Friday, November 7, 2008

BRING ON THE OVERCOMERS!

Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3

 “This was their report to Moses: ‘We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!...’  But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’”

 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

“The Lord detests cheating, but he delights in honesty.  Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.”

There is a bumper sticker that reads, “I admire guts!”  Good word.  We all could do with a little more intestinal fortitude.  When our politicians themselves dub us a nation of whiners, the accusation stings.  Even many Christians (myself included) sound like Hebrews in the desert, promised an abundant life, yet intimidated by “giants.”  We wring our hands in worry, overwhelmed by economic and social forces we don’t understand, and we curse God for bringing us to this place, instead of exploring the land for opportunities.

Some, though, are able to radiate a sense of peace, security and anticipated victory regardless of their circumstances.  They are “Overcomers,” and I long to join their ranks! I am reminded of an older couple in our church I have known and respected for over twenty years. They have a serene certainty about them that defies circumstances. Through health problems, family problems and everyday life, whenever asked how they are doing, their answer is always, “Everything is beautiful.”  For them, it is.  Did you notice? They divert focus from themselves (“Everything is beautiful.”).  They seek beauty.  (Even tragedy, for them, is one more chance to draw closer to the Spirit and partner with Christ in Ministry.)  Further, they never focus on conquering the enemy alone.  They live with God on a daily basis.  They know Jesus by His first name.  Finally, because Christ is at their center, they radiate joy even under the worst conditions.  They are able to say “Thy Will be done,” because they know from experience that is always the best choice.  And when God’s Way seems hard to figure or accept, they are not afraid to wrestle it out with Him.  They are secure enough to recognize that, even (maybe especially) in the wrestling, there is relationship, and relationship with their Savior is their one unwavering priority.

Perhaps that’s the big difference between the Calebs of this world and the rest of us.  Certainly, it’s a major difference between Jesus and us.  Both Caleb and Jesus lived as if their very lives depended on God – because they did!  When trials came, they just entrusted themselves to the Father and moved forward.  Being sold out to God was not a scary place for them; they recognized it was the one place for which they were perfectly designed.  What was scary was the possibility of separation from God.  Even Jesus resisted that, and we should, too!

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