Real Life. Weak Faith. Perfect Savior

One of the traits that beguiles me, and most men at times, is this desire to prove myself. This is something that I think we (men) are born with and hold onto forever. It is contrary to the teachings of the bible yet all segments of our society applaud this trait and see it as something that is to be admired. So, for a man who is trying to follow Jesus this creates quite the dilemma. Do I do what feels natural and continue to jockey for position, labor for attention, fight to be right, strive harder for recognition and elevate my self-worth OR do I the opposite of all those things, like Jesus did?

Jesus taught us and demonstrated for us that we are to do the opposite. That’s the gist of the whole Sermon on the Mount and the whole of Jesus’ human experience. During his time on this earth he lived everyday not to prove himself but to prove God. Think about it, how often did Jesus refrain from exerting his authority – prove himself on the spot – to instead trust God with the moment and allow God to prove himself faithful in the end? Jesus did this without fail because his trust in his Father was greater than his need to prove himself capable of handling the situation on his own.

I know that God equips us to do great things and sometimes when that happens it will bring attention our way. My point here is not that we will never exert great effort and be seen by those around us as having done something well and thereby gain some form of recognition. Every miracle Jesus performed was at the leading of God and every act of Jesus drew huge amounts of attention. But, we never see Jesus acting to gain attention… as a matter of fact we often see him running from the attention that came his way due to his actions… why? Even though he was God he didn’t see value in proving himself as a man but in elevating the power of his Father so that at the right time he would receive his due reward… from his Father… not instantly from men. (Phil 2:5-11)

I hate how often I strive to prove myself capable of handling a situation instead of seeing it as an opportunity to prove my trust in God. There really is only one reason I would do that… its because at that moment I value the instant reward of men over the ultimate reward of God.

My hope is that as I walk forward through this life that I will seek to prove God and not myself. Recognizing the momentary rush that pride brings in a success will, in time, feel like agony compared to the everlasting pulse of joy provided by a Father who has proven himself to me.

As I have been reading through the book of Genesis, I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to relate to the stories of the individuals highlighted in the book. The obvious common thread is that God is at work in the lives of His people… even up against our will… and this is most evident in the way He has to continuously thwart our attempts to be in control.

In chapters 17 and 18, I was really struck by how much my life is similar to Abraham’s.

God gave Abram a new name.

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham…” – Genesis 17:3-5

Abraham reverted to his old ways.

And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” – Genesis 17:18

God’s grace and greatness prevailed.

Is anything too hard for the LORD? – Genesis 18:14

Just like Abraham, I was confronted by God because He wanted to give me a “new name” and set a new direction for my life. He saved me by His design through the blood of His son for the sake of His name and for a specific purpose. (Ephesians 1 & 2)

Just like Abraham, I have found myself offering God my suggestions on how to short cut His plan when I couldn’t see how things could possible workout the way God told me they would. I can’t tell you how many times I have offered God my “Ishmael” because of my lack of trust in Him coming through with His “Isaac”.

But!

Just like Abraham, I have seen God reject my simple, man made suggestions and prove that “nothing is too hard for the LORD”. God will not compromise and He will not accept a lesser way and He will not re-direct His plan for me. He has made me wait, for sure, but He has never failed me and He has never failed to do exactly what His word says He will do. He is too gracious and too great.

I am so thankful for a God who isn’t moved by my weak minded and trust lacking suggestions. God does as God says He will do and just like Abraham neither you or I can stop Him because He has promised to finish what He starts (Philippians 1:6).

So, just like Abraham… I’ve been given a new name and no matter how often I revert to my old ways, God will prove His grace and greatness.

Song of Solomon 4:7
You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Today Cherie and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I have been in love with this girl since I was 15 years old and my love for her has only increased over the 26 years since. The one thing I know for certain is that, in many ways, she has been the best literal representation of Jesus to me. More than anyone I have ever known she walks with and like Jesus so consistently. She has also served both as my “holy spirit” and my “savior” on too many occasions to mention.

Over the years I have seen that she (though she would strongly disagree) is my physical, emotional and spiritual example of a perfect woman. The verse listed above has become something that I can say to her with complete integrity and authenticity. She, to me, is without flaw and that is because I know God made her specifically for me.

Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.

No where in scripture does it say anything close to “She who finds a husband finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.” In reality – at least as far as I can tell – if there was a scripture that addressed this it would more likely read, “She who is burdened with a husband finds a bum and obtains a curse from the LORD.” Even though this would hold true for us, Cherie treats me like a king and always acts like I’m a gift to her… now THAT is amazing grace!

I, by God’s mercy, found a wife who by every measure is incredible and because of that I live with the greatest favor the Lord could ever show any person. I am so thankful for Cherie and for our 20 years of marriage… Every year gets better, more exciting and when I think it isn’t possible, I realize that I love her even more.