ZOOM OUT BRAVEHEART
The life of a Jesus-follower is counter-cultural.
When the world bends and breaks under the weight of personal sorrows and circumstance, a Jesus-follower is counter-culturally joyful and confidently at peace.
The landscape of our circumstances doesn’t necessarily change but the filter we see them through most certainly does. We have an unspeakable joy. The source of our gladness becomes independent of our external events.
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Talk about counter cultural!
It is the character of Jesus to turn the bitter into sweet, to give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair.
Jesus literally dresses his loved ones in full party attire right in the midst of their grief.
So how does He do this?
How does Jesus turn our grief into joy?
How does He clothe us for celebration in the midst of our hardship?
How is it that He brings about this counter-cultural way of being in the lives of believers?
Philippians 4:11-13
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
There He is again – the source of our transformation.
Joy in Jesus.
Peace in Jesus.
Contentment in Jesus.
Strength in Jesus.
When we grasp the reality of His sovereignty in “all things” we are convinced by peace and contentment regardless of the apparent conditions.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
When we have a revelation of His hand in “all things” we come into a gracious enlightenment of two new understandings:
1. We appreciate every season
2. We take a broader perspective.
Consider the seasons.
Winter into spring; summer into autumn and back around again.
You can’t have spring without first winter, nor a balmy summer without first spring. No season lasts forever but they must all play their part. And it is all in His hands.
Genesis 8:22
22 As long as the earth remains,
there will be planting and harvest,
cold and heat;
winter and summer,
day and night.
You cannot have a first dawn without the dark of night.
We long for the day don’t we? Yet He is still at work in the night, and there is a glorious purpose in it. The victory is written most usually in the night.
It was IN the night, when I was driven to my knees, that I truly saw Him, met Him and felt His presence.
I became a reluctant and surprised beneficiary of the night season.
Followed by a day which APPEARED that much brighter when it came.
Consider a farm - a ploughed field ready for planting.
It looks scarred, broken, and hurting. It looks barren, void and alone. Yet a few months later you will barely recognise the field for the thick swaying crop carpeting that once torn ground. In fact you would be hard pressed to even see the soil beneath.
What was once laid bare and exposed is now cloaked in life.
I have learned that sorrow and pain are the most beautiful forecasters for joy.
When we know God works all things together for our good we take a broader perspective.
We understand that this current circumstance is just one moment in an entire lifespan. Moreover, our lifespan is just a fleeting whisper in light of eternity.
The choice is yours to make – it is the choice of perspective. Much like choosing between a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars.
You can choose to zoom in to dwell on and analyse the detail of every tiny drama playing out in your mind. Or you can choose to cast your eyes further, higher, and wider into the vast promises and perspectives of Heaven.
Zoom out Braveheart, the view is breathtaking.
Quit majoring on the minors and lift up your lovely eyes.
The truth is – as Christians we have a hope that the world does not have.
We can see the big picture, and find joy in knowing that this is not the end. This is but a fleeting moment of something spectacularly grander and ultimately good.
Hebrews 6:18-20
18 …We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. 20 Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever.
We have this hope because of Jesus, and this hope, not our circumstance, is the source of our joy
Keep on believing in what you know is greater than the temporary.
Don’t get caught up as the world does, in half joys, false joys, fickle joys subject to conditions. You have access to unspeakable joy!
1 Peter 1:8-9
8-9 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.
