Preparation part 1
I've heard it said, "If you fail to plan then you plan to fail." And never is this more accurate than in the Kingdom. See, we have so many immaculate gifts available to us. But if we don't know what we've got, then we can't do anything with it. If we don't know that the work IS finished, then we'll spend all our time trying to finish it. And, as Jesus said in John 10:1, "...He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber." Like we saw in the last Rant series, if you try to do it yourself you will fail. You will rob yourself of the gift of eternal life by trying to live Jesus' life. Nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. That's why it's so important to understand that on this side of the cross it is Jesus who lives in us! He IS living His life... in and through and as us. But, again, this behooves us to understand what that abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life is all about. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Anything we wish to understand about ourselves... we find in Him. He is our true identity. As He is, so are we in this world. If it's true about Jesus then it's true about us because we ARE Jesus. He is the head and we are the body. Now let me show you something from the book of Exodus. From the Passover. When God was giving instructions for the eating of the Lamb He said, "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in you hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover" (Exodus 12:11). The eating of the Lamb wasn't the END of the story, it was the BEGINNING of the story! It was what prepared the people of Israel for the journey ahead! They had their shoes on. They were ready to go. They were about to make the transition out of bondage and into the Promised Land. And having Lamb in their belly is what fueled them to do what was necessary. Here's what I'm saying: A life of spiritual rest is NOT a life of inactivity. It is a life of Holy Spirit directed activity. And I've said this many times before--I don't believe the Holy Spirit gives direct orders in a, "do this or else," type of direction. I believe the Holy Spirit testifies of our true identity (by testifying of Jesus) and then our actions flow from that identity. But at the same type, I believe the Holy Spirit speaks in a still, small voice. So we must be prepared to listen. We can't just take this finished work for granted and assume that by doing nothing everything will just work itself out. The Bible tells us that LOVE never fails. And charity is love IN ACTION. So, as always, our part of the deal is to believe. To receive AND release the love of Christ that we are filled (to overflowing) with. A friend of mine said it like this, "A Christian at rest looks a whole lot like a Christian at work." It's the motivation that's different. We aren't working to get something. We are working because we HAVE something. And that's where this idea of preparation comes in. Being ready for whatever comes our way. Knowing and believing that we are loved so that we can love!