Stand part 4
This is one of my favorite Bible verses, which I never hear preached ever. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). It seems like all we ever hear about in religious circles is what to do after you've fallen. How to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. How to turn over a new leaf. "God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to leave you that way." I don't think that CAN be true. Because IF He loves you just the way you are (and He does), He wouldn't need to change you. The "trick" is not changing into who we're "supposed" to be. The "trick" is knowing that we already are who we're supposed to be. We were created in the image and likeness of God. And, on the cross, we were conformed to the image of His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. My point is that when we're talking about standing--standing FOR something, rather than standing AGAINST something--it's all about letting Jesus hold us up. Which He can do. Will do. And wants to do. He is able to keep us from falling... when we trust in Him. When we stop trying to stand on our own. When we trust in Jesus. Trust in love. Love is what keeps us from falling. Love is what holds us up when everything else is trying to drag us down. Jesus holds us up. And that, friends, is how we stand. That's what we stand for. We stand for Jesus--but not in a religious way where we say "convert or burn." We stand for Jesus... by showing people who Jesus is. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. Jesus told His disciples that people will know they are His disciples by the love they have. The love they share. The love WE share. Love is giving. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Without needing something in return. Love is never about getting. Because (again) love IS giving. We stand, not by making sure we're getting anything... but by giving everything. Laying our lives down for our friends. Esteeming others higher than ourselves. That's what love is all about. That's what this life is for. And, really, that's the only way to experience and enjoy this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love. That's how we experience and enjoy the gift we've been given. By receiving it and releasing it. By letting what's inside come out--by knowing and believing that we have it. We don't have to keep falling down just so we can pick ourselves back up. We can trust in Him who is able to keep us from falling. When we stand on the Rock of love (that is Jesus), it doesn't matter what comes against us. We will not be shaken. You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. When you know the truth, and are planted on that Rock, you won't be blown about by any wind of doctrine. When you know the truth, you can just ignore the lie. You don't have to fight it. You can just let it flow off of you like water off a duck's back. When Jesus is holding you up you can stand strong, stand firm, no matter what!