Author: Christine Wyrtzen

When The Call Makes Me Stumble

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So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”  I Peter 2:7-8

Jesus can sometimes be the One who makes me stumble. When my preconceived ideas of Him are shattered and He does not appear as I think He should, my ability to believe is tested to the core. I can be very opinionated about issues concerning Him; that He should deliver when He allows pain, provide comfort when He convicts, and intervene when He restrains Himself.

He can also offend me. His teachings often clash with my nature and default ways of thinking. When I believe I should take a certain course of action that seems right and sensible, He instructs me to go in what appears to be an opposite direction. When I feel I have reached a plateau, Jesus can deliver a blow with His words that makes me realize I’ve only just begun the journey.

It is easy to believe Him when my heart feels safe with Him and His teachings make sense to me. But what about the many days when He asks me to do something difficult, when following His lead feels unsafe and unwise? What then? Will I stumble and get offended, or work through my doubts to obey?

Stumbling is certainly a dynamic as I sort out Jesus’ chosen path for me.  While I don’t yet know all it entails, I am asking for the grace to hear and then obey.  Whether His call on my life makes sense or not is irrelevant.  Whether I am initially offended by what He suggests is also irrelevant.  When all is said and done, when the wrestling period is behind me, I am determined to follow His voice even into the face of a storm.

Unbelief is still a temptation.  Don’t let me stumble over You, butstand in You.  Plant my feet on every Word of Your mouth.  Amen

 

The Cost Of A Life On Fire

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Never let the fire in your heart go out.  Keep it alive.  Serve the Lord.  Romans 12:11

When I read the biographies of great saints, whether biblical or historical, I’m always wide-eyed over their passion. I want what they had. God’s hand was on their shoulders and the fire of His Spirit went wherever they went.  He propelled their movements. 

Have you found yourself longing, even aching, to burn with a purpose that transcends what is earthly?   While that would be wonderful, there is a cost to embrace.  

  • You may be in a marriage where faith has divided you.  Your home has hung together but perhaps that’s because you’ve toned down your Christianity.  You’ve made the puzzle pieces fit together by compromising your passion.  The cost for a life on fire will be that the puzzle pieces will no longer fit.  You will be out of sync (until your spouse embraces Christ and engages in the same journey).  You will obey Jesus instead of obeying your fear.  
  • You may have a group of lifelong friends.  Down deep, you’re aware that you don’t really fit like you used to but they don’t know it yet. You’ve played it safe by not letting your love for Jesus and His kingdom ooze out in conversation.  You might fear that if you pursue the disciple’s life of passion, you will be alone, peculiar to your friends.  Following Jesus might mean starting over with new relationships. We must keep company with others on fire.
  • You may be afraid of personal change.  You don’t know what you will be like if you give yourself completely to God.  It feels safe to stay the same.  It’s scary to become what you’ve never been before. 

One thing is for sure ~ our new lives will cause some heightened reactions, much like the resistance the disciples experienced.  We will be like Moses, faces on fire, causing those who are repelled to look away and those who are attracted to draw near.  We will be like Stephen who delivered his testimony with a sword, igniting the crowd to stone him.  I will be as the eleven disciples who challenged the god and philosophy of this world, marking themselves as ones who aligned with Jesus. 

One thing is sure.  Living this life is impossible without proper fuel.  Serving God will fizzle because the cost feels too expensive.  Make a decision today with your eyes wide open.

I love you, Jesus, and I have a passion to see You glorified.Make my life a burning bush.Amen

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Singing Through Our Tears

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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.  John 1:5

Our enemy knows that God is Light.  He was once an archangel in heaven and saw the brilliance of the glory of the Father.  For much of eternity, he trembled and led the angels in worship.  He bowed in worship and led others to do the same before his appetite for power and autonomy corrupted him.  

Since Satan knows that Light overcomes darkness, why does he wage all-out war to wear out the saints?   And he shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the saints of the most High.  Daniel 7:25

  • Doesn’t he know that God’s children will tap into the ‘surpassing power of God’s greatness to all who believe?”  (Ephesians 1:19) 
  • Doesn’t he know that we are well aware that victory over him was declared at Calvary?  
  • Doesn’t he know that we have read the scriptures, and we celebrate that Satan was paraded, in defeat and humiliation?  (Colossians 2:15) 
  • Doesn’t he know that we put on the armor of God?  (Ephesians 6) 
  • Isn’t he aware that Paul calls it the ‘armor of Light’?  (Romans 13:12) 
  • Hasn’t he learned that we are aware of both our powerlessness in the flesh but our invincibility in the power of the name of Jesus?

Yes, he knows!  But he counts on the fact that, in times of distress, we will not stop to take stock of what is true about God, about His provisions and His promises.  He’s counting on us caving into overwhelming feelings.  He knows how hard it is to exercise faith in the throes of pain and distress.  He knows that our instinctive reactions in an emergency are emotions first, then thoughts.  He knows that by wearying us with battle after battle, we just might succumb to disillusionment and distrust in our Father.  What is the alternative?  

To believe that hardship is an opportunity to flex new faith muscles.  It is possible to sing through our tears.  When drowning under the sea of trouble, we will rely on the surpassing power of God’s greatness.  We will don our armor and put on Christ.  We will take the Light of the world into our fears, into the darkness of unbelief, into the chasm of sleeplessness, and into the worst of our ‘what ifs’ to discover that our foundation in Christ is solid as a Rock.  

The world shakes, but You, Lord, are unshakeable.  Amen

A Humble Beginning

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The deep love of Jesus, the kind that makes no earthly sense at all, is what compels me to write each morning.  My spiritual journey didn’t have a pretty beginning. I was never a little orphan girl, all dressed up and on good behavior.  I was undesirable.   I was lost before I was rescued.  Here’s how Ezekiel captured it. 

On the day that you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, you weren’t bathed and cleaned up, you weren’t rubbed with salt, you weren’t wrapped in a baby blanket.  No one cared for you.  No one did one thing to care for you tenderly in these ways.  You were thrown out into a vacant lot and left there, dirty and unwashed – a newborn nobody wanted.  And then I came by.  I saw you all miserable and bloody.  I said to you, lying there and helpless and filthy, “Live!”  I took care of you, dressed you, and protected you.  I promised you my love and entered the covenant of marriage with you.  I, God, the Master, gave my word.  You became mine.  Ezekiel 16  THE MESSAGE

The ‘field’ is Satan’s ‘field of the unwanted’.  Newborns aren’t treasured in his wasteland of a kingdom.  He wants them because he doesn’t want God to have them.  They are dirty trophies, uncared for, bloody, un-swaddled, and languishing.  He will raise them on filth, a degrading kind of diet for those who will never know one moment of nurturing until they are rescued by LOVE.

Look at the intervention.  God saw the births.  Saw the discarded newborns, unable to do one thing for themselves.  Their umbilical cords were still uncut and rotting.  His reaction was not revulsion; it was compassion.  He spread His cloak over them, wrapped them up, and called them His.  “Live!” He spoke over them.  

This is the Gospel.  These were my beginnings.  God did it all.  Even though I was raised in a respectable, church-going family, presumed goodness begged to get in the way of seeing myself as a daughter of the darkness, in need of a Savior.  Unless I embrace the truth of who I once was, I will never respond with the depth of love that is possible for me to feel and then to express in worship.  This is what it is to be a Daughter of Promise.   

The Pen God Set On Fire

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Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you….. Jude 3a

Has God ever redirected your life? You thought you were headed one way, in a predictable direction. You weren’t ready for a divine interruption.

I’ve been in ministry long enough to have God change my teaching plans just moments before stepping onto the platform. If I were an adventurer by nature, which I’m not, I would find it easier to flow with the urges of God’s Spirit.  As one who likes predictability and order, I can strain against the loss of control when God asks me to go another direction on the spot.  But at 71, He’s done it enough times that I’ve had some practice.  With history in my rear-view mirror, I trace His faithfulness and the miraculous fruit of holy spontaneity.

Jude started his letter to the whole church, intending to write about the glories of the Gospel message. As he began to write, God made him aware of the threats against the pure Gospel: those who would add to it, those who would delete from it, or twist it to advance their own causes.  What initially was a praise-filled letter about Christ’s message turned into a call to defend something so precious.  He started with an encouraging message but was redirected to take on a tougher, more confrontational tone. His original words might have inspired.  But this word was meant to convict. Jude was ready to commit his pen to a gritty piece of literature for the glory of Christ and the advancement of the kingdom.

I just came across this John Piper quote. “My prayer for you is that your life and your ministry take on a radical flavor. A risk-taking flavor. A gutsy, counter-cultural, wartime flavor to make the average churchgoer uncomfortable ~ a strange mixture of tenderness ~ a pervasive summons to something hazardous and wonderful ~ a saltiness and brightness, something like the very message of Jesus.”

I just wrote this out and put it on a card.  It’s propped up on my desk.  I believe it coincides with some place God is taking me. It’s not yet defined.  But wherever it is, I will stand on the tenets of the faith ~ fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I will follow You even when You call me to something so radical it is out of my comfort zone.  Amen

When I Don’t Yet Know What I Want

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Jesus looked around and saw them following.  ‘What do you want?’ he asked them.  John 1:38 NLT

Two men were so drawn to Jesus after witnessing His baptism that they abandoned their plans and started following Him.  Jesus, sensing them behind Him, asked them, “What do you want?” 

I’m not sure they knew what it was they were seeking.  You know how it is when the Spirit of God stirs your heart and the impact is wordless, right?  You’re aware of something stirring but you can’t put words to it yet.  I believe this was what happened with these two disciples.  Jesus intrigued them both, but they didn’t fully know why.  Not yet. 

They answered Jesus.  “Where are you staying?”  In other words, we want to know where your home is because we want more time with you.  Jesus wasn’t put off.  He told them that He would take them to where he was currently living.  He was accessible then ~ and still is. 

Christianity is the only faith that is intimate.  Leaders of religious movements develop a leadership style that keeps their followers at a distance.  The bigger the movement, the more out of reach they become.  But Jesus remained accessible to the people.  His invitation was true and heartfelt.  “Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”   It was relevant in 30 A.D., and it’s relevant now as His Spirit comes close to draw me in. 

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords has numbered the hairs of my head, has kept every tear, and engraved my face and my name on the palms of His hands.  Every promise, He has written on my heart for safekeeping.

Jesus, as you were with these two disciples, You are with me.  In many ways, I’m unaware of my vast emptiness and Your great sufficiency unless I take you up on your invitation.  Amen

Pessimist, Optimist, or Disciple of Christ?

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So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light 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.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18

People are usually either pessimists or optimists, and each tends to grate against the other.  It can be a silent war, as each group polarizes the other and tries to associate with those who share their views.  It never occurred to me until the other day that both perspectives are fraught with deception.

The optimist says, “Things may be difficult, but I’m choosing to focus only on the good.”  They are the ones to assure you that everything will be fine. They are not usually comfortable with prolonged crises because of their discomfort in bearing others’ burdens over an extended period.

The pessimist says, “Things are difficult and, most likely, life will stay this way.”  They focus on the worst-case scenarios.  They become lost in the pain and struggle against God’s promises.  They crave others’ compassion, as they should, but when they don’t get enough, they become angry and withdrawn.  They do believe in heaven but propose that one must suffer until they get there. They can be prophets of doom who live to see their self-fulfilling prophecies come true.

Both live in deception.  Having the mind of Christ is the goal for each of us, as our bent toward optimism or pessimism tugs to skew the truth. What is the outlook of Jesus?

  • “Life is often painful, and I’m not afraid to feel the impact of that deeply.”
  • “Life has many seasons. There are good times, and I will be happy without apology, celebrating life.  There are hard times, and I will grieve deeply, as Jesus did.”

I want to be a compassionate truth-teller to those who suffer around me.  I will validate their pain, encouraging them to express it fully.  I won’t sing them a happy song while they weep. I will not admonish with a sermon. Instead, I will ask questions that nudge them toward God’s perspective of their lives.

Father, give me the mind of Christ in all things.  Amen

When Heaven and Earth Connect

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No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.  I Corinthians 2:9

Heaven and earth are meant to connect.

  • In the Garden, there was a constant connection.  God walked on the earth with Adam. 
  • In the Tabernacle, the God of the universe made His home in the holy of holies. It was an Old Testament incarnation.
  • When Jesus came, it was a New Testament incarnation.

This connection did not end with Jesus’ ascension. We don’t need to mourn to see our God. He is not absent. He is at home in the hearts of everyone who has been adopted into His family. We are His tabernacles, and we connect ‘spirit to Spirit.’ 

God is speaking, but deaf ears don’t hear. God is shifting circumstances and fulfilling His purposes, but those insensitive to spiritual things can’t see it. Most of the world is deprived of the wonder.

Wonder and worship are what our Creator envisioned when He dreamed of us. That’s why Jesus wept for Jerusalem. He even expressed His sorrow. “If you, even you, had only known what would bring you peace on this day—but it is hidden from your eyes. You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

As Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand to pray for you and me today, perhaps He laments that we don’t always recognize Him when He comes and know His voice when He speaks.  We need not miss any holy moment. 

Jesus, make the things of heaven more real to me than tangible things. Grow my spirit so it moves and breathes with Yours. Help my connection with You resemble Your close relationship with Your Father when You lived here. Heal any spiritual dullness, deafness, and blindness. Amen.

Perspective

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There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.  Even the dogs came and licked his sores.  The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.  The rich man also died and was buried.  In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’  Luke 16:19-24

Lazarus lay on a stretcher. Sores covered his body, and he cringed as the dogs came and licked them. The feel of their tongue on raw flesh made him cry out in pain. His only hope was in a person who would pass by and show compassion for him. People walked inches from his stretcher, could hear his moans, smell his disease, and see his obvious frailty. How could no one have even the smallest consideration for this level of distress?

An incredibly rich man passed by him every day as Lazarus lay at the gate of the rich man’s estate. Every time the master of the estate left and then returned, he would see Lazarus. Tired of encountering him, wouldn’t he tell a servant to tend to him? Wouldn’t he instruct someone to bring out leftovers from his next party? It would cost him nothing. But instead, there was only a sneer at Lazarus’ request for crumbs. Purple linen never touched the rags of the beggar.

Ah, but how eternity changed everything. The rich man was the one in agony, suffering far more than Lazarus ever did on earth. The rich man asked for something much less than crumbs—just a drop of water. That’s all. But Lazarus could not help him. This was eternity, and God’s judgment is final.

This story serves as another reminder that God judges by the heart. In this case, the person with a heart for God was the beggar. Around the corner, it might have been different if a wealthy man had reached out to a servant for help. The main point isn’t that God despises the rich and favors the poor. God rewards those who fear Him, regardless of their wealth.

Life has many seasons.  I may be the beggar.  I may also be the rich man.  As a beggar, there is grace for every need, no matter who denies me.  As a rich man, I follow Christ, who showed me how to be a servant by laying aside his royal robes to walk the path of humiliation.

With eternity in view, I align my perspectives.  Amen

And Jesus Gave Him Back To His Mother

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As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the stretcher they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:12-16

A dead son, an only son, was touched by Jesus. He rose to life and then ‘Jesus gave him back to his mother.’   In 2 Kings 4, Elisha laid on the dead son of a godly woman, her only son, and this boy also rose to life. The story concludes with the same line. ‘And he gave the boy back to his mother.’

There are circumstances only God can change. There are people only God can transform. There are loved ones we need to relinquish into God’s hands to do what only He can do. When He’s done, they return to us as different people.  For this mother from Nain, it wasn’t hard for her to let Jesus enter the picture. Things were desperate and death was the end of the road. But in the land of the living, we play the Savior —- trying to fix, inspire, motivate, chide —- and we don’t realize that it’s necessary to step back in order to let God step close. Loving from afar is difficult when we’ve been the caretaker. Entrusting them to Jesus’ care doesn’t seem like the most loving thing to do. His way of bringing about a yielded life is usually much more severe than ours. We like to cushion people to make their journey as easy as possible but Jesus is not so much about comfort as He is holiness. And isn’t that what we want for them? Is any divine measure too unkind if it culminates in surrender? Is any wound too bad if it is a saving wound?

For whom do I want change so badly that I stand in the way of God? Ultimately, it’s an issue of trust. Do I trust God with someone with whom I’ve been intimately involved? Wrapping my arms around a person and bringing them to the Savior in prayer is not failure on my part. It is the beginning of their redemptive story if they will just bow at the feet of Jesus.

Help us know how to apply this. People need You first, then we can love each other. Father us and help us relinquish control. Amen