Are You Crying For Help While Isolating Yourself From God's Ordained Community?
Each morning my cat wakes me up by scratching the side of my bed which makes me crazy. She knows just what to do so that I get up and respond to her demands for fresh water from the bathroom faucet.
She follows me around while I stumble along sleepily, waiting for everything that she wants. She watches my every move anticipating my next step, hoping, that I will falter as I open the front door so that she can dart out into the early morning darkness.
Once outside, she knows just where to sit so that I cannot reach her to bring her insides so I have stopped trying to retrieve her although it goes against my conscience as she has met up with a raccoon in the past, so I am a bit uneasy about just letting her stay in the darkness.
The other day when she escaped I decided that I would not go out unless I heard that she was in trouble. As the sun began to rise in the east, I could hear meowing from the neighbor's yard. I looked out to see my cat on the neighbor's rooftop.
When I went out to see her, she was crying for help. As I placed a ladder in position and climbed up to grab her, she moved away from my hands because of her fear. She had gotten up on the roof but her fear had isolated her from the loving arms of the very people who care for her day after day.
Human nature is to be autonomous and follow our own will. We tend to go out away from the safety and nurturing care of Christian communities intent to go it alone and once there we are lonely and fearful crying out to God for His loving arms, not realizing that as we reject God's people we are in turn rejecting His sovereign care over our lives.
We foolishly buy into the lie that living our lives our own way will bring great adventure and joy but we soon discover that we, in our ascent to fulfill our own desires we have come into bondage to fear and the way back into community is one of dread and even torment.
Wrong thinking about the community of God can lead to this pursuit of self fulfillment. Often times Christians believe that the community of God is a 'take it or leave t' option that God provides for our own decision. However, God himself ordained community as is revealed in His triune nature.
God delights in the unity of His people with one another. He is coming back for His bride the church. So when we willfully climb to the heights of self reliance, forsaking the community of God, we are in rebellion to God's word.
Interestingly, one of the songs of ascent is Psalm 133;
This oil, the ESV study Bible says, made the priests "holy", consecrated to God's purpose. The image means that when Israel is true to its ideal, it is displaying genuine consecration and carrying out its calling in the world.
Our calling in the world as Christians is not one of isolation but rather that we, together in the community of God, show forth the multifaceted wisdom of God.
Individually we are to be a part of a whole. We are not the whole in an of ourselves. This is not God's plan for our lives.
All throughout scripture the community of God is referenced as we see the phrase "one another" appear over and over again.
Hebrews 3: 12-14 gives us a clear picture of the what is at stake if we are not involving ourselves with the community of God on a daily basis.
The writer of Hebrews continues to use the exodus narrative to warn the Christian community of the lure of disobedience which ultimately leads to unbelief that follows those who go their own way looking for rest.
Although they were promised a land where they could rest in God's provision, they failed to reach it.
We too are in jeopardy of not living in God's ordained rest when we choose to not be united by faith with those who listen to the truth.
In our fear, we stray from the living God and erect gods for ourselves, a way in the wilderness, by creating our own isolated high place where we worship the god of our will, our self, all the while angering the living God, who's plan is for us to enter His ordained rest by being in the community of God and having unity, just as He himself has unity with the Godhead.
God's ways are so much higher than our ways. Why is it that we exchange the truth for a lie?
Ultimately, we want to be our own god but in so doing we sacrifice our righteousness, joy and peace and we move away from the hand of God as He comes to rescue us, thinking that He will cause us to fall to our doom.
Father, forgive us for isolating ourselves from the community of God where You have commanded life forevermore. Give us the courage we need to move toward You as You extend Your hand toward us to save us from ourselves. Give us the ability by Your grace to push ourselves off of the roof of our self idolatry and join in the great procession of the Bride of Christ!
She follows me around while I stumble along sleepily, waiting for everything that she wants. She watches my every move anticipating my next step, hoping, that I will falter as I open the front door so that she can dart out into the early morning darkness.
Once outside, she knows just where to sit so that I cannot reach her to bring her insides so I have stopped trying to retrieve her although it goes against my conscience as she has met up with a raccoon in the past, so I am a bit uneasy about just letting her stay in the darkness.
The other day when she escaped I decided that I would not go out unless I heard that she was in trouble. As the sun began to rise in the east, I could hear meowing from the neighbor's yard. I looked out to see my cat on the neighbor's rooftop.When I went out to see her, she was crying for help. As I placed a ladder in position and climbed up to grab her, she moved away from my hands because of her fear. She had gotten up on the roof but her fear had isolated her from the loving arms of the very people who care for her day after day.
Human nature is to be autonomous and follow our own will. We tend to go out away from the safety and nurturing care of Christian communities intent to go it alone and once there we are lonely and fearful crying out to God for His loving arms, not realizing that as we reject God's people we are in turn rejecting His sovereign care over our lives.
We foolishly buy into the lie that living our lives our own way will bring great adventure and joy but we soon discover that we, in our ascent to fulfill our own desires we have come into bondage to fear and the way back into community is one of dread and even torment.
Wrong thinking about the community of God can lead to this pursuit of self fulfillment. Often times Christians believe that the community of God is a 'take it or leave t' option that God provides for our own decision. However, God himself ordained community as is revealed in His triune nature.
The community of God is both communion and unity with one another.
God delights in the unity of His people with one another. He is coming back for His bride the church. So when we willfully climb to the heights of self reliance, forsaking the community of God, we are in rebellion to God's word.
Interestingly, one of the songs of ascent is Psalm 133;
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
This oil, the ESV study Bible says, made the priests "holy", consecrated to God's purpose. The image means that when Israel is true to its ideal, it is displaying genuine consecration and carrying out its calling in the world.
Our calling in the world as Christians is not one of isolation but rather that we, together in the community of God, show forth the multifaceted wisdom of God.
Individually we are to be a part of a whole. We are not the whole in an of ourselves. This is not God's plan for our lives.
All throughout scripture the community of God is referenced as we see the phrase "one another" appear over and over again.
Hebrews 3: 12-14 gives us a clear picture of the what is at stake if we are not involving ourselves with the community of God on a daily basis.
Take care, brothers,
lest there be in any of you an evil,
unbelieving heart,
leading you to fall away from the living God.
But exhort one another every day,
as long as it is called "today,"
that none of you man be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
For we have come to share in Christ,
if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
The writer of Hebrews continues to use the exodus narrative to warn the Christian community of the lure of disobedience which ultimately leads to unbelief that follows those who go their own way looking for rest.
Although they were promised a land where they could rest in God's provision, they failed to reach it.
The message of the good news did not benefit them,
because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
We too are in jeopardy of not living in God's ordained rest when we choose to not be united by faith with those who listen to the truth.
In our fear, we stray from the living God and erect gods for ourselves, a way in the wilderness, by creating our own isolated high place where we worship the god of our will, our self, all the while angering the living God, who's plan is for us to enter His ordained rest by being in the community of God and having unity, just as He himself has unity with the Godhead.
God's ways are so much higher than our ways. Why is it that we exchange the truth for a lie?
Ultimately, we want to be our own god but in so doing we sacrifice our righteousness, joy and peace and we move away from the hand of God as He comes to rescue us, thinking that He will cause us to fall to our doom.
He is looking for a people who will die to self and live for Christ!
Father, forgive us for isolating ourselves from the community of God where You have commanded life forevermore. Give us the courage we need to move toward You as You extend Your hand toward us to save us from ourselves. Give us the ability by Your grace to push ourselves off of the roof of our self idolatry and join in the great procession of the Bride of Christ!
And if you call on him as Father
who judges impartially according to each one's deeds,
conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world
but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
who through him are believers in God,
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.
Having purified your souls by your obedience
to the truth for a sincere brotherly love,
love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
since you have been born again,
not of perishable seed but of imperishable,
through the living and abiding word of God;
1 Peter 1:17-23
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