Monday, March 24, 2014

When You Wanna Quit

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

@#$%

Scratching the Surface

of

Survival

(A Brief and Incomplete Guide for When You Wanna Quit)

He asked, “Does it ever end?”

He was referring to the disappointments, defeats, disillusionments, tests, trials, temptations, and tribulations of living in an increasingly mean, maddening, and miserable world, country, and…[Gulp!]…even church.

I answered, “No.”

Groote aka Kempis wrote a lot about that way back in the late 14th century (Imitation of Christ): “So long as we live in the world, we cannot be without tribulation and temptation.”

Sadly, “There is no order so holy, nor place so secret, where there be not temptations or adversities.”

Getting back to my friend’s interrogative and my declarative, “When one temptation or tribulation goeth away, another cometh; and we shall ever have something to suffer.”

Pointing to the only way to overcome all of the meanness, madness, and misery to which no one is immune, he counseled, “The beginning of all evil temptations is inconstancy of mind, and small confidence in God.”

Simply, Jesus saves…if we let Him.

Having survived it so far, here’s what I’ve learned about, uh, surviving it:

  1. Intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the solid rock foundation that overcomes it.  Jesus punctuated His most famous sermon with that good news (see Matthew 5-7; especially 7:24ff.); echoing the Psalmist: “God inhabits the praises of His people.”  In other words, if we hang out with Him, we won’t get hung up by/on it;

  1. I paid close attention to the course on original sin; and learned to expect next to
nothing from most people because most people aren’t really into Him as evidenced
by their selfishness, control needs, greed, inability to serve unless leading, irascibility, irregularity, and irreconcilability that leave little room for Christlike traits like selflessness, unconditional favor, mercy, reconcilable intentions, redemptive passions, forgiveness, and other, again, Christlike traits;

  1. While expecting next to nothing from most people who don’t even try to overcome
the original sin in their DNA, I expect everything from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as promised throughout Holy Scripture and summarized by Psalm 62; and

  1. I know my speck-inspecting is limited by my log-wearing.  I must always be ready
and even eager to confess my sins against Him and His, repent from my sins against Him and His, ask forgiveness from Him and His, and pray and try to be/do


better as I receive forgiveness from Him and His.

Simply, Jesus saves…if we let Him.

Survival depends upon God alone.

Yeah, there are some folks who allow Him to use them in saving missions.

They get it/Him.

Praise the Lord!

They are the few who can say with the apostle, “It is no longer I who live but it is Jesus who lives in and through me.”

In short, I have survived it because of my increasing intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, expecting nothing from most people, expecting everything from Him, and recognizing my own sins against Him and His that encourages my increasing intimacy with Him to survive the world, country, and…[Gulp!]…even church.


Simply, Jesus saves…if we let Him.


@#$%

Blessings and Love!


1 comment:

Bob said...

Amen...thanks for the message