What Does It?

What Does It?

by David Brenneman 

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

"And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:23-26

We have this hope...that in living life  as the Spirit directs each of us...that we indeed will see God working in and through our lives.  

Many self-condemn when it comes to living the Christian life.  Whereas Jesus has forgiven them, they seem to have a problem forgiving themselves. 

Our sin nature is really good at the self-condemnation game.  Perhaps a different way of looking at it is a guilty conscience on steroids. Perpetual in scope.  Going on and on.   In truth, keeping us from seeing the power of forgiveness in Christ Jesus as He meant it to be.

There's people and people groups out there teaching a different gospel of what amounts to condemnation.  That when we face Jesus after He returns that we're going to be judged.  

Really flies in the face of our opening passage from Romans. 

Our lives aren't our own...we indeed were bought with a price...the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 up for me." Galatians 2:20.

God knows we aren't perfect nor are we condemned when we are not.  We have as our Advocate Jesus Christ the Triumphant.  He knows our weaknesses and knows what we go through...and have been through. 

Grace means unmeritted favor.  Favor granted that we did nothing to earn.  

Grace and mercy are from God our Father through Jesus Christ to each of us.

To be truthful...I am grateful for the various limitations in my life that have been there most all my life.  Limitations of income, of ability, of knowledge, of strength, of wisdom, of well, anything that the world holds dear.  

I could strive for what the world says is important but what good is that really?  There's never been a successful U-Haul trip after a funeral for anything that a person who dies has accumulated.  That is to say you can't take it with you. 

What's the point in striving to live a life of wanton pleasure and missing out on the righteous life that God desires for you?  You only have a world's-eye view of the potential in your life.  Jesus has a God's-eye view of all that He's promised concerning you as lived for Him. 

What do you gain, really, from living life for yourself?  Momentary satisfaction? Momentary pleasure?  

What really would have happened with the Church had Peter stayed in his wallowing self pity and despair after denying His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  What if he hadn't been pursued by Jesus after the resurrection?  Oh and yes he was pursued. 

When we really realize that we too are being pursued...it changes things.  Changes perspectives. 

Jesus is going to pursue all who He knows are supposed to be in His book of Life.  

The Great White Throne Judgment day is of no surprise to Jesus.  There's no shocking plot twists coming.  There's no questions being asked when people are separated.  He knows all who are His.  

Those who are His on that day, at the end of human history, are not condemned.  

Oh but the life we miss when we aren't striving to live in obedience to Him!  

Some may consider those with a higher IQ as smart or smarter than most.  Intelligence doesn't grant favor with God.  At their own moments in time that they died many millions of the smartest people died and went to Hell. 

Jesus wants us to have a personal relationship with Him in all aspects of life.  It doesn't matter how smart we are or think we are.  In Christ we have the righteousness of God.  

Oh that we would do more to believe God.  Believe when He says: "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11-12

Consider this: “Behold, I know your thoughts, And the plans by which you would wrong me." Job 21:27.

Jesus taught of asking, seeking and knocking. 

My Dear Friend, pray the following Psalm:

 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." Psalms 139:23-24.

Consider that prayer along with "Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

"If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

You choose to walk with Jesus as He really intended for you to walk or you don't.  

You choose to take up your own cross and follow Him or you don't.  

You choose...but you will give an account of your life before Jesus.

You will never know what might have been until you are face-to-face with Jesus.  

Things, achievements, accolades, whatever the world holds dear...count it as loss.

"More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,  and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.  Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:8-14.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.