So this is my weekly commentaries on our bible study. I was in a different city last Monday so I could not attend, so I was happy to again sit down in that little restaurant waiting for sisters to show up so we could have a good time talking about Ephesians 4:17-32. What is even more exciting is that we had a new friend joining, so it means more point of views and blessings, a different atmosphere somewhat. We really had a good time and how I wish we’d be able to spend more than an hour together.

We read and talked a lot about how we are called to take off the old self and put on the new self… and how this new self is actually the first self we ever had… or, the self that God always intended for us to “wear”. Should I use the word self again?

 ”You were taught, in regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (NIV Ephesians 4:22-24)

The new self was created to be like God. That’s why there can’t be any lies, unwholesome talks, bitterness, rage, anger, malice, stealing and co. we’re clothed with a self that is like God. It does not mean that we are so much “like God” all the time. If Paul wrote the letter to those believers, it was because they needed to hear about that. Paul talks about not grieving the Holy Spirit in the passage too (4:30), so to me, it is a “proof” that we Christians, have choices to make. I often find myself with a hard heart, saying “no” to God’s Spirit who is always there to show me the right way. I hate saying “no” to my sinful nature and it hurts, I feel as if I’m a nerd and don’t get a “reward” or a good feeling all the time. I’m glad when I look back and I made the right choices, but it was costly to a certain extent.

Now talking about cost. That was not in the bible study but I was reflecting on that last week. I wondered about how much it cost me to be a Christian. I’m not talking about te money I give to the church, but about what kind of sacrifices I make for Jesus. Many “sacrifices” are no sacrifices at all and cost me nothing. David would not give God sacrifices that cost him nothing. I give God 45 minutes or so every morning, so I guess it costs me 45 minutes of my morning, but I’m so used to giving it that I wonder where the sacrifice is. For the rest of the day I pretty much forget about God, I’m so busy with so many other things. I want to stop more often and pray, wait on Him, remember that it is for His Kingdom that I live, not mine. So I don’t know. I think it’s a good question I should keep asking myself: Gabe, how much does it cost you to live for God. The answer will show me the degree of my devotion and my love to a certain point for sure. I remember hearing people say that they just had no time to read, to pray. What does it tell God? There’s a verse in Isaiah 43:22 that says “Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not WEARIED yourselves for me, O Israel.” I won’t start a discussion I started some time ago but click on the “read more” link to read what was on my mind about this topic on February 14, 2006 (a year ago already!) if you haven’t read it then. Anyways,  should stop here and do something school-related, there’s always more to do. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

are you WEARIED?

No I didn’t spell the word wrong. I did not mean to say “Are you worried”, but really “Are you wearied”. I’m not thinking about the fatigue and tiredness you feel after spending much time with your children or after a day at work, or too much studies or some accumulated stress. Well, as I think of it, what I mean, is that I don’t want to write about the weariness that is found with us when we work as working as an end in itself, or as studying as an end in itself… Are you confused? I am for you, so I’ll simply explain myself in a clearer way, then, hopefully, you’ll get my idea.
On Feb. 12 I read the verse 22 of Isaiah 43. It says “Yet you have not called upon me, O Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, O Israel.” I never really noticed the verse before and I thought it was an interesting idea that I didn’t really understand.
Chapter 43 starts with words of encouragement from the Lord to His people Israel, that He will stand by them and keep them safe, that He will bring the nation back together, that there is no other god besides Yahweh, He reminds them of all the good things He has done to the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt and He tells them of amazing things He promises to do. Then comes verse 22.
Even if they had seen and experienced and been told of so many great and wonderful things, they did not weary themselves out for Him. They did not lift a finger in response to the blessings of God. If you read the rest of the chapter it tells you about their response: they bothered God with their sins instead of giving thanks and obeying the Lord.
Now I wondered about myself. I was interested in the word “wearied”. I thought it was a very different verse that we use to memorize and hear preached about, like the verse “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (often forgetting the next verse that says: “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” Mat 11:28, 29). I guess these two verses (Matt & Isa) are talking two different things and have different context, but I simply don’t hear much about the cost our bodies and our souls must pay in our holy service to Christ. It is important to seek encouragement from the Word, but we need to seek to obey as much, if not even more than to be encouraged.
Anyways, as I said, I was (and I’m still) interested by this verse. “… you have not wearied yourselves for me…”. What does it really mean? These are just thoughts I have, nothing’s been proved with Scripture (?). I think that yes, God expects His people to respond to His goodness, His blessings, or anything He says or does or did. He wants a response from His people. Our response can be to ignore Him and continue in our own ways, or we can decide to obey His commands and seek Him. I think that in a sense, if we respond by obedience and thanksgiving, as we seek and strive to obey, we will “weary” ourselves for God. I’ll give you an example. That same day I was thinking about this verse, I felt so tired at the end of my shift at work and for the whole evening. I did not feel that way usually. But I understood that my body was tired because I had got up during the night to pray and got up early in the morning to read and meditate God’s Word. My body wasn’t happy with that, it was weary. I think that God expects us to respond to His great gift in Jesus Christ and all His blessings, not only by saying “thank you” and go to church and set a good example as a Christian. But by consciously seeking, running after Him to serve and know Him more, to climb the tree as Zacchaeus did in order to see Jesus (see entry entitled “Train yourself to be godly” Feb. 5/06). By doing so, our bodies might grow weary.
I do not mean that we should always be tired and never sleep and become blind because we’ve read too much. I simply think that if God opens my understanding on things I could do to know Him more, to respond to His gifts in tangible ways, I should obey and act. When it’s out of my comfort zone, when I don’t feel like it, when I am tired, when it’s hard, when it takes work. I think I show no real devotion to my Master and Savior when I am lazy to take up the cross He calls me to carry and tell Him I’ll go at church and give a part of my income and the usual good things that we are all called to do. But there’s a higher obedience.
As well, the first part of the verse says “Yet you have not called upon me…” So it made me think that maybe God is saying that because His people did not pray or call upon Him, they did not weary themselves. Maybe God calls us to call out to Him, to pray, to fast, to seek Him through prayer, and that, would weary us.
I don’t know, my thoughts are clear to me, I hope it is the same for you. I pray that I am sensitive to God’s teachings and God’s mind in His Word. I pray that I would seek Him more than my own health or needs or comforts. It makes me think of a verse. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”