Skip to main content

Ok, so I'm a "tool"...


We're followers of Christ living in a world of growing offense and degradation. It's all around us and it's sometimes hard for some of us to not allow ourselves to be influenced by it. It's one of the things that a tender heart can struggle with the most in a world inhabited by insensitive, self promoting and apathetic people. But it's a tender, loving heart that we find in our Savior. And it's one that we come to recognize and love even more immeasurably with every new revelation of His kindness and grace as we grow in relationship with Him. It's a heart that we're continually drawn to and that we're continually seeking to emulate as we come to know Him better in a world that's not moving in that same direction... 

In this world we're swimming upstream against the current and sometimes it can be rough going, but keeping who we're swimming toward and our end destination in sight continually can help keep propelling us forward even in rough waters. What we're experiencing isn't new and we weren't sent out to swim without knowing what we were up against. How many years ago was it that Jesus Himself told us what we were up against?...

John 15:19-21 (NLT) 19 "The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. 20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. 21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me."

If that were all we knew about our journey, the future would be a foreboding thing. But it's not all we know. We know and continue to know much more as we learn both from the reading and teaching of His word and through the revelation of the Holy Spirit - not only about our journey upstream, but about who it is that we're swimming with and toward...

Hebrews 13 5-6 (NLT) 5 "Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”"

But mere people continue to say mere things...


per Urban Dictionary:

a tool:

TOP DEFINITION
a tool: an offensive comment, when one is being particularly nasty, stupid, or facetious.

#tool#evan#tools#a tool#fool#stupid by PartyCarPartyFlat April 02, 2009

2. a tool: Being used by a higher influence, mostly for their own good.

#a tool#tool#usage#being used#using#influence#good#own#higher by Leonardo187 November 02, 2007


"You're such a tool!" We're surrounded by a current of conversation bearing insults and put downs authored by hurting people. They're on the airwaves and in passing conversations. And in them the negative and destructive influence of our enemy is evident and spread in the grandest contrast to our positive and creative God."You're a tool!" - Ok, so I'm a tool... but with a renewed mind free of vulgarity and keeping my eyes and mind on Christ, I might just find that intended insult a humorous reality. In a way I am a tool, but as a tool belonging to Christ we're far more blessed than anything a worldly mind might know or have to offer. Our sure connection with and close proximity to our God and Savior is something that far supersedes the negative current of a mere failing world in the expanse of a creative and amazing universe that all belongs to Him, along with many more beyond. 

What's important and certain is what God says about you. As a follower of Christ, you're a child of the Most High. You're royalty, His own unique and precious child, a prince or princess in His court, seated in the heavenly realms ... and right now, you're swimming toward that seat. 

If you're struggling in your effort against the current, keep this firm in your heart as you swim: 

Christ knowing all things, knew you in His heart from before the beginning of time - He knew everything you would do, every way you would fail and He created you because you were worth it. When the time came for Him to leave His place in glory to come to this dirty, sin ravaged world, by His leaving, He made it clear to all that He'd decided you were worth it. As He walked the earth, knowing the terror He was going to face before hand, He carried on toward it, because in His heart He'd already decided you were worth it. As He was disgraced, humiliated and horribly beaten and knowing that at any time He had the power to stop it, He endured it because you were worth it. When the nails were driven through His hands and feet, was raised up on the cross and willingly gave up His life to save yours eternally - He declared not just to mankind, not just to this world, but to all of the heavenly host and the host destined to hell - that you are worth it. THAT is your value and your identity is safely in Him eternally - and nothing this world can say or do can take it away. 

His declaration about you is still ringing in the heavens. You are His and He is yours. And you swim toward Him now seeking to emulate the greatest love of your life... because He is worth it.

Godspeed, swim well...


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Pure Religion

I've struggled with the term "religion" for a long time because it has come to carry a connotation for me of something orchestrated, institutional - a perfunctory exercise. My preference instead has been to highlight my belief that what our God desires from us is instead "relationship". Then I ran across this and I had to pause... "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27 (NLT) " Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world ." James 1:27 (KJ) It doesn't matter the translation, it appears the same. And in it I denote a familiar spirit. I recognize it from scripture after scripture dealing with the care of, and justice for, the widows and the fatherless... "Sing to God, sing praises to His name;...

Fear not.

There's a lot going on in the world and a lot available to provoke fear for the future, but I have a question for anyone who might feel themselves tempted to fear - If you truly know God, does He ever change? “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed." Malachi 3:6 (NLT) We stand reinforced in our understanding and belief that He does not change, so... "The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.  I will protect those who trust in my name.  When they call on me, I will answer;  I will be with them in trouble.  I will rescue and honor them.  I will reward them with a long life  and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 (NLT) I know that I said that I had "a" question, but I actually have another - do you really, truly love Him? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heave...

What If...

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. "  Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJ) I'm not one who appreciates the stoking of fear for the sake of it or unnecessarily. There are enough things in this life to keep people concerned and even constantly fearful if they subscribe to them. I would like though, to take a moment to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ and any others who will take a little time to read this and give it some serious consideration because the subject has real   potential  consequences and there's still time to address any issues that we find upon reflection... If you were made aware that   sometime in the next hour  your life on earth was ...