I spent a great deal of time this week losing sleep over, spending too many hours thinking about, writing about, and talking to others (including legal counsel), about ways to get everything out of a contract agreement. Without going into detail too much, I had no disagreement with the party I was to sign the agreement with, but with a third party involved, outside that contract itself, that would receive a commission for the services I would render. I will also say the opportunity presented in the contract itself was quite lucrative, and an opportunity that I rejoiced over having, and that it came to me unsolicited but through the relationship I have with the third party. So, I probably should have just been thankful for it. Why share this? The long and short of it is, that for my purposes in this writing today, that the LORD often presents us with challenging situations and relationships for His purpose in dealing with us and our attitudes through them.
I am often pressed in my own mind to exert “my right(s)” to something, especially if I feel I am being used or taken advantage of by someone. It is then that the Holy Spirit often begins to tap me on the shoulder (heart/conscience) trying to get my attention and inform me that “my life” is in Jesus, hidden in Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), and “my right(s) must run through His direction as my LORD.
I will confess my awareness of this “move/tap” of the Spirit, but I don’t like it. And, that I often ignore that “tap”, because I want to be Lord of my life. I have my mind set on this world, and what I want, as I deal with others and these situations. That mind set on the flesh always ends up in turmoil in the inner man and chaos with the outer/other man/men.
[Colossians 3:2-5 NASB95] 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
I understand contextually that there is an element of “pie in the sky when we die” in this scripture as it is traditionally interpreted. But the context also includes the phrases you have died and your life is hidden and therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead, which both very much deal with our attitudes and thinking in the here and now!
Last week I wrote of the dichotomy of being shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves through humility and submission to the LORD and the Spirit. The distance between being shrewd as serpents and at the same time being innocent as doves is a great chasm. Yet we are called to both in our experiences, and dealings with others in relationships, in life. We are not to be stepped on by others, but we are also not to be aggressive and angry toward others. And we must understand that the LORD “sends” us into the situations and relationships ON PURPOSE… consider the scripture (also from last week)…
[Matthew 10:16-20 NASB95] 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to [the] courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Notice: I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; I send you! I send you! …Really Lord?… You send me as sheep among wolves. …Really?!… Then the Holy Spirit says….”…yeah.. remember”
[John 20:21 NASB95] 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace [be] with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
He that held all authority and might and right(s) in glory, emptied Himself and became like us/a man ,to be subjected to unjust dealings by others. So as the Father sent Jesus, so He now sends us to deal with those that will often use and take advantage of us. Not to mention may eventually bring persecution or suffering. And, all for His purpose and to work in Christ-likeness in us, and deliver a testimony of Himself to the world we function in. He never promised it would be easy, but He did say “Peace [be] with you” as He sent them (us) out. We can find peace in Him in the midst of these various dealings with others under His direction to be shrewd as serpents in some cases, and innocent as doves in others. We will not find the balance between them except under His direction by the administration (the tap) of the Spirit. And Matthew 10 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit will then give us what needs to be spoken: it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Last week I wrote: Humility and submission come hard, but the fruit of learning and displaying them, through an obedience founded in loving Him and others at His command, is exaltation and the glory of God. May we grow to have this attitude in ourselves that was also in Christ Jesus! This week I was tested, and given the opportunity to obey the “tap”. I am fairly sure I may have failed. Submitting to His LORDship, always requires my lordship be crucified and taking up my cross.
Dying to self, understanding you have died and your life is hidden in Christ, and considering the members of your earthly body dead comes hard. But, His grace is sufficient and He remains faithful. And in the submission to Him and the tap of he Holy Spirt comes peace rather than chaos when, and if, we find ourselves in the company of wolves.