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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...

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