Tag: struggles

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration, salvation

Salvation: It’s not about signing up, but about giving up

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on Salvation: It’s not about signing up, but about giving up

There are those who’d have you to believe that Christian living is cookies and cream in the spring, apple pie on a summer day with a dollop of ice cream on top, apple cider in the fall and hot cocoa in the winter. It’s a state of comfort year round for those who live right. And if that is the case I am not the one to look to for answers. Because other than my first 5 minutes at the altar, living the Christian life has been anything but easy. But don’t stop reading there, it’s also been peace at its finest, and for that the ease has been worthy of passing up. If you’re a new convert, meaning just recently having accepted Christ as your Savior, (or an old convert) you’ve made the best decision of your life but it’s an eye opener! You suddenly realize just how many faults and failures you have, and everywhere you turn is a reminder; because this Holy God that you’ve asked to enter into your heart wants nothing to do with sin, and you’ve just discovered how much sin is in your life! The closer you get to Christ the harsher that reality is.

Matthew 7:13-14 says ~ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Jesus says that getting saved is like entering in at a straight gate… simple enough right?… but the word “straight” in this passage is not as in “straight as an arrow” but rather as in the “Strait of Gibraltar,” a narrow and turbulent passage of water that connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. That sounds so much more like my life than the straight as an arrow analogy. The thing about water is it’s much easier if you go with the flow than to fight against its current. But when we get into a struggle in life our human nature kicks in and we fight with all we’ve got, believing that we’re not supposed to have trouble; we are children of the King after all! But Jesus says no, you’re going to have trouble in this world because this world is messed up. It’s broken and it’s not going to be fixed until He returns, but in the meantime, flow through the turbulent times not kicking and screaming but rather holding onto Him as your life jacket. He won’t let you go and He sure won’t let you sink.

That is why salvation is not about signing up, it’s about giving up. Signing up means you’ve enlisted to “do something.” You can’t do anything to get yourself saved, Christ already did it and that part is indeed easy for you. But man likes to complicate things, we like to “do something, fix something or reinvent something to make it better.” You can’t make yourself or salvation better.

A very easily understood analogy of Christ is his statement that follows in verses 15-17 ~   Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

We all likely know them, those who preach Christ but live more like His adversary the Devil. They frustrate us, or they do me! Because the damage they do to young Christians by pretending that their life is perfect when it’s apparent it’s not, will cause a young Christian to question their salvation decision, throw their hands up in defeat believing they’re wrong and in so doing lose the peace God affords. Salvation takes two hands, and they both need to be holding onto Jesus, not on to anything in this world. The waters may be rough, but hang on child of God, Jesus has you covered! Woohoo… just wrote myself happy!

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A Pearl Positioned by Appointment

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on A Pearl Positioned by Appointment

pearl-01

Matthew 13:44-46 ~  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

It is estimated that out of three tons of pearl oysters, only about three of them will have a perfectly-formed pearl. Given everything that is required in order for a pearl to develop, it’s not surprising that so few are produced. An oyster’s shell is made from an organ called the mantle. Using minerals from the oyster’s food as an energy source, the mantle expands, which leads to the shell’s growth. The interior of the shell is lined with a material called nacre, which is also produced by the mantle. In order for a pearl to develop, an irritant–typically a parasite of some sort–must situate itself between the oyster’s shell and mantle. When this particle sets in, it irritates the oyster and, in an effort to protect itself, the mantle begins to cover the foreign object with layers of nacre. As time passes, these layers eventually form a pearl. Typically, this takes about three to five years. (This according to ehow.com)

 Is it any wonder real pearls are so costly! A jewel in the house of the Lord is much the same.  Out of the congregation of the Lord it is said that only 10% are doing the actual work of the ministry, for which I tend to agree from my travels. They are rare and priceless. It is not to say that many others are not beautiful people making great contribution, but the pearls are those hand selected by God out of an ocean of possibilities.

 They’ve gotten there through great irritation!

 Be successful in leadership and you’ll understand completely how that pearl gets formed. Every struggle in the ministry, attack of Satan, complaint from the people, personal struggle, sickness and distraction is an irritant that has to be covered. There’s work to be done. So sometimes you wear a “slimy” smile that feels icky but it covers up the pain in your core. And before long that problem is smoothed over and you can rest a while until another issue arises and another layer of kindness or understanding is needed to get through. And much like that iridescent shine created on the pearl as layer after layer of nacre are made, a successful leader begins to shine too.

 Successful leaders are not people who have their world completely in hand and under control. Oh contraire! Many, if not most that I know, are exactly the opposite. They have the same issues as everyone else if not worse but they choose to put them aside for the greater cause; which is the people of God and service to the Lord.

 They’ve gotten there through many intervals

 True leadership is not appointed by position, it’s positioned by appointment. It takes experience to be a leader, and most of those experiences have been a divine appointment from the Creator to train His leaders. Often times because of the politics of the day people are appointed into positions they are not qualified to have, and it inevitably wreaks havoc on an organization.  It takes time to become a great leader.

 They’re not imitations

 Man can create a pearl that looks almost as lovely as the real deal, but the real pearls are rare, priceless, heavily sought and have gotten to that point by years of heartache and struggle. Successful leaders are those who use the irritants of life as a polish their personalities. They identify with and understand the struggles of those they lead because they’ve been there. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does.

Are you a pearl of great price? Perhaps you’re still in the formation stage. Use those irritants of life to polish yourself into a leader that can be used for the Kingdom’s glory. Amen!