Amidst The Dust

"Here, despite the work of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy, we can have health and safety and blessing. In short, abundance of life."

JESUS, born in a manger, raised upon earth, couldn’t go back to being Lord of Hosts, pre-human Jesus. He was (and is) still Lord of Hosts, but He will forever be human. Being on the earth and increasing in wisdom and stature and favor (Luke 2:42), even when He knew who He was, whatever age that was, He couldn’t be pre-earthling Jesus. If anyone had anything to look back on and wish for, He did. I mean, John 1:1 tells us He was God at creation. Colossians 1:16 tells us He was responsible for all things that were made.

The burning bush. Jesus. The lightning and thunderings on the mountain. Jesus. The fourth man in the fire. Jesus. The Holy Spirit and the Father also, of course. But you get my point. They, three, are one in perfect unity. So much so we are told the Holy Spirit never speaks anything out of unity. Every word is the Father’s and always turns our eyes toward Jesus (John 16:13). Jesus didn’t look back, though His humanity probably demanded it. He looked forward, past the cross and His most horrendous moment, to the joy which He would receive (Hebrews 12:2).

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was (John 17:5).” Jesus spoke these words in a passionate prayer. In the Garden, a short time later, He asked for relief. Minister Rick Renner says Gethsemane was Jesus’ most difficult moment, the pressure so great He sweat blood. Yet though He asked for another way, He committed Himself to His Father’s will, knowing the pain He would undergo would bring Him to the glory He’d had. He sits today in that glory. John describes Him in his Revelation as prestigious and awe-inspiring, and he fell at his feet unable to endure, or so he thought, the beauty of Him.

“When I saw him, I fell down at his feet, afraid that I couldn’t tolerate the intensity of the experience, but he gently placed his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am the Beginning and the End.’” (Revelation 1:17, Remedy)

But on earth, His feet in the dirt, facing people’s questions, seeing their pain, He had everything behind Him to consider. The apostle Paul called his past “dung” and urged believers to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).” The Remedy translation says, “I press forward, constantly toward the goal of Christlike perfection—one day to experience the ultimate prize for which God has called me heavenward—the joy of seeing him face to face.” There is no greater prize than that, but I suspect God has many, many beautiful things prepared for us when we reach the end of our time on earth. He also has many prepared for us here.

Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).” Such a clear desire of God’s heart. Not just that “when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be,” but that in the here and now, amidst the dust, we can look like heaven on earth. Here, amidst the turmoil, we can walk in peace. Here, despite the work of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy, we can have health and safety and blessing. In short, abundance of life.

God wants our dedication, our consecration to Him and to the gospel. We commit to “suffer things that must still happen (Col 1:24 UDB),” meaning those things of ministry, the work itself, the persecution of those not living in the fullness of God. But poverty, sickness and disease, and all forms of mental and spiritual oppression were nailed to the cross in Jesus’ shed blood. Nothing shows the power of God, the glory of Him who lives for us, more than when we live well. Those that give up houses and lands and family in order to serve Christ, receive hundredfold back now in this time and in the world to come eternal life. (Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:30).

Psalm 23:3 says He places us on paths of righteousness “for His name’s sake.” What makes Him look like God most glorious is not ego or arrogance, nor continuous battles, but that He did of His own freewill what no man could do, though it required the greatest sacrifice, and look now, at what has resulted. Not only victory over an enemy whose defeat was written at the beginning, defeat not in that God’s throne was ever threatened nor His power and strength, but that he was defeated so that we are saved and how beautiful are the feet of them who preach the good news.

My daughter is a reflection of me. Our children are a reflection of us. We are their legacy; they should look like us. And we, the body of Christ, are a portrait of the Head, which is Christ, and of the Father who sent Him to rescue us all. In this place of generation, as children of God, we now look forward and not behind us. Whether the past is polished and has been lost, or whether it was but a step toward where we stand now, whether it is dirty and ugly and we are rescued from it or we can still feel its pain in our ankles, in our side, what we have today and what God asks us to trust Him for tomorrow is greater than what we can imagine. It is higher, it is closer to Him, it is beautiful.

“Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” (John 20:27)

“May God himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, release grace over you and impart total well-being into your lives.” (Ephesians 1:2, TPT)

“Now I rejoice that I am suffering for your benefit. Yes, in order to help the church, which is like Christ’s body, I suffer things that must still happen.” (Colossians 1:24 UDB)

Image by NataliaChe777 from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com