Rise Up part 4
I always wondered about this idea of "picking ourselves up by our own bootstraps." This idea of somehow making ourselves "more holy." Like... if we're not good enough to begin with, how can we--in our own strength and power--make ourselves any better? That's why I like the Gospel so much. The Gospel is God saying, "You can't do it yourself. So I'm going to do it. For you... and as you." The Gospel is the Good News. The Gospel is God wanting the best FOR us, and giving the best TO us. Not us trying to rise up in order to get something. But us being able to rise up because we have something! A more excellent way IS available. And not if we somehow force our ways into it. Look at Matthew 11:12, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." Did you catch that? Jesus said, "Until now." He brought a change. Man was trying to force his way into the Kingdom. Trying to do it himself through the violence of human effort. But Jesus said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). And Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). All this time, what we've been trying so hard to get has been freely given to us. We don't have to take the Kingdom by force. It's a gift. The Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, right? So instead of staying stuck in our spiritual depression... our spiritual rut... going through the motions because we think that's how to get what we want (or we think that's the best we can do)... we can stop trying and start resting. We can receive and release instead of trying to get. We can fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. We don't rise in order to shine. We rise because the light of the world is shining on us, and in us, and through us! We don't somehow become more "holy" on our own. We be holy as our Father is holy. Because it's HIS holiness. It's HIS righteousness, peace, and joy filling us up. It's HIS love that equips and empowers us to love. It's that connection. We are in Him because He is in us. That's why Jesus was able to identify Himself AND us as the light of the world. It's the same light. The light that Jesus IS is the life of men. Or rather, His life is the light of men. It's the same thing. Life, light, Spirit, consuming fire, love. God. That's HOW we rise. He lifts us up. He holds us up. We walk in newness of life when we stop trying to go our own way (AND when we stop trying to follow in His foot steps) and we let Him go HIS own way in us, and through us, and as us. He makes His foot steps with our feet. He speaks His Word (which is love) with our mouths. He lives in us even as we live in Him. We don't have to try to earn a gift. And in fact, if you have to earn it it's not a gift at all. It's wages. And the wages the Bible speaks of are the wages of sin (unbelief) which is death. Jesus came that we might have LIFE and that more abundantly. Jesus came that we might walk in newness of life. That we might know the light is shining, and believe. And by believing we let the light (that IS shining) shine through us. We rise because of the light, not in order to get the light. We have it. The yoke of religion has been broken. We are no longer trapped under the bondage of sin and death. The glory of the Lord HAS risen upon us. And as the glory rose... we rise!