The Romance of Romans-Part 108

[Michael]

Romans 15 cont'd

Even the most powerful man of all, Jesus Christ, didn't use his power
to create for himself a pain-free and pleasure-filled earthly life. As
scripture says, "I have personally identified with and embraced the
rejection they have shown you O God." All the scriptures have been
written to impart knowledge, patience and comfort to us so that we can
live in hope- a confident expectation of a glorious future.

Comments:

We buy into various kinds of false images and false beliefs about
reality because they offer us some kind of temporary comfort or
distraction or protection from the pain and shame of past rejections
and injustices that we have not found a way to resolve. The embedded
goal of self-protection is what fuels the fires of our negative
strongholds. There is a positive kind of stronghold referred to in
scripture as well. Psalm 27:1 is just one example of many:

"The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is
the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?"

The Lord himself desires to become the one legitimate stronghold of
our life. "Crabb-ian" thought would tell us that in order for this to
happen, the illegitimate hidden/denied goal of self-protection must be
displaced with "vulnerable trust in God". I believe that a deliberate
and conscious exchange of a primary or supreme "goal" at the core of
our being is the key to our freedom. This recommended new supreme goal
of our life is thoroughly biblical. There are many ways to state this
goal, but I believe it is the one "golden" goal that we all are
designed to share in common.

Beyond this goal are many legitimate desires we may have in life and
many prayers we are encouraged to pray that those desires might be
satisfied; however, none of these noble desires should ever be
elevated to the place in our hearts of a supreme goal. The reason it
is vital that we do not confuse our desires with our goal is that
human beings can thwart our desires, but no one can keep us from our
goal if it is the proper one. Is there any rejection, injustice that
can automatically keep us from "getting to know God better" or from
"vulnerably trusting in God"? Such negative experiences should be
thought of as "sufferings". When we give them to the Lord as an
offering from a broken heart they become sanctified as "legitimate
sufferings" or even "sufferings for the sake of Christ". Is not the
scripture full of promises of how God can use "sufferings" to deepen
our relationship with him? In fact, there are aspects of knowing God
and identifying with him that can only be learned through pain.

Paul says it this way in Phil 3:10-11:

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his
death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."