Collaborators Without Conflict

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God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. John 1:3 [NLT]

God and Jesus. Co-creators. Not Creator and Created-One. Both God. Both infinite. Co-artists and designers of the heavens and the earth.

These two parts of the Trinity worked together in tandem. There was never a glitch in their relationship. In their glorious perfection, they did their work in a harmonious partnership. There was no tension in their creativity. There were no disagreements over ideas. There was no striving for prominence. Competition was absent. There was no withholding of praise for the other’s work. In the beautiful slow dance of the Three-in-one, ideas were born, developed, and expanded, and then implemented without interruption.

What can I learn from their holy synergy? A lot. Two people who work together in the flesh will clash. Even collaboration at its best. Ah, but two people, full of the Spirit, sample a taste of Godhead synergy. Obsessed with glorifying God, they enjoy many of the same characteristics that God and Jesus experienced: an absence of tension, disagreements, and competition. When there’s a hiccup produced by the flesh, they rely on supernatural help to identify the problem and then work things out until kingdom rhythm resumes.

I am not like you, and you are not like anyone else. In our differences, there can be joy in kingdom collaboration. Have you known it? I have. They are usually endeavors in which everyone involved gathers on their knees to seek God’s help and blessing.

So much is still being created that has never been created before ~ by You, Yahweh, and the Word. Together, You both speak things into existence that nurture my world. Thank you for constructing my path today. Amen

In The Beginning

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In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  John 1:1

Ancestry.com has grown in popularity, and many people have spent years constructing their personal genealogy. I have shared meals with those who love to talk about their discoveries. Their faces brighten. Their voices lift. They tell me where their family came from, whose blood runs in their veins, and what hidden stories were waiting in the branches of their family tree.

Often, they discover they are not as peculiar as they thought. They resemble the people who came before them. I once met a woman who said she traced her family line all the way back to Adam. I did not ask how.

If I am willing to live by faith, I can believe that my beginnings are rooted in Someone even earlier than Adam. “In the beginning God…” “In the beginning was the Word…” Before Adam was formed from dust, God was there. Before there was breath in human lungs, the Word was there. Before any name appeared in any genealogy, Father, Son, and Spirit existed in the Holy Trinity. Behind every family tree is a Person, not nothingness.

To understand who I am, I must know where I came from and why I was created. I cannot sit across the table from a four-hundred-year-old ancestor and ask, “Who am I? Why am I here? What story do I belong to?” But I can ask the Word. And He is not silent.

He tells me that my life is not accidental, my story is not random, and my origin is not merely biological. My history began before history, in the mind and heart of God. The internet may give me access to Ancestry.com. The Scriptures do something infinitely better. They give me access to my ancestry in God.

You are the foundation beneath every life and every name. My history began in the cradle of Your heart. Amen

Belonging

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For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Ever wonder where you belong?

Even in the healthiest homes, children can grow up with a quiet ache of lostness. Later, they may have no memory of ever fully relaxing into a safe embrace, the kind that lets every muscle soften, every guard fall, every fear unclench. So they move into adulthood carrying a deep hunger for belonging.   But because they are driven by need, they stretch out their arms indiscriminately. Others own them and hurt them. 

And even in the best of churches, believers can feel lost. Dysfunctional congregational life sets them up to stay on the sidelines, wondering where they fit in. Community seems to belong to the naturally confident or the fortunate few already part of a circle. Others stand just outside, wondering if there is really a place for them at all.

Oh, there are no safe masters except Jesus. Our life with Him began when we believed and trusted Him with our souls. We stepped through the Door. But many of us entered and then stopped short. We were saved but still cautious. Still standing near the threshold. Afraid of intimacy. Afraid of surrender. Afraid that if we come too close, we may be hurt again. So we linger, stiff and guarded.

Steve Brown, of Key Life Ministries, said, “Many come to Jesus to get saved but don’t stay long enough to get loved.”

He can heal our timidity. We can rest. We can breathe. It’s imperative in the days we live because only those with a burning love for God can endure the intensity of living in an increasingly godless age. This was the hallmark of the early Christians who went to their death singing. They had been loved deeply enough that even martyrdom could not separate them from joy.

Like a baby in a mother’s arms, I live securely with You. Amen

Conquests

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No, in all these things (tribulation, distress, famine, nakedness, danger & sword) we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.  Romans 8:37

What does it mean to be a conqueror as it relates to suffering? If I do the right things, pray the right prayers, or gather enough verses to recite by faith, can I make suffering disappear? Is there a hidden formula that eradicates tribulation, danger, and distress?

Only time with God (and the Holy Spirit tutoring that comes with age) has taught me otherwise. God does not always enable me to conquer suffering by removing it. He enables me to conquer the temptations that come with it, things like despair, hopelessness, terror, unbelief, and the suspicion that God has forsaken me. You could expand the list, I’m sure. There are many dark theological points that pain tries to preach.

The weapon that God makes available to me to ensure that I will come out of suffering with my faith in tact is the Word of God. It’s the rudder that steadies my mind when my heart is riding the waves. Good theology is not a luxury for calm days. It is survival for the storm. Concrete beliefs about God’s character, sovereignty, nearness, and love become anchors when my emotions are tossed around like twigs in a tornado.

Pain is persuasive. The accuser is cruel. And when I am weakened by suffering, their voices can feel too strong for me. But God is my strong tower. His truth speaks louder than my fear. His promises hold me steady when my feelings make me tremble. When I cling to what He has spoken, I realize that I’ve been safe in His arms all along. I can conquer every mental and emotional frailty.

This is how I conquer—not by escaping every flame, but by refusing to let the fire consume my faith.

Lord, You stood with the three men in the furnace, and not even the smell of smoke clung to them. Stand with me in every fire I must endure. Amen

Re-adjusting My Expectations

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Romans 8:36

My faith can be that fragile unless I learn to cultivate something deeper, a faith not dependent on fulfilled expectations.

When I cry out in need and Jesus answers with a miracle so dazzling that I want to declare His glory from the rooftops, I can drift into entitlement. I begin to expect that kind of rescue every time. It does not occur to me that the next answer may wear a different face. His love does not weaken when signs are few. His grace does not retreat when heaven is quiet. He sustains me whether I see wonders or wait in silence.

I will admit that I’ve often preferred the miracle to the Man. A visible answer can feel more valuable than His unseen Presence. I cannot touch Him, cannot look into His eyes. I come to Him, initially, needy and grasping. But I’m not meant to live in childish immaturity. Jesus grows me up past a faith that will only sing when the table is full.

God has promised to meet our needs. Sometimes He gives physical bread. Other times, He gives grace to endure hunger. Sometimes He removes the thorn. Other times, He gives more of Himself while the thorn remains.P eter, facing martyrdom, was not abandoned because Jesus did not spare his life. Christ provided Himself as Companion. Paul knew divine deliverance in more than one language. Once, the prison doors opened. Another time, his back was torn by lashes. Would he say Jesus came through the first time but failed the next? Hardly.Our spiritual fathers did not build their faith on signs and wonders. They knew this life was not the final chapter. They knew suffering could bruise the body but not bankrupt the soul. They knew Jesus was enough, not only when He rescued, but when He carried them through the pain.

Until I am safely home, Jesus is with me. That is the miracle I can trust when every lesser miracle is withheld.

Teach me to treasure Your presence more than relief. Amen

My Love Is Not The Point

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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Romans 8:35

My love for Christ has often been corrupted by tribulation, distress, persecution, danger, and sword.  In my spiritual immaturity, love waned because of my wrongful judgments against Him.  When painful times rolled over me, my distrust of Him spread like a cancer.

But my love for Christ is not the ‘love’ Paul is talking about.  It is His love for me.  Even though I pull back in fear, He is ever pursuing.  Even though I pull back in distrust, His love is incorruptible.

In those moments when I allowed tribulation to erode my love for Jesus, it was only because I did not understand God’s sovereignty.  I could not see His panoramic view of my life and how stunning it is for His glory.  With limited vision, I mistook His wisdom for neglect and His hidden mercy for lack of affection.

Christ’s love for me, the kind that does not ever diminish when the world falls apart, is a love I have to take by faith.  When I see no evidence of it, faith must live.  When I stand in glory and meet Jesus face to face and I get to review my life with glorified spiritual understanding, I will fall to my knees forever, never again doubting His love.

Jesus Loves Me This I Know – is the most important song we have ever learned.  It needs to play like a broken record in the rooms of our heart when anger and doubt are first present.  How do we know Christ loves us?  Because the Bible said so and Jesus proved it with His life.

I have been so childish, Lord.  When life was good, I said… “You love me.”  When life was hard, I said… “You must not love me.”  I vow to never let tribulation rock this assurance again.  Amen

He’s Resting. I Can Rest.

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Who is to condemn?  Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed in interceding for us.  Romans 8:34

This scripture is for every child of God who has ever wondered, “Am I really His?” Perhaps that’s you. Old sins still make you doubt. The accuser uses it as material for his case. Jesus feels distant. You remember seasons of closeness, but now heaven feels like it’s shut up tight. Let’s talk about this.

If you have fled to the cross, confessed your sin, and given your life to Jesus Christ, you are God’s child. No sin can condemn you now. No desert disproves your spiritual adoption. And Paul makes this case ~ Jesus rose from the grave, proving that He is the Christ and that His atonement was accepted.

He is now sitting at the right hand of God. That seated position is not a small detail. The priests in the Old Testament never finished their work.  Day after day, and year after year, they performed the same sacrifices because the Lamb of God had not yet come.  There were no chairs in the Jewish temple. There was no sitting. Jesus’ seated position in heaven proves that sin was finally paid for.

Remember, Jesus sat down. He’s resting. That means that I can rest. I am hidden safely in Christ, forever.

Lord Jesus, You are resting, so teach my frightened heart to rest.   Amen

Is God One Who Withholds?

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He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will be not also with him graciously give us all things?  Romans 8:32

God’s generosity has no hidden boundaries where love stops and withholding begins. Yet, I can still believe that He is stingy.  When I really need something and God fails to provide it, I can question His goodness.  Complicating this is the fact that I often ask for what is not good for me.  I don’t know that when I ask for it, but God does.  In my 70+ years of living life with Jesus, there are longings I have expressed over the years.  But God sees what I cannot see. He knows the hidden consequences and the spiritual dangers. There is mercy concealed inside the denial.

All of us carry unanswered prayers. God’s goodness might be on trial, albeit quietly. There are requests we barely know how to name anymore because the disappointment has lived so long. There are dreams we have wrapped in silence because hope is too painful to keep resurrecting.

As one who has known dark nights of the soul, let me put my arms around you and assure you that God is passionate about you. He is not unmoved by your tears. He desires to bless you. And even now, though you may not yet see it, He is being gracious.

But be careful. The enemy preys on the vulnerable. He waits for the hour when pain has made us tired and disappointment has made us suspicious. Then he whispers that God is mutinous against His own promises. And because our circumstances appear to offer evidence of proof, the lie can feel ironclad. We must be convinced that pain is a dangerous counselor. Decisions made in anguish are often decisions we later grieve. God’s character is not altered by our circumstances and His goodness is not diminished by our accusations.

While we wait, we are encouraged to anchor our souls in the truth that extravagant grace is not absent. It is actually shaping our provision and preparing us for what will spiritually prosper us.

Teach me to trust Your generosity. Keep me verbal and believing in hope. Amen

God On My Side

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If God is for us, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:31

I was born into a war I cannot escape. It will rage until my final breath, until faith becomes sight, until the enemy falls silent. And without Him spread over my life like a holy covering, I will forget where victory comes from. I will mistake fatigue for defeat. I will believe the enemy’s lies more than God’s promises.

My enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. I know that God is greater than all three. I know this in the marrow of my theology. But there are days when it feels like I am losing ground, when my heart returns from battle in shreds.

The world is against me because I have pledged my life to the One it crucified. I belong to Christ, and therefore I offend others even when I speak His name with tears in my eyes. Most bristle at Him before they ever understand Him. And no matter how gently I may come, Christ still stands between us. When He is despised, I cannot expect to be warmly embraced.

The flesh is against me. There is still an old ache inside me that remembers Egypt fondly, appetites that reach back to old defaults. God’s presence is a reminder to me that I am alive to Him and dead to my old passions.  Though I have the freedom to sin, my desires for things of the flesh are being transformed under the shadow of His presence.

The devil is against me.The devil is against me. He is the ancient strategist, the accuser who studies my wounds and goes for the jugular. He knows the old griefs, the old shame, the old fears, and he returns to familiar doors hoping I will open them again. 

God is not watching me fight from some distant throne. He is not a general removed from the field, issuing orders from safety. He is there in the struggle, in the storm, in the surprise assaults, even in the places where courage leaves me completely and I have nothing left but a cry for help.

The battle is fierce, but it is not final. You are on my side and You’ve already declared victory. Amen

The Infamous Verse

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are call according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.  Romans 8:28-29

There are unfortunate misrepresentations of this verse. Mostly, it’s used as a glib cliché, handed out like an adult might hand out penny candy to placate a whiny child. This promise is a gem but because of its misuse, I can feel a negative impact as soon as I hear the reference.  I don’t even need to hear it recited to feel the dread.

The ‘good’ Paul describes does not mean that all will be made right and fair in my lifetime.  The ‘good’ is what the next verse addresses, that God will work all things; evil, sickness, and failure to conform me to the image of His Son.  I miss that entirely when I don’t read verse twenty-eight in its total context. .

Often, God advances His children through the path of adversity.  Look at the life of Joseph.  But when I quote this verse to someone who is experiencing hardship, I am really telling them this ~  “If you love God, He will use this ‘crushing thing’ to make you more like Jesus.”  Do I really want to say this to someone who is hurting?  My inference is that they are not like Jesus, so this misery is being used to shape them up. Few friends can quote them to me when I’m down. 

I do want to be like Jesus. More and more, that desire is changing the way I see suffering. I am less inclined to view it as an interruption and more willing to see it as a kind of mercy. It’s something God may use to shape in me the mind and feelings of Christ. Even as I weep, suffering is no longer empty. It becomes a place where something holy is being formed.

Thank You that You do not waste what wounds me. Thank You for drawing something beautiful out of what feels so ugly, if only that my own countenance begins to look more like Yours. Amen.

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