Christ within me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ above me
Christ beneath me
To my left and my right
Christ where I lie
And where I arise
Christ in the hearts of all who think of me
Christ on the lips of all who speak of me
Christ in the eyes of all who see me
Make me Your instrument Lord
- from "Make Me An Instrument" written by Rick Elias
The above could have been taken from the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi or St. Patrick's Breastplate as noted in the liner notes from the CD, Prayers Of A Ragamuffin.
I find those words to be powerful. Not only that we be so consumed by Jesus but all who see us, speak to us, or think of us would experience Jesus too. That blows me away!
I would always want it to be that way. However not everyone wants to see Christ in us. 2 Corinthians verses 14-16 says, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance of death to death, to the other a fragrance of life to life."
The "aroma of Christ to God" is a stench to those who are perishing. That can lead to our suffering that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians. In chapter 4 verses 7-10 says, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."
As I mentioned in my last blog, suffering is not a bad thing. Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
Paul goes on to say in verses 16-18, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
Whether Christ being seen in us is an encouragement to those being saved or a conviction to those who are lost, He needs to be seen either way. Christ within me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ above me, Christ beneath me, to my left and my right but most of all Christ in my life to the glory of God. God bless y'all real good.
1 comment:
KH - Good to remember.
I have a friend whose child is being unfairly treated at school by the administration. This is something we are seeing more and more under the guise of the “separation of church and state.” The child wrote a note to a friend about God, it was intercepted and confiscated under this strange separation theory. That is not my point. I hear and see these things happening and see the typical response by Christians that, “This is a violation of our First Amendment rights!” This of course its true but we often overlook the fact that we live in two worlds, our country and the Kingdom of God. The latter is the one that is eternal. I wonder if we are teaching our kids that it is more important to protect our political freedoms than to realize that we are also caught up in the huge battle for souls. This battle, as your post so aptly describes, will result in us being a stench in the nostrils of many.
So, as citizens of the USA, it is probably correct to stand up for our freedoms which are under assault. But we need also to see what God is doing in and through our lives and be ready for that spiritual battle that rages on whether we see it or not.
Rudy
Post a Comment