Tag Archives: Jesus in you

Resting and wrestling

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John Piper writes: “There is a restful side to the Christian life. “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” Jesus said in Matthew 11:28. “Be anxious for nothing . . . let your requests be made known to God . . . and the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). There is rest and peace in the Christian soul.

 

But there is also wrestling. Jesus said in Luke 13:24, “Strive <wrestle/struggle> to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” At the end of his life, Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” Keeping the faith is a fight to be fought and a race to be run.”

 

We’ve written quite a bit about the resting side of the Christian life. Unless you are facing mighty challenges yourself, who wants to pursue the kind of suffering that comes from a wrestling life? But the two are interrelated. We wrestle with our response to life challenges with the goal of finding rest. And, as we’ve commented before, we find rest in these trials because Christ-in-us has already won the battle and assured our victory, IF (and this is a very strong IF):

 

IF you are willing to believe God at His Word, even when it flies in the face of your present circumstances.

 

IF you believe that God is sovereign and He has a provident plan for your life.

 

IF you believe that you are an alien and foreigner in this land we call earth; that your real home is heaven.

 

IF you believe that you are a spiritual being with a temporary earthly shell, not merely a physical being with some small spiritual component.

 

IF you believe that God’s loving discipline is even better for us than the parental discipline of our childhood.

 

We wrestle with each of these tenets when we face difficulties and temptations. God knows that our wrestling makes us tired and can lead us to lose heart. He knows our wrestling can lead to a dangerous sense of despair. And so he reminds us:
“Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:3-4)

 

If you are wrestling with pain, suffering, sorrow, unpleasant work or home life, there is good news. There comes from wrestling a sense of rest IF we believe what God has in store for us as His children.

 

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” ( v 7,11)

 

Maybe you need to wrestle harder. If so, rest in the confidence that Jesus-in-you has already secured the victory. Believe it.

 

 

No more hiding- run the race unhindered

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I remember playing hide and seek with our children. The older ones would try to find a decent hiding place in the house, while the youngest would hide somewhere obvious – like on the sofa, with their head under a pillow. They figured as long as they couldn’t see me, I couldn’t see them.

 

As adults we realize what a silly strategy that is – or do we? If you’ve ever caught yourself hiding a secret sin, a rebellious pattern of thought or behavior, you eventually come to realize how foolish the thought of hiding is. God looks at our heart (1 Samuel 16:7); nothing is hidden from Him. Here’s a sobering thought: No secrets will remain: “The Lord [will] bring to light the things hidden in the darkness.” (1 Corinthians 4:5)    Jesus said, “There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” (Luke 12:2)  Can you imagine a video of your secret life played out on the big screen for all to see? No shame  withheld; everything revealed.

And so the author of the book Hebrews begins chapter 12 with this beneficial advice:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” If everything is going to be revealed and is already revealed in the heavenly realm, why try to hide our head under a cushion? Let’s throw it all off. The language here speaks to an athlete boldly throwing off his robes that would entangle him in the race, and run unhindered and with all his might.

We are to run our race – our life – in the same manner: “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1b-3)

 

You CAN persevere during the tough times of your life because Jesus-in-you already persevered. And not only did Jesus-in-you persevere the trial but He endured it with the joy set before Him! Have you ever wondered, “What possible joy could be found in enduring the excruciatingly painful cross?” Friend, it was the joy of being reunited with His heavenly Father and of knowing that this act paid the price to bring you, and me, to God. It was the joy of knowing that this sacrificial act would bring you hope so that you would not grow weary in life and come to despair.

 

Jesus-in-you can run unhindered, honestly and without secrets, your eyes, fixed on Him, and with the joy set before you in this world and in the next.  Let’s put away the secrets and live with reckless abandon for Christ. Start today:

 

No more secrets. No more hiding.