I am not in a storm. But I am in a season of costly discipleship. The Father is stripping me. He is making me His again. It does not look what we think it will look like. I am unafraid but I am in a place that begins to make my reflection look strange. I am in a place where I must ask is it in the Word. I am in a place where I must ask does it look like what He looks like?
I am done being relative and I am finished with peace and safety. I am putting on my remembering hat. I am adding nothing to and taking nothing away. I am reminded of Michael Eaton and His constant declaration of "Jesus + nothing." I want that and that can only be had in Him. There is a reason why David always cried out for the Father to be His refuge. We only need refuge when we are running or hiding or returning or abiding? We don't need refuge when we are under the illusion that all is well. See I've made a discovery? Nothing is well apart from Him. He is our strong tower, He is our refuge. We sing it all the while crying peace and safety. In Psalm 71 it says, "Be my strong refuge to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress." I have had peace and safety and it is an illusion. It is the strong delusion sent by the enemy. It tricks us into a Christianity that looks like the world looks. It is a Christianity that is filled with the glorification of me and not Him. He is reminding me that I do not want that. He is reminding me that I signed up to glorify Him. I am told that this revelation is going to cost me everything; And that when this season is done there will be very few standing with me, arms raised, declaring, "Jesus + Nothing"... Maybe, no one, I'm told. They say I'm going to lose everything but Him. We will see.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
More Levite nonsense
I try to mind my own business. I really do hope to someday find something fluffy and nice that God will speak to me. It would be nice for everyone involved, myself included. If only I could just teach something else, talk about some other trait. If I could lay off all this set apartness and this righteousness and this He's coming again stuff.
And so who knows why God thought it would be a super cool idea for me to read Joshua again. In fact I exasperated, "not Joshua again." something like that. But today I had to hit chapter thirteen and there begins a bunch of crazy talk about which tribe gets what land. There is all this mumbo jumbo about where who will live and how that land is not super cool or how there are too many hills or not enough hills. Or too many trees or not enough trees. It goes on and on. And then there it is in 13:14 "Only the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritances." I'm thinking pretty cool. Sacrifices by fire and all. I mean they get the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire. That is pretty legit. In verse 33 we get a repeat, "To the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance." In chapter 18 we are told, "But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance."
So here I am and I am blown away by this truth. The Levites inherit the Lord and everyone else is convinced that the better deal was in the land. The other tribes are stoked to get the land even though for the most part the land sucks. It's got all these little flaws. Oh how I want to cry out " I know all about that land thing." Cuz I do. I've got land, well at least I have this house in Brea. And it's pretty cool. I mean it's not the best house but it's a house. And I have what most people would agree is the craziest most perfect work schedule. I mean I am home by noon on a daily basis. My inheritance in Brea seems pretty good, all things considered.
But I am unsettled. This does not feel like my inheritance. This feels like something else. This feels like maybe I got the answer wrong, like maybe I took all the wrong classes in college which is funny because I took all the classes. Because the truth is everyone thinks the Levites were robbed but they inherited the Lord God of Israel. They serve and rely on Him alone. And they have no home and yet they will want for nothing because they are claimed by the most high God. See, that right there is what all of this is about. We spend so much time asking and seeking for our inheritance of good health, financial security, and peace and safety. Oh the list goes on. But the only inheritance we really need is the Lord. He is our inheritance because of the work of the cross. For me it is settled. We are Levites from the day we say yes. The only problem is that we really like the land and all that other cool stuff. Don't get me wrong the Land is cool. But I think I might want to trade it all away for all of Him. Like I need a readjustment of perspective. Oh those Levites. Truth be told most of them probably felt pretty ripped off with the whole no land deal. This God. He is my beloved and I am His. He is fearfully wonderful and I am just afraid. I want more. At least I'm pretty sure I want more.
And so who knows why God thought it would be a super cool idea for me to read Joshua again. In fact I exasperated, "not Joshua again." something like that. But today I had to hit chapter thirteen and there begins a bunch of crazy talk about which tribe gets what land. There is all this mumbo jumbo about where who will live and how that land is not super cool or how there are too many hills or not enough hills. Or too many trees or not enough trees. It goes on and on. And then there it is in 13:14 "Only the tribe of Levi he had given no inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their inheritances." I'm thinking pretty cool. Sacrifices by fire and all. I mean they get the sacrifices of the Lord made by fire. That is pretty legit. In verse 33 we get a repeat, "To the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance." In chapter 18 we are told, "But the Levites have no part among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance."
So here I am and I am blown away by this truth. The Levites inherit the Lord and everyone else is convinced that the better deal was in the land. The other tribes are stoked to get the land even though for the most part the land sucks. It's got all these little flaws. Oh how I want to cry out " I know all about that land thing." Cuz I do. I've got land, well at least I have this house in Brea. And it's pretty cool. I mean it's not the best house but it's a house. And I have what most people would agree is the craziest most perfect work schedule. I mean I am home by noon on a daily basis. My inheritance in Brea seems pretty good, all things considered.
But I am unsettled. This does not feel like my inheritance. This feels like something else. This feels like maybe I got the answer wrong, like maybe I took all the wrong classes in college which is funny because I took all the classes. Because the truth is everyone thinks the Levites were robbed but they inherited the Lord God of Israel. They serve and rely on Him alone. And they have no home and yet they will want for nothing because they are claimed by the most high God. See, that right there is what all of this is about. We spend so much time asking and seeking for our inheritance of good health, financial security, and peace and safety. Oh the list goes on. But the only inheritance we really need is the Lord. He is our inheritance because of the work of the cross. For me it is settled. We are Levites from the day we say yes. The only problem is that we really like the land and all that other cool stuff. Don't get me wrong the Land is cool. But I think I might want to trade it all away for all of Him. Like I need a readjustment of perspective. Oh those Levites. Truth be told most of them probably felt pretty ripped off with the whole no land deal. This God. He is my beloved and I am His. He is fearfully wonderful and I am just afraid. I want more. At least I'm pretty sure I want more.
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