Hope and Measuring Up

 

Started a “Hope Journal” this past February, when the pandemic was just moving into our lives.

Hebrews 6:18b was the impetus:  “And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness.  This is where we find strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time – an unshakeable hope!”

But isn’t it a negative thing, to hide from trouble? 

It might be if I was just hiding from something.  But in this case, it’s a positive act to hide in God’s faithfulness. I address life through the covering of his faithfulness. (The only time it's ok to hide under the covers!)There my eyes are opened to see what I already have, what he has already erected for me, an unshakable hope.  Outside of his faithfulness life is more like a teeter totter leaving me questioning what is real, and what is False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR)?

And how about the word “Seize”!  Not a wimpy word, but an aggressive action, like taking the Kingdom by violence.  Seize is a violent, deliberate action.

What a wonderful, powerful scripture to meditate on!

So I wasn’t so sure why God ended our time in Hebrews talking about “measuring up”.

I felt God say to me: “My kids measure up.  You didn’t even register on the scale until I stepped on with you.”

That sounded strange to me, so I talked it over with Jimmy later that night.  We both thought that doesn’t sound like you, Daddy, to say that without you I have no weight, no value.

But as I lay in bed that night before sleep, you explained that it is because I died and my “old man” no longer exists that I don’t register on the scale without you.

Colossians 3:3 -  “For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

Galatians 2:20 -  “My old identity has been co-crucified with the Messiah and no longer lives… and now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me – we live in union as one.  My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loved me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine.”

Daddy says, “It’s all of nothing”.  You can’t continue to measure up based on some of your past identity, and some of your new.  Either it’s all gone, or all here on the scale – you choose.

I don’t need the excess weight!

I choose to give up all and keep nothing.  I run into your heart to hide myself in your faithfulness.  This is where I find your strength and comfort and your empowerment to seize what you’ve already established ahead of time – an unshakeable hope.  Hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor that attaches my soul to God himself, and is fastened to the Mercy Seat in the heavenly realm.  Connecting me to heaven, while standing firm on the earth.  I choose to give up all and be found in you, not having a righteousness of my own, that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Jesus – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:9)

No more working to measure up!  Here I am seizing what Daddy has already provided for me, standing in the stature I have because of Jesus standing ramrod straight inside of me! 

IN THE BELOVED!

 

9/4/2020

Today I heard the words “in the Beloved” on my morning run.

Ephesians 1:3- talks about being “in the Beloved”.  I remember that phrase from my King James days. 

What does it mean?  What does it look like?

Not striving to get in, not still trying to measure up, because I’m already in the Beloved.  I didn’t get in by doing anything.  Daddy invited me, on May 9, 1966, and I said yes.

So why did you want to tell me about this verse, this morning? 

Because you’ve been struggling again, competing to be the best, feeling like what you do is never enough.

But what happened yesterday?

As she handed me my weekly paycheck, the boss told me “I gave you a raise, a few weeks ago.  I don’t know if you noticed.”

You got a raise and you were so busy working that you didn’t even notice it.

No, I didn’t.

You are already accepted in the Beloved.

“And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe!”

Chosen before I was born?  Chosen before I’d done anything to qualify me, or disqualify me?  Hired and given a raise before I was old enough to know my right hand from my left.  When I was born, my dad named me Taffy, but you called me Beloved.

“Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence.”

Holy in your eyes.  So if I see things differently, I’m believing a lie.

Yes.

“For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace – for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us.  And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!”

I remember the morning in my prayer room as I got up from the floor to get ready for work, and I heard you say “I love you as much as I love Jesus.”

You let your words hang in mid-air for a few seconds and then asked me, as you so often do, “Do you believe it?”

My response:  I’ve been in competition all my life.  Number 3 among 5 kids, with a cute baby sister.  I strove in every relationship to be the most loved.  If I wasn’t picked first, I felt less than.  And I hated feeling less than, so I just tried harder, doing, striving.  But now you say you love me as much as you love your first born, Jesus? 

Weeks later I came across that scripture, Eph. 1:6  “… for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us.”  And I was so excited!  What he’d whispered to me in the prayer room, he put in his word so I could see it in black and white, and hide it in my heart.  And the icing on the cake is this crazy statement:  “And this unfolding plan bring him great pleasure.”

What ?!?  It brings you pleasure to love me as your own flesh and blood?  Why?

This cascading love glorifies your grace.

All I can do is worship this amazing Daddy whose pleasure comes from adopting me as his child.

“Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been give the treasures of redemption by his blood – the total cancellation of our sins – all because of the cascading riches of his grace.  This super abundant grace is already powerfully working in us, releasing within us all forms of wisdom and practical understanding.”

When my mind stops being focused on how I can earn my position, keep trying to measure up to the status you’ve already given me without striving, in the Beloved, then and only then can I participate with you in your plans – experience “all forms of wisdom and practical understanding”.

“And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled his secret desires to us – the hidden mystery of his long-range place, which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time.  And because of God’s unfailing promise, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages fully reaches its climax – when God makes all things new in all of heaven and earth through Jesus Christ.”

“Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny: that we would fulfill the plan of God who accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.”

So there is a master plan, and God chooses to share that plan with the ones whose destiny it is to accomplish it.  Without striving or competing, I choose to enter the rest of knowing I’m already accepted in the Beloved, and join the team of your lovers as we follow your detailed plan of bringing heaven to earth.