A cattle prong (pictured) is a modern day goad. It was used by farmers to get their stubborn ox going in the direction they wanted the ox to go. At times the ox would kick at the goad because it didn’t want to move. Yet, the more the ox kicked, the more pain it experienced from the goad sticking them. Solution? Surrender and get moving.
Apparently Paul was resisting the Lord’s invitation to eternal life (Acts 9:5; 26:14). It eventually took being blinded to get Paul’s attention. What will it take to get your attention and eventual surrender?
Let me tell you from experience. When the Lord wants to change your life, surrender is hard, but it sure feels better than the pain of the struggle. You can fight the process of change or surrender to it. It’s your choice. Take it from me, peace is better than pain any day of the week.
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One web author explained atoms like this, “Suppose you had to build a world exactly like the one we live in. Where would you start? You’d need people…houses…animals… trees…and billions of other things. But if you had a few dozen different types of atoms, you could build all these things and more: you’d just join the atoms together in different ways.”
Take one hydrogen atom, which can’t be seen with the naked human eye, add another hydrogen and one oxygen and you get water! A life giving and sustaining community arises when just three atoms together.
Each believer is not only in Christ, but Christ is in them (2 Cor. 11:10). Each seemingly small and insignificant believer, like those atoms, when combined with other believers can make a large difference in the lives of those around them. Kind of gives new meaning to “where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am among them” doesn’t it?
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Let’s take another run at the phrase in Christ. Last time I said, “One process kills self, while another simply keeps self under control. Truth is, both are hard!” What do you do when it gets hard to kill self? Run into Christ…literally.
Jesus became flesh or tabernacled (John 1:14). This is a direct reference to the time when God lived in a tent (Exodus 40:34). The entire Tabernacle is a picture of who Jesus is and what He did for us.
This Tabernacle is also a picture of a stronghold that we can run into when life gets tough. In your mind, picture yourself literally running into the tabernacle much like the one pictured here. As you run inside, sit down and be surrounded by Jesus. He is the tent, which gets you out of life’s storms, the heat of life’s battle and the cold indifference of this world. He brings light to your decisions (lampstand), fulfillment to life’s uncertainties (showbread/Bread of Life), and the presence of power when you’re weak (Incense altar and Ark).
Don’t run into the strongholds within your mind thinking they will make you safe. They can’t. Instead, tear them down (2 Cor. 10:4) and run into Jesus, the tent. Find peace and comfort by literally being in Christ within the walls of your mind. He’s the only one who can keep you perfectly safe despite what rages on around you.
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It’s a little phrase in Scripture, but it packs a lot of power – in Christ. It doesn’t mean in you, but in Him. A duh moment, maybe. But is it?
Healthy believers continually learn to die to self rather than deny self! You can stop sinning all day. You can choose not to over eat. You can choose not to let certain words fly from your mouth. You can choose not to let your blood boil. However, all you’re doing is denying yourself from making certain choices, which still leaves you in control!
Life change comes when you face a choice to eat, to say choice words or to let your temperature rise and instead ask Jesus, “What do you want me to do?” Ask Him for the faith to choose it and the Spirit for the strength to do it.
This is dying to rather than denying self. One process kills self, while another simply keeps self under control. Truth is, both are hard!
One keeps us in control where the other lets Jesus take control. One is short-term thinking, which leads to short term change (i.e. cycle of addiction) where the other is long-term thinking, which leads to eternal change.
Daily learn to be in Christ and less in yourselves by making the choice to die to rather simply deny self.
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“Your love for Jesus can put you on your knees, but your cross will put you on your face.” This is what it did to Jesus anyway. Yes, He carried His cross, but not all the way. Simon Cyrene did.
When Jesus said to “deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him,” He didn’t mean to carry our burdens around. He didn’t! What He meant was to die to self, not self-denial, but to self and its way of thinking and living.
Stop trying to deny yourself material things and acting all righteous. It’s like, “Look at me God. Look how I’m doing.” Notice all the pronouns – me and I. We are to die to them. The moment we realize that we can’t, He can. It’s not about trying harder, but letting go of more of our thinking, our wants, our desires, our goals, our dreams, our expectations, and the list goes on.
Life change comes the moment we realize that our good enough is simply not good enough. Salvation, in this case taking something broken by sin and making it whole by Jesus, comes the moment we realize we’re weak and can’t to allow His strength to empower us.
Jesus didn’t carry His cross. He let it drive Him to the ground. And so must we.
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