BLAME TURNS TO JOY

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I was on a trip, when I heard my best friend and brother in the Lord had committed suicide. This death was the proverbial last straw and it left me crushed at the side of road, in tears so great, I could not see to drive. I had just gone through a divorce, and suffered my two young children being torn away from me and taken to a city, hundreds of mile away. I had been serving God the best I knew how but these sad occurrences were just too much. After crying a storm I actually got out of the car and lifted my fist to God and shouted, "THIS IS IT! ........ NO MAS! ..... I AM FINISHED WITH YOU! Even then, long before I would understand the whole of God's sovereignty, I knew who to blame.
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Twenty something years later l found out, although I was finished with God, He was not finished with me. He took my blame and turned it to joy.

In our last blog I shared a word on how God, in Christ, suffering as our scapegoat, even says to man "blame me. He says, "Blame me for your plight, brought about by the sinful flesh and the fallen world I have placed you in."

As far as "blame", some might think that in the way I have used the term, I might have taken a bit of liberty or exercised hyperbole. With this in mind, I would be remiss if I didn't share the progression and end of the matter.

All our shortcomings are but the acts of walking in a suit of sinful flesh that God placed our spirit in. Upon realizing our futility, which is never made more evident than in severe trials, we begin to enter into the real battle, which is our Armageddon. Understanding God's sovereignty, we initially blame Him for the trials that engulf us. I mean come on, who hasn't murmured and complained to Him as His hand seems to weigh so very heavy upon our body and soul. With this we wrestle Him, and this match seems to go back and forth. One moment we have peace and the next angst. The Victor, never in question, wears us out and then He overcomes us. He overcomes us and takes His place over the trial and within us, as Christ on the throne. This overcoming is of course progressive, with many diverse trials to follow. Slowly, we learn to find peace and joy even in the midst of darkness as we identify with our beloved Saviour. In this trial to trial cascade, we come to realize Christ is becoming the All, in All. We start seeing Him in ALL our situations and more importantly we are realizing that He is becoming ALL that we are. With this Divine work, the soul comes to an IN-STILLed knowledge, that all God does is reckoned for our good. And tribulation and trials can be encountered with joy, for by them we know we are not little unforgotten bastards running free but disciplined sons of the Almighty and overcomers in the making.

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials"James 1:2

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2Cor 12:9

"This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Neh 8:10


And don't anyone tell me they can pull up a real joy out of their own self! Joy, held in the midst of a trial, like all things is God given. This joy it is not giddy and rarely is it emotional. Instead, this joy is deep and still ....... peaceful. It is truly a joy unspeakable. Who could ever come to such, save it be given of God through that which we call "faith" ... the "faith, born of Christ and not of our self." Truly this is the path of realizing God, All in All and entering into His rest.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Heb.12:2-6


O Lord, IN-STILL within us the grace to "give up and let God." Jesus, grant us Your joy as we embrace Your cross, which is our cross. And Lord, even help me to walk more surely in all that I write.

Jack


Note: For a fuller understanding of this message you might want to read these previous blogs that explore "Christ, as our scapegoat"
http://jack-sonshine.blogspot.com/2009/09/god-in-christ-blame-me.html

http://jack-sonshine.blogspot.com/2009/04/economics-of-son-embracing-jesus-as.html

http://jack-sonshine.blogspot.com/2009/05/economics-of-son-embracing-jesus-as.html


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