Broken to become complete What does it mean to be broken, as a Christian? The very word brokenness means that something that was whole has been taken apart. In this disassembly of the human soul, brought on by conviction of the Holy Spirit, the life of the individual is left without excuse or reason not to surrender all they are to God. In acceptance of Gods complete authority over the life of a Christian, that person is made complete in the process of being broken. Brokenness is not an emotional expectation of a spectacular moving of Gods power, but rather an everyday willingness to obey Gods commands and thereby show love for Him (2 John 6). Death to self yields life through Christ. How do we get there from here? For an answer I turn to scripture, for His divine power has given us everything for life and godliness through knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3). Gods word is the source of all that we need in life, because it points us to the One who created life. First, we make sure that we are forgiven and are children of God; saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Then, once we make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), we then die to our old selves. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it (Luke 9:23-24). Denying yourself and losing your life refers to being broken before God every single day, a constant heart attitude of not my will, but yours be done (Luke 22:42b). Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing... (Philippians 2:5-7a). Our attitude before God should be one of humility, not that we can be as holy and perfect as Christ in this life, but to still be broken and emptied of our own desires, that He may fill us with the knowledge of His plans and the strength to do His will. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should be no longer slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him (Romans 6:6-8). Jesus said, Because I live, you also will live (John 14:19b). Jesus is the full meaning and purpose in a Christians life. Each one should be ready to say For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me ... but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12, 13b-14). This act of persistency in moving on, of a constant journey down the straight and narrow road is one with tons of distractions along the way. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). When we realize that there is nothing we can do, by ourselves, to make us more holy or righteous, but only that Christ in us can give us abundant life, and that being not only the best but a desirable way to live, then we can truly give up fighting God and let Him come in to lead our lives, completely take over us, and to use us. Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life ... in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus ... for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:4, 11, 23). We forget what is behind, which is sin and death, and our old self which was broken. As we press on toward what is ahead, that being new life in Christ and all the promises that our faith and hope are in, we are then running the race set out for us, living in Gods love. Sin leads to death. Christ leads to life. Die to sin, live for God. It is not easy, even the apostle Paul had problems with this; I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15). We have all been there. We also have a promise: So I say, live by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:16). Living by GodÕs spirit means not living by our spirit, but instead having Him not only with us but leading us through this world, living a life of love for God. This is love for God; to obey His commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world, even our faithÓ (1 John 5:3-4). We live in a world that is hard to live in as Christians, but we have victory over this world through faith in Christ! I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live; not I but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). We are to become like Jesus, who was broken for us, and die to ourselves by being broken spiritually; in the hopes that, as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, we also will be made whole again, filled with Gods spirit, and His willing servants. We are broken so that we may give the pieces of our life to God, who made them and knows how they fit together, so He can remake us, and form out of our lives new creatures in Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. It is written: I believed; therefore I have spoken. With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians. 4:7-9, 13-18). So when you wake up in the morning, be you groggy cheerful, I pray that you would tell your Father that you are His, that this is His day, and ask for the willingness to be broken away from your own desires so that you may all the more closely cling to and live out Gods will. Lay your life before the Lord, commit every thought, word and deed to Him, for In Christ Jesus ... the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6). Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73:23-28
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 06:52:34 +0000
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