Struggles and Diamonds

            As long as I am in this body, I think I am destined to struggle.  It occurs to me that the measure of a true saint is not that he has no struggles, but that he continues to honor God in the midst of them.  I mean, look at the heroes of the faith:  David, Abraham, Jeremiah, Paul, Peter, and the list in Hebrews.  Certainly they suffered and struggled against the flesh.  Certainly they had their moments of weakness and failure.  Yet still they serve to inspire us.

            But would they be so inspirational if they hadn't struggled?  I think what draws us to them is that they were so human.  They weren't some transcended spiritual beings who deigned to grace the earth with their presence.  They were flesh and blood men and women with real hopes, real fears, real weaknesses, real failures, and real triumphs.

            In our unwillingness to expose our faults and weaknesses to others, in our attempts to appear as though we have it all together, how much of the power of our testimony do we forfeit?  How many are there who may have been inspired by the way God has worked in our lives through our failures, who turn from the faith discouraged because they think there is nobody else who would understand, nobody else who has the same struggle?

            This is Satan's strategy.  Divide and conquer.  He whispers to our pride and convinces us that we dare not appear weak.  Doubt, struggles and failure are all signs of a weak faith, perhaps even pointing to an absence of real faith in the first place.  Are you sure you're saved?  Even the prophet Nathan failed.  He advised David to build the Temple without first consulting God.

            When a jeweler begins cutting a diamond, he starts with a lump of rock that is not very impressive to behold.  But gradually, through his skill with the hammer, facets begin to appear that capture the light and display its brilliance.

            In this life, we are lumps of rock that God is working on with the hammer of His will.  As we submit to the blows of this hammer, our pride and disobedience are chipped away, and facets begin to appear in us that display our radiance.  But this side of glory, the transformation will never be complete.  There will always be parts of us that are still just lumps of rock.

            But we try to hide this aspect of ourselves, and only show off the finished facets.  We carefully align ourselves so that our facets reflect the light in such a way as to blind those looking at us, so that they will be unable to see that part of us that has yet to submit to God's will.

            To do this is to deny God His greatest glory:  the fact that He can take a lump like us and turn it into something beautiful and wonderful.  It also gives others around us who may desperately need encouragement in the midst of their struggles the false impression that God can only use people who have it all together.  For because of our pride, they will be unaware of our trials and failures.

Kevin Ness

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
- -- Chinese proverb

"The Light of Christmas"

Cultivate complacency

But isolate integrity;

Trample down what little

Hope of righteousness remains, until

In bleakened, strangled, starving moans,

it passes from this life,

unmourned.

Left alone now,

idle thoughts grow;

weeds in virgin soil

unchecked.

Hope is such a painful word --

Too much effort,

    too much toil.

So like the toy in young man's closet,

Left to gather cloak of dust,

Leave it now,

Forsake it

to the junkyard

of my cluttered mind.

All that is, or was, or will be,

Hopelessness cares not for this.

Journey now in desolation;

Wander in the darkest pit

of Hell

until, in blinding flashes,

Light surrounds me,

Searching, probing,

finding now a weakness

in the hardness of

my heart's defenses;

gently shining light

into the darkest corners of

My soul.

Now in sudden self-awareness,

Sin I see as ne'er before,

Touching every fiber

of my prideful, unrepentant soul.

Now upon my knees I fall;

In sorrow deep I lift my voice.

I cry out to the One whose birth

made possible this

Blessed Light.

I cry to Jesus,

Son of Mary,

Born in lowly

manger stall.

I cry to Jesus,

Son of David,

Son of God,

Immanuel.

8 Kevin Ness

The Secret of Joy, Contentment and Peace

What is the secret to joy, contentment and peace?

The accumulation of wealth?  material possessions?  numerous estates?

    

The attainment of degrees?  titles?  awards?  trophies?  fame? 

Finally getting all of the "If only's" in your life (If only I had a child...a better paying job...spouse/parents/family/friends who would understand/love/support me...the winning lottery ticket...everything the one-percenters have...)?

The daily news and tabloids are full of stars, celebrities, and the ultra-rich who have achieved all of these things and more; yet they are still empty, longing, depressed, and discontent.

Our minds ask, "How can this be?"

But deep in our souls, at the very core of our beings, if we are willing to be completely honest with ourselves, we know it to be true.

So is there no hope of experiencing True and lasting joy, contentment and peace?

That depends on whether you view joy, contentment and peace as something to achieve...or something to receive.

If you continue to strive, struggle, grasp and claw after it in your own strength, by your own cleverness, ingenuity, and sheer force of will --then all you will experience will be a fleeting illusion; a counterfeit, cheap imitation of the real thing.  

I know.  Been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.

But if you are willing to humble yourself, and turn to the One who knows everything about you, who knows you better than you will ever know yourself, yet loves you so much that He willingly wrapped Himself in mortal flesh, and came to this earth as a helpless baby, knowing that he would face ridicule, rejection, betrayal, torture and death, THEN you can experience True joy, peace and contentment.

Philippians 4:4-8 puts it this way:  ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (emphasis mine).

 

A dwelling is a place where we live.  This is why it is vital that we pay close attention to the things we allow our minds to dwell on.  If we let our minds dwell (live) in deceptive, ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, contemptible things, it WILL negatively shape, impact and direct our lives.

But if we choose to have our minds dwell on the One who is the Truth, our lives will be transformed.

This Christmas, I urge you to accept the gift of Jesus as your Savior, and receive the joy, peace and contentment that your soul so desperately longs after.  He is the only One who is the source of all that is true, noble, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy.

Kevin N