Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Trials - Races - New Names Written





Thank God for trials!  What would we ever do without them?  I can tell you what we would do.  We would shrivel up and blow away with the first strong wind; we would become as weak as newborn babes.  Why is this?  Because it is trials that make us strong, trials that make us grow, trials that bring us wisdom, and finally it is trials that will cause us to be a comfort to others when they come face to face with what we have left behind.  Then they eventually  will see how He makes all things beautiful in His time, even as in the lyrics of the song.   Hope can now be embraced as those who have been afflicted vow to rise again.  It will be these who will one day encourage others who will follow in their steps.  And in this way the armies of God move ever onward, retrieving from the enemy what in times past was theirs, though now returning to them with increase. 

When the truth is told, the believer will see that every trial that comes their way comes from above; actually it is a packaged gift from God.  The trouble is that the packaging is so difficult to remove, that doing so may make us feel like we’ve been through a bad train wreck.  But finally when our storm has passed, and the gift uncovered, the pearl of great price is before us; our joy is made full and a new season lies ahead.

Too often does the follower of Christ see the trial they face as though it were an enemy.  True that it will be the enemy who will take a flying leap right into the center of it all – and land hard.  But the testing itself has come to us from the Father of lights.  It is always He who initiates a thing.   And when He does, it is meant for our good – for strength, for growth, for wisdom, so that one day we may comfort another concerning their own affliction.  It is in this way that Joseph comforted his repentant brothers when he told them that what they had meant for evil, God had meant for good.  Always is it Him behind the scenes, working all things according to the good pleasure of His will.

Life is an obstacle course; it is the race that we run.  But to lay hold of the mercies that are new every morning, to embrace the grace that is ours by inheritance.  It will be by these that we will overcome all that is set before us.  And so we must forge ahead and not look back; we must not look to the left or to the right.  For it is the event of our life, with the eyes of many upon us, as we face testings and heartaches, anguish and affliction.  Still, victory is always within reach. 

Sometimes our trials may be due to sin.  But don’t beat yourself up too badly for this.  Nobody ever died sinless but the Son.  What we often fail to realize is that we are infested with this poison; and it goes right down into the bone.  On occasion I’ve heard some mistakenly say that God will never use an unclean vessel.  If they were talking about a vessel of flesh and bone – of body, soul and spirit, which is what we are, then I guess that the only vessel He has ever used is the One who came down from heaven. 

Men are sinners – all men, from the highest pulpit on down.  Sin isn’t just doing a bad thing.  Neither is it missing the target.  Sin is missing the bulls-eye.  And how often do you think that occurs?  But even beyond this, sin is the state of our human nature, which has caused us to become separated from God; it is our position as related to His.  Romans 3:23 reads, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …”.  This type of writing is called parallelism.  Parallelism can be found throughout the bible.  It’s the writer repeating what he has just finished saying, but now with a different choice of words.  And so, in the case of Romans 3:23, Paul would then be telling us that to sin, and to come short of His glory, is really one and the same.  Putting it another way, because we are found to be outside of His glory, we are also found to be in sin; we were conceived in it.  But take heart.  Here is the Good News.  When you read the five verses that surround Romans 3:23, we come to understand that despite our sin, He has lavished upon us Grace, Justification, and His very own Righteousness.  And one day, according to I John 3:2, we will be all that the Son is, while making up His very body, He being the Head.  And it will be on that Day that now even the glory will fall upon us, even as it clothes the Son; and this forever.

What I have just written is all for the sake of saying this.  Don’t put your focus on the conquering of your sins.  Most naturally we should fight off temptations when they come, and with all that we have at our disposal; and hopefully we will be the victors.  But to fix our minds on the winning of battles is not only the wrong way to do warfare in heavenly places, but it is a distraction.  How is that?  Because it takes our eyes off of where we should have them and sets them on the bathroom mirror – when it is not about us.  Our vision must ever be raised to where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God – in power!  He is our victory, and not our own fleshly endeavors.  And that is why the apostle Paul entreats us to have our mind stayed on things above, since we have died to our lives in this world.  If we follow Paul’s advice, we may not come out unscathed from our battles against the dark powers.  Though in the end we will be the conquerors; and that through Jesus Christ our Lord.

There is however another place that we can raise our vision to, where the Son of God stands waiting for us.  It is at the finish line of the race we run.  But this also is in the heavenlies, even as is our warfare.  It is all important then that I keep my eyes fixed on the goal where waits my reward.  His name is Jesus.  And on that Day when I cross the finish line, I will receive a new name.  That means that I will no longer be known as Joe Pecoraro.  And why would this be?  It’s because Joe Pecoraro is my slave name.  How is that?  Because when I was born into this world, I was born into the slavery of sin.  I inherited it from the man Adam, the father of us all.  I was given the names of my forefathers before me, who were also born into sin’s slavery.  But on the Day that I finish my course I will no longer have to bear the shame of my slave name.  Because on that Day, I will be given by the Lord a name that says I am free, even as it will be with all who are born from above.  How would it make sense for the names that we have borne in this fallen world to follow us into the kingdom of His dear Son?

Yes; names to say we are free!  And made up of heaven’s alphabet, I believe it only suitable that an eternal weight of glory should be upon the sound of every name given.  God speed the Day!

J. Pecoraro






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