ADVENT MEDITATIONS - Part 7

DEC. 14 - (Преображение)
Today the devotional meditation highlighted the result of our new reality...Jesus's work is to change and transform us so that we become more like Him.

I chose this verse to memorize for today - 2 Corinthians 3:18 -- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We can be assured that this transformation is indeed taking place, and this should cause us to rejoice!



DEC. 15 - (Жизнь и смерть)
Today's devotional was focused on the reality of death and life and how that relates to what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus Christ came in order to die - but His death was what made it possible for us to have eternal life.

I chose these verses to memorize - John 11:25-26 -- Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, even though he dies, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."

Death is a part of the reality of our life on earth, and it sometimes comes when we least desire it. But the hope of Christmas is that those who believe on Jesus Christ - who we are celebrating - will live again. Death has been defeated by life!

The Master's "GRAND DESIGN"

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah ... (Isaiah 1:1)

Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah ... (1:4-10)

"Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now and let us reason together," saith the LORD: "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword:" for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (1:16-20)

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Yesterday I watched a particularly interesting episode of a British television show called "GRAND DESIGNS," which features ordinary British people on a quest to restore, to its original grandeur and even more, an historic old building that is currently derelict, decrepit and desolate because of years of neglect. Here's a few pics:

A British couple with 2 children bought this old, abandoned church in Ireland and their plan was to restore the building and transform the inside into a home where they could live. The church - built in 1835 - was struck by lightning and burned down in 1902, and had been left to rot and fall apart for more than 100 years.

This real-life restoration project gave me a visual illustration of what God was saying to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah, and I want to share that with you.

1. We live in a "sinful nation," among a people "laden with iniquity" who have "forsaken the LORD" and "are gone away backward." It was somewhat surprising to me how so many people in the community loved the historicity of the old church in Ireland, but over 100 years there had been no one who was willing to work at fixing or maintaining it. It would have been a lot easier to fix the problems had the work begun years earlier. Yet, how much more saddening it is to realize that so many people have simply forsaken God and let their spiritual lives go to rot. We must be careful not to think that this cannot happen to us -- and if in some area we discover that we have forsaken what we know God wants for us, then we must deal with that before it becomes a monumental desolation in our spiritual lives.

2. A solid foundation (soundness) is crucial, but the structure will fall apart if the rest of it is not cared for properly. Since this is true for a building, how much more so is this true for us spiritually, since we are "the temple of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God dwelleth in [us]?" (1 Corinthians 3:16) There was soundness in the stone used to construct the old church building in Ireland, but it definitely looked bruised and sore, and there were gaps and holes that had not been closed up or tended to. Storms of trial and temptation sweep through our lives, and there will be circumstances that cause sores, bruises and wounds, even though our faith is founded on the solid truth of God's Word and His love for us. These wounds must be "bound up" and "mollified with ointment" so that they can heal -- so that our faith does not fall apart like an abandoned building that has been beaten by the storms of life.

3. If one finds him/herself in this state, what are we to do then? Isaiah 1:16-20 has the answer. God invites us to "come and reason with Him," and He tells us that if we wash and cleanse ourselves (repentance) and cease from doing evil, that He will cleanse us from our sins -- "though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." And I love verse 19: "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." The cleansing and preparation of the old, decrepit church took much time and hard work -- especially the repairing of the massive amount of stonework -- but in order to transform it into a grand and beautiful building again, the cleansing and repair was required. So it is in our spiritual lives ... if we desire to be a beautiful "temple" and to reflect the character of our God who lives within us, we must put in the time and effort required for repentance and cleansing, so that God can do His purifying and rebuilding work.

And when we do this - when we 1) acknowledge our sins, 2) allow God to bind up and heal our wounds, and 3) repent and submit ourselves willingly and obediently to His restorative work - then we will eat the good of the land.

As we carefully maintain our outward appearance, even more so we must care for our spiritual condition so that we will be fit to reflect and display the glory of the One who has saved us and dwells within, because God has a GRAND DESIGN for us:

• We are chosen and predestined in love to be His children, pure and holy in His sight, to the praise of His glory and grace. (Ephesians 1:4-12)
• We are saved by His grace, reconciled through the cross, made fellow-citizens with the household of God; to be built as a holy temple to the Lord, with a firm foundation of faith and Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, a habitation of God through His Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:4-22)

May we, as Christ's church, continually strengthen our foundation in the Word of God, stay committed to His work of sanctification in us through the Holy Spirit, and seek His will in our lives so that we will be a reflection of His glory, a beautiful dwelling-place for the one true God and a testament to everyone around us of the marvelous love and grace that redeems sinners and reconciles them to Himself.

EXPECTATIONS, LETTING GO and TRUST

This blog post has been a draft for about a month now. I knew that I needed to write it, but I needed to experience a few more situations first...and now I'm ready. Sometimes putting my feelings and thoughts into words gives me courage for the challenges ahead, so here goes:

Living here in Ukraine and trying to adapt to the culture and the challenges of studying seems to bring out both the best and the worst in me, and that's a good thing, although it doesn't always feel like it. When God in His grace redeemed me and called me to Himself, He began a process called "sanctification." Sometimes I forget this, and then my Heavenly Father lovingly chastens me and reminds me that the goal is to change and transform me to be more like His Son, Jesus Christ. There are times along the way when I may receive unexpected encouragement or glimpses of the miraculous changes that He is bringing about, but it is important to remember - especially when it's hard - that He will complete the work He started in me because it is all about Him.

"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..." (Philippians 1:6)

EXPECTATIONS -- sometimes we realize that we have them, and sometimes we don't. In both cases, there is often disappointment and hurt and a wide range of emotions. But there is also great opportunity for grace. I think probably one of the hardest aspects of understanding expectations is acknowledging that some of them are not important and truly desiring to change the way I respond to circumstances. I will never be free of expectations in this life, but I am so thankful that in His mercy God understands my weakness.

LETTING GO -- once I have honestly faced my expectations I must move to the next step - learning to release my grasp on them and the emotions attached to them. This is really a shift in perspective, because in order to let go I have to be willing to change. Too often I find myself thinking, "Why is this so hard? Why can't I just do it the way I want to or have done it for so long?" This is stinking pride -- the root of it is that I want to feel knowledgeable or important or that I have been able to achieve something, and so instead of being willing to learn from others and looking for the positives, I gripe and complain about how difficult it is to change.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:20-21)

Were it not for this truth, for the reality that Christ lives in me and is working in me, it would feel hopeless. But I can press on because I know that this is true.

TRUST -- it is a daily challenge to trust that God's plan truly is the best and to translate that into how I build relationships and respond to circumstances that come my way. I have to trust that there is a reason, even if I cannot see it now and I must trust that if my heart is truly willing, my Father will enable me to do what feels impossible to me at the moment.

These insights have come out of my experiences in learning to live in close quarters with people I don't know who think and act differently than I do, and in studying a language and culture that is in many ways foreign to me. I want to relate to the people in my life and to build relationships with them, and in order to do that I have to be willing to develop new ways of thinking and acting, but the old ways must go first.

I appreciate your prayers and encouragement on this journey -- God is at work and I want to joyfully accept what He brings into my life and allow Him to transform me into the person I need to be. I am in the service of the King and He must be Lord of all.