Thoughts After Spurgeon

The joy of the Lord in the Spirit springs from an assurance that all the future, whatever it may be, is guaranteed by divine goodness; that being children of God, the love of God toward us in not of a mutable character but abides and remains unchangeable. The believer feels an entire satisfaction in leaving himself in the hands of eternal and immutable love.

However happy I may be today, if I am in doubt concerning tomorrow, there is a worm at the root of my peace; although the past may now be sweet in retrospect and the present fair in enjoyment, yet if the future be grim with fear, my joy is but shallow. If my salvation is still a matter of hazard and jeopardy, unmingled joy is not mine and deep peace is still out of my reach.

But when I know that he whom I have rested in has power and grace enough to complete that which He has begun in me and and for me, when I see the work of Christ to be no halfway redemption but a complete and eternal salvation, when I perceive that the promises are established upon an unchangeable basis and are in Christ Jesus, ratified by oath and sealed by blood, then my soul has perfect contentment.

Life is Messy

I had a great talk with a friend yesterday. Through the whole conversation I couldn't help thinking "Life is messy." And it is. I think too often Christians get caught up in this "life is beautiful, and the clouds are made out of cotton candy, and I frolic in the meadow of daisies" attitude. And while I agree that life can be beautiful, it is equally as messy.

It's actually when I get in the beautiful life mode, I find myself distanced from Jesus. That might sound so contradictory, but the fact of the matter is: Life affected Jesus. Sometimes, I get discouraged by life--but so did Jesus. He needed room to grieve, just as you and I. He was a man. Jesus was a man in a way we have forgotten men can be: truthful, compassionate, blunt, emotional, non-manipulative, sensitive. He never did anything halfheartedly. He embraced our humanity so fully and totally that he was able to die. Yes, life affected Jesus.

I am encouraged when I remember Jesus shares in my humanity. I`m sure things made him laugh just as they do me. The Pharisees made him furious. He felt joy, weakness, sorrow, anger, and pain. The more I can grasp his humanity, the more I find him as someone I can approach, know, love, trust, and adore.

I then catch myself taking a step back. Jesus wasn't fully human, right? On the contrary! The manger Mary used as a bassinet held something more human than humanity. Yes, Jesus was the most human human-being who ever lived. It's true. Life is messy. The ravages of sin, neglect, abuse, and addictions have cast a shadow of what we were meant to be. Jesus is humanity in its truest form. He was the Son of Man. Not of God-of man.

So when life gets messy, I look in the mirror. Why? Because then I see Jesus. We were the only thing said to be created directly in his image. Our humanity is a reflection of Jesus' humanity. Jesus feels-I feel. Jesus longs-I long. Jesus weeps-I weep. Jesus laughs-I laugh..and laugh some more. So when life is messy, and I feel Jesus is too far away, his humanity brings him close again. Life affected Jesus, so it's okay for life to affect me.