We See Through a Glass DarklyG.K. Chesterton said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried." If we try and try to be good by not getting angry, but continually have anger leap out of us like a hungry tiger, then our own efforts are not getting the job done. If people irritate us like pesky flies at a picnic, and we prefer to be alone rather than to be out with such wretched people, is this a moral issue or just a matter of our preference? If we want to murder someone in our heart, but don't actually commit the act, have we committed an immoral act? With regard to this last question, according to the Word, yes we have. For Jesus said that if you lust after someone in your heart, you have committed adultery. It makes sense that this principle should apply to other crimes of the heart as well. In the fictional tale by William Golding, Lord of the Flies, had the children had a Bible with them, which they read and applied, would the horrific direction of that story, have happened? Might there have been more prayers instead of so much preying? Might there have been self-sacrifice (a willingness to die to self), rather than the self-sufficiency response of this wicked world, which is "How do I take care of #1? What's in it for me?" Most of Jesus' teachings were about getting along with people. The idealisms Jesus presented are deemed impossible to live up to by many, considered unworthy of giving it that much attention by the self-sufficient, and radically followed by few. It is regrettable that those who claim to be Christians might not choose to take the commands of their leader seriously. They weren't suggestions. They were commands. He said, "If you love me, follow my commands." Not only were they not suggestions, He said if we love Him, which most Christians claim they do, then we MUST do what He said. But of course I get angry, you say. Naturally, people make me upset, you say. Naturally, my pride has been damaged, you cry. Naturally, we should retaliate, you say. If someone has killed a member of my family, naturally I should see that the book is thrown at them and that they, hopefully, will get something painful, like the electric chair, as opposed to lethal injection. Make them suffer and squirm, you say. Many people are being massacred in this world, by those who wield tremendous worldly power. Naturally, we should hate people who abuse other people, and oppress them, and show them what it is like to be the oppressed instead of the oppressor. We want to be the prosecutor, judge, jury and administrator of justice, here and now, regardless of our limited understanding. But Jesus says, in effect, "Don't you know that My Spirit, dwelling in you, can accomplish more than what you try to do by yourself?" Jesus said:
Joh 16:33 I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. (MKJV)It has been 2000 years since Jesus came from heaven to show us the way. How long will it take for us to realize we have failed to establish perfect peace and a utopian society on our own and by our strength? Is this that hard to recognize? We have made many excuses to not pay attention to the Word of God, preferring to fail miserably at establishing a true and lasting inner peace, which can only come through Jesus Christ. Jesus doesn't say that He will take away all our problems—in fact, He says in the above verse that there will be trials and tribulations, but we are to celebrate at His overcoming of the world. He assures us that if He is established as our Lord and Savior and His Spirit is given a residence in our heart (that is, we mentally, emotionally and humbly rely on Him without reservation), then, though the trials come, we will have that inner peace that can only come through our dependence on Him. His overcoming of the world is, therefore, ours as well, through Him. This is definitely hard to comprehend if we have a worldview that goes no farther than our five senses. But we are asked to have a worldview that supercedes our limited, tangible-istic view. This can only be done by faith because we can't see beyond the five senses. Please consider that when we attempt to rely on ourselves only, we individually and we as a society, fail miserably. We see through the lenses of our carnal nature, our inbred sin, our obsession with appearances, and our misunderstanding of people's hearts. We are appearance-driven instead of Christ driven. Lam 5:16 The crown has fallen from our head [our honor is brought to the dust]! Woe to us, for we have sinned! Lam 5:17 Because of this our hearts are faint and sick; because of these things our eyes are dim and see darkly. (AMP)Our society, in this "advanced culture," erupts with violence every day, as people try and fail to deal with their churning emotions and perceptions of injustice. The idea that we need the help of God, however, upsets the worshipper of the intellect, but our pride must be destroyed or else we will be destroyed by it. Doing what Jesus asks us to do, in the Word, need only be tried for a few months by each of us, in order to determine its value. Using the scientific method, sincerely and faithfully give your life to Jesus Christ and begin to evaluate its efficacy. We've spent every generation doing everything our way, without His help. Admitting defeat is a good thing, in this case. Win through Christ's teachings, and win through establishing Him as the foundation in your heart. The heart is a place in the deepest part of your mind, which tints your perception of the world as you look out upon it. If Christ is established in your heart, then His elusive inner peace can tint your perception and keep you calm in the midst of every trial and tribulation. It can't be that simple, you say. It is, but until it has been tried by you, you can't understand it. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He was and remains a humble and giving mediator between us and God. His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead is our story of our death to self (pride) and our resurrection to abundant life (which Jesus says He came to give us). The window of opportunity will shut as this age of grace comes to a close. Then Jesus will come in a fearsome glory. Before it is too late, take a deep breath, release all to Jesus, and feel His inner encouragement at your willingness to do this. You will win…
1John 4:4 …because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (MKJV)Having done that, Jesus, who is fast established in your heart (or deepest part of where you think from), is now lifting your burdens and removing your sins (past and present). Next, He sweeps away those old worldly tools, designed to defend your position by attacking those who disturb you, enveloping you with worldly lusts and passions. It's all gone. You are no longer a chaotic worldly antagonist, but a peaceful, heavenly protagonist—allowing Jesus His full power through you. The king of this world (Satan) no longer has a hold on you, as you no longer live and perceive from a selfish, discouraged and deceived worldview. Jesus is greater than Satan; wonderfully and amazingly greater than your previous worldview, which was darkened by your worship of the king of this world. This is the glorious outcome if the experiment is correctly done. Once Jesus is established in our hearts, and His teachings are taken seriously, a new and improved morality begins to emerge from us. If someone wants us to walk with them for a mile, we go two. If someone wants our coat, we give them our shirt as well. If someone borrows from us, we do not worry about them paying us back. If someone offends us, we go to our prayer closets (the place we pray to God in private) and ask His help to forgive all offenses. We are more concerned about how WE respond to life's offenses, as we humbly go to God for relief from those burdens. We are less concerned about what issues forth from the mouths of those not yet living in the truth of Christ's kingdom, which has now been established within. This world can be wonderfully improved, as we each take the One who overcame the world into our hearts, following His teachings seriously, forgiving generously, and putting an end to the apparently never ending aggression and retaliation, on an individual basis, which this world embraces. What a wonderful gift God gave us in Jesus Christ, who came from outside our limited belief systems, to help us get past the endless recycling of carnal vengeance and assumed superiority over others. Morality is so much more than what many secular schools teach, as puzzled students try to determine who needs to be killed and eaten if they are stuck in a lifeboat, starving with 10 other people. Those types of situations are very rare, indeed. True morality occurs only when Jesus is established within each of us and when His teachings are practiced outwardly. Only this will stop the constant aggression and retaliation displayed in this world and in each of our lives, as well. Prayer to God must be practiced, for we cannot follow Jesus' teachings without help from God. We must be humble and hungry for God's help. When we do this, we will no longer act on our immature and chaotic perceptions of injustice. God's justice will prevail in our hearts. Though we may be anything from slandered and libeled, to martyred, by those who resent our allegiance to God, our inner peace will be assured and our place in eternity will be established in heaven.
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