Open Up part 2
An open mind and an open heart. Two things (that are really the same thing) that are vitally important to experiencing the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God. Because in order to experience Jesus' life--as He lives His own life in us, and through us, and as us--we have to receive the gift that we've been given. We can't keep trying to earn something that can't be earned by trying to be someone that we're not. We can't have that worldly mindset where we believe we have to do in order to be. We have to be open to the truth that we ARE exactly who we are SUPPOSED to be. The tricky part is that the world screams its lie at us. The world piles things up on the surface, where they are easily seen. And seeing is believing. So when we look AT the mirror (as opposed to looking INTO the mirror) we see our blemishes. Our mistakes. And we start to let those things define us. Let me quote Ephesians 5:25-27 (NLT) to try to kind of make my point: "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault." There's a lot going on here, but what I want to focus on is that JESUS did it all. HE cleansed us with the Word (LOVE) so that HE could present us to HIMSELF without spot, wrinkle, or any other blemish. He did everything that was necessary for us to able to stop trying. Stop trying to be someone we're not. Embrace who we are. BE who we are. By knowing and believing that we are who God says we are. His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. But that seems too good to be true. WAY too good to be true. So we close our minds to it. We reject the truth. In some ways its easier to swallow the lie than to believe the truth. Because, again, the lie is shouted from the rooftops. Screamed in our faces. And the truth is spoken in a still, small voice. From deep inside. Underneath all of that surface stuff. In a way that doesn't make any sense at all to the "carnal mind." First is last and last is first. The Kingdom economy is upside down and backwards. The King came to serve, not to be served. He did all of the work so that we could rest. If you're closing your heart to love (probably because you put yourself out there and got hurt, and don't want to get hurt again) then you're missing out on what is available to you. If you're trying to live Jesus' life (or conform to the world and be who they tell you to be) you'll always be frustrated. Because nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. And you will never be "good enough" for the world. Even under the old religious system there was always "one thing you lacked." Even too much was never enough. You just wore yourself slap out trying to earn something that can't be earned. Trying to be someone you were never meant to be. But, good news, there's a more excellent way. THE Way, Truth, and Life. Jesus. Love. We have His mind. His heart beats with love in our chests. All we have to do is be open to it. Let what's already true be true... for you. By knowing it and believing it!