2 Corinthians 4:7-11 “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”
Pastor Kyle continues: We are the jars of clay that the truth of God resides in. We have been molded by our Maker into a unique individual in a particular shape with a certain purpose so that God can use us for the sake of advancing His Kingdom. And part of that molding involves continually surrendering our plan and will to God. Romans 6:5 explains, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” We are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. A little part of the natural fallen man need to die every single day and be surrendered to God so that the life of Jesus can be more and more evident in our lives. That is a blessing in and of itself.
Your and my initial surrender of our life marked by sin and rebellion to God was only the first step. The “Blessed life” is full of surrender; sometimes many instances in one day; surrendering to the reality that God has something better elsewhere in store for them. Surrendering to God’s will is not easy and takes a leap of faith from comfortable and familiar territory with love and trust. God has something new for each of us to do in this ministry of Reconciliation on planet Earth. Christianity is not about our comfort; it’s about our surrender. Life has moments of natural comfort and joys, but the longer that we walk with Jesus, the more that we come to realize that it is all about continual sweet surrender to God. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” God tris away every unproductive branch in our life, one at a time. A blessed life is a life of surrender to the Master Vinedresser.
Luke 1:39-45 “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
(3) Blessed equals faith as a first response. Doubt of God’s word, will or way is in the final analysis unbelief. The original sin in the Garden of Eden was doubting God, not eating the apple. Elizabeth saw that Mary had believed by faith and the blessing of fulfillment lay ahead with great joy. We may get to a place of faith, but it is not always our first response. First responses can be paralyzing fear, frozen in place, or to fall back and figure it out. Part of the spiritual growth that God want to work inside of us is to get all of us to that faith first response mindset. But, faith is not the same as optimism, because reality must be a factor. Biblical faith is staying grounded in God, staying grounded in reality, and responding in tune with the Holy Spirit, rather than reacting out of our feeling or opinions in a given moment. Thereby, able to stand on a solid foundation and calmly look for ways of bringing together, and find solutions instead of pulling apart.
Lret's continue PAstor Kyle's message on being blessed by God in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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