To be or not to be...

What is one of your greatest desires that if not met leaves you feeling empty, without direction, without purpose, and alone even if people surround you?  

What are three words that if you heard them spoken sincerely to you spark a relationship that goes deeper than the surfing with which most people are content?

What connects you to someone that can withstand the waves of life that beat against your heart?

I suspect that many of you may be answering these questions in this fashion: To be loved, “I love you,” and love.

Love, love, love. All you need is love. Love is all you need. This Beatles hit song can spin the hearts of a man and a woman into a whirlwind of emotion. Much too often we find that this love that catches our heart like Cupid’s arrow pierces to the depth of our soul and finds a truer unmet need that if not satisfied will wash away superficial love like a sand castle on the beach.

What am I talking about that would, if you stripped away the “love” in a relationship or the “love” that we are supposed to show others, still leave you empty, without direction or purpose, and alone?

Yes, some of you are already grasping the upper story line, that all we need is God’s love, but that standing alone is not what God wants. If that were true, when God made the first man, Adam, He would have stopped there and said, “I am finished. I have made the man, and his only purpose is to love me.”  We should know that is not true. God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”¹ God made woman from man and blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth…”²

Now, before there is any misunderstanding of how I am weaving this thread into its intended message, this is not about marriage, sex, or making babies.

During Jesus’ last supper with His disciples he told them, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer…A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”³

Jesus tells them three times to “love one another”…as I have loved you.

Therein is the message Jesus wants you to receive: “Love as I love.”

Knowing then that I am not talking about the Beatles love song, “All you need is love,” what deeper desire that you need satisfied that Jesus can fulfill in you and wants you to perform with others?

To be understood.

How do you feel, sense, or discern God’s love for you? Does He hug you, wipe away your tears, or hold your hand? Not in the flesh, yet in your spirit you can feel the Spirit of God comfort you, lift you out of your grief, and give you security…because Jesus understands you, your situation, and the future that He destines for you. That is how Jesus loved…with understanding.

And this is how Jesus lived out his love for all of us—

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,

    like a root in dry ground.

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,

    nothing to attract us to him.

He was despised and rejected—

    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.

We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.

    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;

    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.

And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,

    a punishment for his own sins!

But he was pierced for our rebellion,

    crushed for our sins.

He was beaten so we could be whole.

    He was whipped so we could be healed.

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.

    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.

Yet the Lord laid on him

    the sins of us all.⁴

Jesus understands us all. He receives us as we truly are, without our pretenses, our façade, or the face we put on for others to like us. Jesus takes us as the vessels we are, broken and unable to hold water on our own. He understands you and shows His love for you despite your brokenness.

I was inspired to write this meditation after hearing this story about puppies for sale written by Dan Clark⁵—

A storeowner was tacking a sign above his door that read “Puppies For Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the storeowner's sign. "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked. The storeowner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50." The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please look at them?" The storeowner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?" The storeowner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That is the little puppy that I want to buy." The storeowner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you." The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for." The storeowner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies." To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the storeowner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"

The little boy understood the puppy with the limp. The next time you think that all you need is love, consider that your need to be understood is what God’s love fulfills. Love one another with God’s love and begin to desire to understand one another…your parents, brother, sister, friend, husband, wife, coworker, the person serving you, the person you are serving, the homeless wandering the streets, the drug addict, the stripper, the alcoholic, the depressed, the anxious, the person afflicted with a disease…

Surely, thousands loved Philip Seymour Hoffman, the famed actor whose life was destroyed by heroin, but was he understood?

To be or not to be…

Surely, <fill in the name> whose life is being destroyed by <fill in the tragedy, trauma or affliction>, but is he or she understood?

To be or not to be…

Reach out today and understand someone…and let him or her know that you do.

To be or not to be understood? That is the question.

Copyright © March 30, 2014 by Jeff Cambridge

References

1. Genesis 2:18 NIV

2. Genesis 1:28 NIV

3. John 13:33-34 NIV

4. Isaiah 53:2-6 NLT

5. From Chicken Soup for the Soul (Volume I): 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit, © 1993 Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, published by Health Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Transitions - 6: Passing the Baton

“Run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”

Hebrews 12:1

We all have dreams, visions of the future, imaginations of times to come, possible places to be, ideas to build, families to grow. These dreams swell from the desires of our hearts and become yearnings with a hope that they will replace our present circumstances, an escape from the noise of today in exchange for the solitude of tomorrow. But that tomorrow of which we dream never seems to arrive. Your dreams may elude you like a child playing hide and seek—you look for him in all the places you would hide, only to realize that he does not think like you and that he can fit into places much too small for all that you are carrying around.

        Why does your vision of the future seem elusive and beyond your reach, to exceed your capabilities or power to achieve them? Consider in whom you place your faith for the outcome of your future, your destiny…your eternal destiny. The apostle Paul provides us with insight into your future—

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. 

       By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.¹

       It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.²

            Dreams come to life when God is in them. Dreams survive when God sustains them. Dreams are the fuel of faith when one pursues God passionately. Dreams become real when they are pursued with the passion found in the patriarchs of faith listed in the “Hall of Faith” —Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

 

     All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of      them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would        also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.³

            I have a dream of leaving a legacy of faith for my children to model. I have a dream to leave a mark of positive influences on their lives by providing an intervention that will direct them to the one path to God, the stairway to heaven, the climb of sanctification that will change their lives. I have a dream that my children will love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of Christ’s character.

            The foundation of these dreams must be built on the Rock,⁴ unwavering faith in Christ Jesus, so as to prevail through circumstances foreseen and unforeseen. Jesus teaches us to build our foundations on His principles by putting them into practice and modeling His behavior—

So why do you call me “Lord,” when you won’t obey me? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins.⁵

         After salvation, sanctification must begin.⁶ Behaviors unworthy of Christ must change, replacing them with actions that glorify God. This is a process, not a point in time, and it is often difficult because it comes against the very nature of our flesh—self-willed by the desires we pursue when we allow our “self” to rule our behavior. We naturally want the things of this world, but to receive God’s blessings such as peace that surpasses all understanding,⁷ joy that is abundant and overflowing,⁸ and love that is God,⁹ we must deny our own desires to receive His. When you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires are His—and then He will give you your dreams.

Trust in the LORD and do good.

                   Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.¹⁰

            When you live for Christ passionately, you can trust your heart and act on your passions—and your dreams will not seem elusive. When you live for Christ passionately, you are not living passively, but rather, you are actively putting His teachings into practice. Then you begin to notice that the desires of your heart change, and you start removing the old behaviors that bound you to the ruler of this world, Satan.¹¹ Removing the old “self” provides room for God’s Holy Spirit to live.¹² The Holy Spirit will begin to strip off and sweep out the sinful nature of your heart, like a new owner cleaning, refurbishing, and transforming an unkempt house. This occurs when you live for Him passionately, forgoing your own desires and replacing them with His. 

            You must take action. It is up to you to remove the weights of your sinful behavior so that you are capable of receiving the blessings He will pass to you. What step must you take to eliminate the weights, the burden of sin? God’s promise is to lift the burden of sin when you ask Him to forgive you. Then repent of your behavior by doing a 180-degree turn from your old practices to a new behavior that glorifies God.¹³ If truly in your heart you want to be set free, you will find freedom wherever the Spirit of the Lord is¹⁴—pursing the life he has intended for you. What are you holding on to? What crutches will you not give up—alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, greed, lust, manipulation, control of others?

            Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was. Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God. So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.¹⁵

            When you live for Christ, He will deliver you from the weights of sin and give you freedom to pursue your dreams. Are you ready to run the race of faith with Christ? The next step is yours—a step of faith. Christ will give you the strength to throw off all that may hinder you from taking the next step—the step of faith when He passes the baton to you.¹⁶ He has prepared you with His rock solid foundation. Now go forth running ahead passionately, for He has made a road to your dreams.

     Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.¹⁷

    

     I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all that I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.¹⁸

     —Apostle Paul, a finisher of the race

Praise to Our Father for the words He has given me.

Copyright © 2004, 2005 Stellar Rhema Ministry, 2016 by Jeff Cambridge

Footnotes

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved. 

1.     Hebrews 11:1-3

2.     Hebrews 11:8-10

3.     Hebrews 11:32, 39-40

4.     Genesis 49:24; Matthew 7:24-27; 16:18; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1Peter 2:6-8

5.     Luke 6:46-49

6.     Sanctification:  the state of growing in divine grace as a result of active dedication and service to God after accepting Christ as Savior; The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance © 1999, 1990 by Zondervan, Greek to English Dictionary 39 hagiazo; Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary © 1983 by Merriam-Webster Inc.; and “His Stairway to Heaven” © 2004 by Stellar Rhema Ministry

7.     Philippians 4:7

8.     John 15:11, 16:24, 17:13

9.     1 John 4:16

10.   Psalm 37:3-4

11.   Ephesians 2:1-2

12.   2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:20-24, Colossians 3:5-11

13.   Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, 38-40

14.   2 Corinthians 3:17

15.   Romans 6:5-11

16.   Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:17; Hebrews 11:34; 1 Peter 4:11

17.  Hebrews 12:1-2 

18.  Philippians 3:12-14