Mirrors of Christ

I've found in my walk with God that He is a God of confirmation, speaking the same message through several unrelated outlets so that I know it is the word He intends for me to hear.

And so it goes with the message for this post, which has developed specifically over the past two days:

I first had the sense in my spirit Thursday afternoon -- some will note this as similar to a thought, but it doesn't seem to come from you -- that God was telling me "It all begins with relationship with me. Everything begins as you sit at my feet." That sentence repeatedly played in my heart.

In a later conversation with my mother, she brought up the story of Mary and Martha, specifically talking about how Mary chose the "better part," while Martha busied herself with activity. When Martha asked Jesus to rebuke Mary for her apparent laziness, Christ instead reprimands Martha for criticizing her sister's desire and decision to soak in His presence.

Before bed Thursday night, I prayed that God would make it clear to me whether that was truly His word or whether I had missed His voice or His intent in what I believed I had heard.

Friday morning, as I sat with Him, praying and reading Scripture, I was led to both Job and 2 Corinthians, as well as a devotion in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest.

Job seemed to have a lot of trouble acknowledging what a wretched man he was in his own right before God. Instead of humbling himself to God's wisdom, he spent his time justifying his righteousness by listing his deeds:

"Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows who looked to me for help? Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with hungry orphans? . . . Whenever I saw someone who was homeless and without clothes, did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?" (Job 31:16-17, 19)

But God was not impressed with Job's list or his arrogance in stating his goodness by living a life that appeared sacrificial. His words flow from the mouth of Elihu:

"Why don't people say to God, 'I have sinned, but I will sin no more'? Or 'I don't know what evil I have done; tell me, and I will stop at once'?" (Job 34:31-32)

Instead, we plead our own case, build up a file of our works of service and presume to tell God that we're doing a good job for the Kingdom and He should be well pleased.

But, God is not pleased by the work of our hands, if that work does not flow from the "great trust in God through Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:4) that is nurtured as we build relationship with Him and willingly acknowledge that "our only power and success come from God" (2 Corinthians 3:4-5).

Paul told the Corinthians that they should have an answer for "those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart before God" (2 Corinthians 5:12).

For God jealously yearns (James 4:5) that we take the time to bask in His light and listen to His Truth so that we may become "mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more" (3:18).

Oswald Chambers elaborates on Christs' words to His followers as they reveled in their new-found power to cast out demons as He tells them to solely rejoice that their "names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20):

"The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service -- rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour 'rivers of living water' through you (John 7:38). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it [so that no man may boast of his deeds as if they are his own!] . . .

Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone's usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint's usefulness . . .

All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person's life is that person's relationship with God -- something of great value to His Father."

In The Message, Eugene Peterson summarizes it like this: "All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that's the agenda for rejoicing."