An Empty Self

To be truly free of insecurity and pressures that draw our hearts and attention to the empty lure of this world, Christ must live in us. In order for Christ to live in us, we must be crucified with Him. Raised to new life in Him. Then, and only then, can we live a crucified life. To live – to be free – we must die. Not literally, of course. It’s the death of our old self, the one that didn’t know Jesus as Savior. It’s the death of our will and our flesh, along with old ways and thoughts, lies we’ve been told, misconceptions we’ve believed, ways we’ve always done things.

 

It is Philippians 2:1-8:

 

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

 

The key to it all is having the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, which begs the question: WHAT IS THE MIND OF CHRIST? We have only to look to this same passage: He made Himself of no reputation. In the Greek, it means He emptied Himself. He did only what the Father told Him to do, and He served, always putting others first.

 

Having the mind of Christ is to sacrifice. To set aside what we want for what others need, like Jesus did in Matthew 14:10-14. He had just learned of the beheading of John the Baptist, and verse thirteen tells us Jesus departed to a deserted place by Himself. Don’t you know He just wanted a moment to Himself? And yet, the multitudes followed Him, and when Jesus saw them, He didn’t respond with exasperation, as I would have. No, verse fourteen tell us, “He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

 

Do I do that? When I sneak off to the restroom or my bedroom for a moment of peace and quiet and my kids follow, how do I respond? With compassion and ready to minister to them? Or with frustration and anger, thinking only of myself?

 

Jesus set aside offense, as we see in Matthew 26:34-49. Jesus has just explained to Peter that he would deny Him three times when He goes with the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He says to them in verse thirty-eight, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with me.” He leaves to pray, and when He comes back, He finds His disciples sleeping. This happens THREE TIMES, and then Judas betrays Him.

Don’t you know Jesus had plenty of justifiable opportunities to be offended? Peter, then the disciples, then Judas. What do I do when people disappoint me, when they don’t do what seems like the simplest, most considerate thing to do? Do I respond like Jesus, with yet another characteristic of the crucified life: forgiveness?

 

In Luke 23:32-34, Jesus is led to the cross with two other criminals. He lived the perfect life. Never sinned. And as they are crucifying Him, He says: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Has anyone done anything worse to me than what Jesus endured? To live the crucified life, I must forgive as He forgave!

 

And become obedient to death. Thy will not mine be done.

 

Again in the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing the road to the cross that lay before Him, in verse thirty-nine, Jesus prays: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

 

THAT’S SEEKING JESUS AND HIM CRUCIFIED!

 

When I’m suffering or face certain suffering, am I searching for a way to get myself out of it or am I surrendered to the Father and to His will no matter what?

So we determine not to know anything except Jesus and Him crucified. We do this by living the crucified life. And we live the crucified life by having the same mind that was in Jesus Christ. We seek the Father’s will and obey unto death, death of self, and perhaps one day, literal death. As we do, the chaos in our minds and lives and the things that don’t belong begin to fall away. The slates of our minds and hearts remain clean for the Father’s will.

 

I challenge you to take a blank note card sometime today. On one side write out 1 Corinthians 2:2, and on the other, using just one or two words for each item, write down everything that’s cluttering your mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the source of any mental and emotional chaos, and write it down. When you’re done, take a black permanent marker, and as fat and large as you can, write “JUST JESUS” across your list. Now, tape your card your mirror or keep it somewhere you’ll see it all the time. Memorize the verse, and when things start getting stirred up in your head and your emotions, ask yourself: Am I seeking only Jesus and Him crucified in this?

 

In 1 Corinthians 2:4-6, Paul goes on to say:

 

My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

 

As we determine to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified, what we say and do will be in demonstration of the Spirit and of power! Our faith won’t be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God! We won’t speak the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age! We won’t live by the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age WHICH IS COMING TO NOTHING!

Lord, transform us into woman who are secure, who know to whom we belong, who desire to belong in the right places for the right reasons, who see through the world’s temptations in order to remain dedicated to heavenly objectives. Let our days be lived full throttle just for You, Jesus, as we become more wholly Yours each day.

 

Shauna Wallace

Holy His

Am I Determined?

Continuing from last Thursday (http://shaunawallace.blogspot.com/2012/09/just-jesus.html), anticipation overwhelms me as I long to convey the magnitude of God’s deliverance. The immediate relief He brought to my insecure mind when I read Paul’s words in I Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The practical application I hope will bring relief to you in whatever area you may be struggling.

 

Let’s start by looking at the meaning of know in the Greek. It means “to perceive with any of the senses; to notice, discern, and discover; to turn the eyes, mind, attention to, or observe; to inspect or examine; to look at and behold; to experience; to have an interview with; to get knowledge of and understand; to have regard for one or cherish”(Strong's 1492 www.blueletterbible.com).

So to know Jesus and Him crucified means to perceive, notice, examine, experience, get knowledge of, and cherish Jesus in order that our eyes, mind, and attention are on Jesus ONLY in every circumstance and relationship. It’s making a purposeful decision to make known the cross of Christ in everything we do. It’s seeing things as Jesus sees them, examining things according to how Jesus would examine them, “interviewing” Jesus – in prayer and through His word – and responding as Jesus would respond.

 

In every area of my life, I am beginning to ask myself:

Am I determined to not know anything except Jesus and Him crucified in this area or relationship? Am I making known the cross of Jesus?

 

With my friendships, am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about whether or not we’re being included in weekend gatherings and dinners out, parties or trips or other activities and events?

 

With my book, am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about whether or not people will or won’t buy my book, read my blog, ask me only questions I know how to answer well?

 

With my body – whether it’s my skin, my size and shape, what I eat, what I wear, or whether I exercise – am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about whether or not I’m perfect on the outside?

 

With my family and my extended family, am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about their approval and whether or not I’m the perfect wife, mother, sister, daughter, daughter-in-law, etc.?

 

With my clothing and my home, am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about whether or not I wear the latest and greatest most fashionable clothes or have a magazine-worthy house?

 

With my activities and the things to which I commit my children, am I determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, or am I concerned about whether or not my kids are doing the right things to be accepted by the right people in order to have the right future?

 

When there’s chaos, insecurity, worry, over-commitment, difficult relationships, a thorn in your side – ask yourself: Am I determined to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified?

By simply asking myself this question, the slate of my heart and mind is available for God to pen His will. There’s room to receive answers and guidance from Him. It has caused me to say no, to say yes, to stay the course, to change course abruptly, to set aside what I want for another’s needs, to do the right thing even when it’s hard.

 

To determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified is to live the crucified life Paul talks about in Galatians 2:20:

 

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

It is for Christ to live in us.

 

That’s great! But how does that happen? What does the crucified life look like?

 

We have only to look at Jesus. Join me Thursday as we do just that.

Jesus, You are our perfect model. You are all we need to know to live the crucified life that leads to joy and peace. Lead us there as we become more wholly Yours today.

 

Shauna Wallace

Holy His

Just Jesus

Insecurity wrecked my peace of mind. For months, chaos stormed my thoughts. Uncertainty wrung my gut. Questioning brought me to my knees. To my face. A thorn in my flesh; a fog clouding my convictions. What others are doing, what others are thinking, if they’re including me, if they’re including my children, if we’re fitting in and getting along and belonging. If not, why? What’s wrong with us? Have we done something to offend? Are we undesirable? Are people nice to our face while excluding us behind our backs? Doubts mounted as the snowball tumbled out of control. Every relationship, every area of my life and body was fair game. Does James really love me? Will he really be patient with my imperfections for a lifetime? Every time I mishandle myself with my kids, am I scarring them for life? Am I stylish enough, thin enough? What if I get comfortable with these extra five pounds? Will it turn into ten, then twenty, then thirty, then forty? What is the right balance of eating right and exercising versus obsessing? Are we eating the right foods and taking the perfect balance of supplements to avoid and prevent cancer? Is homeschooling really right for our kids? Are we steering them right for college? Have we made a mistake? Was I crazy to write a book? Who am I, anyway, to think anyone will read what I wrote, especially as much as the Lord still needs to sanctify in me? And on and on and on!!!

If you’ve read my blog long, you’ve heard rumblings of this wrestling match. It became more than I could bear. Shoulders pinned to the mat, strength waning, I determined to do something about it. To find freedom through God’s truth about security and belonging. A “data dump” of all the scriptures with which I’m familiar was balm to the irritation, but not the cure. Truth, yes. Freedom, not yet. Not knowing where to look next, I bought a book about insecurity. Written by a well-known Christian author, I was sure it would hold my answer. Several pages into the introduction, I knew it wasn’t the book God wanted me reading. My scriptural solution, and therefore my only hope, would be found in one place: His word.

Setting aside the book, I continued to ask the Lord where to turn in His word.  I happened to be working through a Bible study on wisdom at the time and began the week on discernment and discretion. Nothing remarkable about that. I needed verses about security and belonging. Then I read author Sue Edwards’ words of introduction for the topic (Proverbs: Ancient Wisdom for a Postmodern World, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. 2007. p. 42):

 

Remember when you watched a woman respond to a situation with keen insight? She was able to read the character and attitudes of the people involved. She quickly distinguished shades of meaning and saw beyond the obvious and superficial. She detected what was really going on, and understood what was true from what was false and what was right from what was wrong. Then she responded with wise choices and sound judgment.

This is a woman who is secure! She knows to whom she belongs. She desires to belong in the right places for the right reasons. She sees through the world’s lure in order to remain dedicated to heavenly objectives. I want to be her!

 

One of the scriptures Sue’s study referenced that week is I Corinthians 2:2. I turned to the address and stopped dead in my tracks. It was one of those moments when it was as if the Lord pinched my cheeks between His thumb and fingers, told me to look Him straight in the eyes, and gave me truth to settle my mental wresting match.

 

Scales fell. The fog cleared. Truth settled firm in my heart.

 

Insecurity. Belonging. It’s all answered in this passage.

 

Paul is writing to the Corinthians, explaining that he did not come to them with excellence of speech or wisdom. He contended with the same worldly and internal pressures to perform well and be impressive as we do, and like us, he had natural disadvantages that made it difficult to be and feel impressive. So, he says in verse three, he was with them in “fear, and in much trembling.”  He’s describing me! Maybe you, too.

 

What Paul articulates in verse two is the answer to any insecurity we face. It’s what gave Him confidence – what got him through. Fifteen simple words that convey and mind-freeing, life-changing, God-pleasing truth:

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

You see, our need to know we’re on the right track, doing the right things, saying the right things, giving the right impression, with the right people, will be affirmed AS we determine to know nothing among our circumstances or in our relationships but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is all that matters!!!

It’s when we determine to know other things – like acceptance, popularity, beauty, pleasure, accomplishment, a place on the fence between Christian and secular worlds, value by the world’s standards – that we lose our peace of mind. Our anchor. The waves come and begin to knock us off course.

 

So how do we apply Paul’s words to our lives? What does it look like in our everyday lives? What does it actually mean to determine to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified? How do we go about implementing this truth in the nitty gritty of our activities and relationships ?

 

Stay tuned Thursday to see how God’s word gives us the practical answers we need to determine for ourselves to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Lord, pin the enemy to the mats of our minds as we turn to your word for freedom in our thoughts. Bring us to a place where the only thing we seek after is Jesus and Him crucified as we become more wholly Yours today.

Shauna Wallace

Holy His