Colossians 1:26-29
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. That's what I'm working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I’ve been reading my grandmother’s journal again, and on the first page, she has written a tribute to her mother. I never knew this great-grandmother, Mary Caroline Cullum Thrasher. She died in 1946, more than a decade before I was born. But my grandmother speaks of her with great reverence… “She was a saint, a Godly woman and very strong willed. One of the things was her reading of the Bible every day, even in her last days. When she sat down to rest, it was her Bible she reached for.” On the subject of her personal appearance and attention to detail, my grandmother writes, “I can see her now as the early morning chores were done. She took time for herself… to be ready for the day… took her bath, combed her hair, put on a pretty little apron, cleaned her shoes, and – believe it or not – she polished her shoes with soot from the chimney.”
My grandmother concludes her tribute by saying of her own mother… “She was a very neat lady… one who had a real hard life. But when she went to be with her LORD, she left behind a legacy that it’s better to be true and loyal than to be what some might call ‘great’.” When I think of my great-grandmother Thrasher – and even my grandmother, I think of this passage… and the words… “Christ! No more, no less.” Some of us are so busy trying to add to the message… to make ourselves look better with “things”… fancy clothes and makeup, nice houses and cars, the latest gadgets and gizmos… when what we really need is a clean apron and a little soot on our shoes – and the word of God in our lap at the end of the day.
All I know of my great-grandmother Thrasher is what my grandmother, aunts and others have told me… and for the most part, it has all echoed my grandmother’s journal entry. I have always been told that she was a hard worker who made the best of what she had… and her circumstances. I know she bore ten children, and the eldest five died before my grandmother turned six. Then when my grandmother was not quite a teenager, my great-grandfather left and started another family in another state. Yet I have never heard anyone talk about my great-grandmother saying a negative or unkind word toward this man.
My point in sharing this is that challenges and heartaches are nothing new… and neither are great examples of faithful, common-sense discipleship to Jesus Christ. If anything, it seems like we have more of the former and less of the latter these days. And this might explain the imbalance! We need to humbly seek the wisdom of God. We need to pare down and simplify our faith. It’s not about big churches, amazing sound systems, rock-star quality praise music or even a compelling evangelist who can deliver earth-shattering sermons. It’s not about what we have, how much we can spend, or who we know, as long as we know Jesus. What matters is Jesus Christ… no more, no less… who lives in each of us who have professed a faith in Him. Our job is to simply love Him, serve Him in whatever capacity He designates, and truly share His love and care with others on His behalf.
Today, I encourage you to sit quietly for a few minutes and ask God to show you where you need to “trim the fat” – and where you need to step up to the plate. Who needs to see Jesus through you today? What wisdom is God trying to give you… if only you would stop and listen? Are you operating with a spirit of profound common sense? Are you neat, orderly, humble and faithful? How will you live for Jesus this day? What – and Who – will others see when they look at you?
Are you the “real deal” for Christ – no more, no less? Shouldn’t you be?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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