,” boy, are we ever ready for a beautiful revelation of the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST:  “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST – it is no longer I who lives – BUT CHRIST lives in me.  And the life I NOW live, I live BY FAITH in HIM WHO LOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDD me and gave Himself for me!” Gal. 2:20

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus – oh for GRACE to TRUST YOU MORE!

Let us believe God. 
 
Loving the Gospel,

Sue Gaither

Knowing God's Ways

Knowing God’s Ways

          “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to Israel.”  Psalm 103:7

This is one of the greatest Scriptures to me for “how” to walk in the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us.

It really is this simple. It is simple. It requires a sincere heart seeking on our part.  Even in the natural realm, if I want to know someone, I must “clear my plate” to get with them – be with them, hear them, understand - listen.

A strange paradox found in the Word of God is learning to be weak to know God’s strength.  God’s way! Paul became weak, Abraham became weak.  Weak in what?  Themselves.

Remember how strong Paul was in his fleshly abilities, accomplishments, carrying out all the externals with perfection?  Later he called it all dung!  Abraham was shown by God that He was calling him to be the father of faith – that through his seed the Christ would come.  What did God do?  He made him dead in his body’s ability to have a son so that it would be of God, not Abraham.

These are two examples in the New Testament of becoming weak in order to know strength.  It’s funny, when God starts doing this in our lives we usually think “another seminar” is in order.  But God is not interested in our fleshly abilities – at all!  It is through weakness we learn faith in Christ.

With Abraham, he made him entirely weak, but this is when he became strong in faith!  Faith in Abraham? No, in God!

Paul preached Christ Jesus in us, our hope of glory.  This is God’s way –to know Christ within our hearts – to know what it means to walk in the Spirit of the Living God – to know resurrection life through death – to know what flesh and spirit means in our lives.

Unless we understand God’s ways and His way:  Christ in you…then we will observe lots of “Hagars and Sarahs,” “Esaus and Jacobs,” – (and God will give understanding to what this means). 

Flesh will NEVER get along with Spirit, nor will we have real fruit from fleshly externals and efforts (Galatians 5).  The world and its ways are flesh - but to be in Christ is grace through faith.

God’s WAY is to be strong in faith in Christ Jesus, Who lives within. But not with some independent mind – no, experiencing the Mind of Christ in all things, all matters, all people, all endeavors.  We have the mind of our Lord dwelling inside us.  Believe in Him. Let Him express His life through you.

There’s a wealth of understanding– a wealth of knowledge of the Son of God to be known and understood.  God is waiting to direct us into the Life of His Son and what it means personally to live and walk in His way.  God is NOT condemning us – He is inviting us. Let us be “slow to speak, quick to hear!”

 “Dear Father, grant us to know the depths of Jesus Christ as our Life and our All.  Cause us to “let go” and let You lead and guide.  Amen.”

Praising our Savior,

Sue Gaither