“… it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (NIV, Matthew 19:24)
Blessings to you from Seattle. Fall is in full swing here with wind, rain and overcast skies.
I don’t know about you, but we did not have much of a summer this year.
In recent years we’ve had stretches of 80° to 90° plus weather. Not this year.
The seasons are changing and maybe seasonal change is coming upon the church as well.
Whatever lies before us, I pray the Lord would usher you and me into a new season of grace, love and care.
And I pray we would have greater anticipation and expectancy for the good things Jesus has just around the corner for you and me – we might be made full and complete in Christ.
Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart and mine for greater access and permission. How can we refuse the one who’s paid so much for you and me and desires to do only good in our lives?
We can always go deeper in Jesus no matter how far we’ve come or how much we’ve experienced, or, have missed the mark.
The well of living water springs eternal and knows no limits or boundaries for those in pursuit of Christ and those Christ is pursuing.
Let Jesus capture and bring you to the well of his Spirit and love.
The Cares of This Life
I am taking a break from 1 Peter 3:18 and writing about something on my heart this morning.
Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of certain things, to not lose our way in the thorn bushes of this world.
Psalm 16 promises boundaries for you and me. I pray and hope we stay in the boundary of his care and love, we might endure the cross of Christ in patience and perseverance.
The gospel of this culture and age desires to smother you and me with the cares of this life, to hide our face from the face of God, to close our ears to the gospel of Christ, and to quench our hunger and thirst for God.
The higher powers of darkness, the king of this world, has a plan and strategy to keep you and me from being all we can be in Christ.
Nobody is exempt from his strategy and tactics.
Our culture is saturated with everything and anything.
Movies, television, food, sports, recreation, hobbies, etc., on demand and in hand. Many times all it takes is a flick of a switch.
Almost any appetite and desire is satisfied, sometimes instantly.
Work, careers, finances, and long-term financial security – the fear of living in poverty – come at us from so many angles it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.
Along with environmental, climate and global events, there is an unending cacophony from the media and the culture of this age fighting for our attention, affection and hopes – mostly our affections, to capture our passions and desires.
We are inundated with the cares of this life like never before.
Opportunities and possibilities in today’s culture and economy herald “the sky is the limit” to the things you and I can achieve, accomplish and become.
A double minded world, fear on the one hand and gratification and freedom to pursue anything and everything.
A world far removed from the intimate love and care of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Included in the abundance of activities and events vying for our time are church events, conferences, seminars, programs and a wide assortment of ministries.
It seems, anything and everything is available to Christian and non-Christian alike.
And sadly, the onslaught coming to us from the world and even the church at times seems to be out of desperation, for identity and destiny, acceptance, love, value, and esteem.
I know. I think we all struggle with these in one form or another.
I love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the wonderful things God does through the abundant ministries and resources he has for the body of Christ.
But, there are seasons Jesus takes us aside to be with him personally, and your church activities and responsibilities may decline during those times.
The Church
We are born and birthed in the church.
After we’ve feasted on much of what the world offers and/or the events, programs and activities of the church, we eventually come to the place of desperation, needing Christ in the core of who we are and what we believe.
Christ knows when we’re ready for deep intimacy with him.
Only Christ knows the deep yearnings of our heart, the things we missed as a child, the things we missed as a parent to our children, the deep wounds and sins we inherited and embraced, and the path to take us out of darkness into life.
Only Christ knows the antidote for our wounds and brokenness. Only Jesus can bring health and well-being to the deep, hidden, and secret sins in your life and mine.
Only Christ knows how to heal the broken and sick places in you and me. He has surgeon hands unlike any other. He knows how and where to exactly cut, cleanse, and sew our wounds.
Only Christ has the ability to creatively to impart his divine nature into you and me.
Desperate for Jesus
In the summer of 2012, I attended a two-week prayer ministry school.
The Lord woke me one morning at 4:30. I felt to go outside into a wide-open space bordered by some trees.
We were in the country. It was summer and the scenery was beautiful.
I stood in one place for almost 3 hours watching the sun come up over the hill to the east of our dormitory. It was a profound experience, spiritual.
The Lord brought to mind the passage in Psalm 18 verse 19, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (NIV)
After about two hours, I decided to head back to the room and get some shut eye. As I turned to leave, a gentle voice spoke to me, “are you leaving so soon.”
The experience of watching the sun come up, the Majesty and awesomeness of God, and the peace and rest I felt in him, is embedded in me.
Christ is unfathomable and unexplainable.
And yet, Jesus, is as personable as a person can get and is nearer to you and me than anyone else can ever be.
He desires intimacy with you and me beyond what we could imagine or think.
Time
He wants to spend time with us. And that requires carving time out from all the demands and banquet the world and even, at times, the church, has to offer.
How we go about doing that is individual in each case. Jesus has wisdom for you and me on how to spend our time and energy to advance the kingdom of God.
When he takes you deep in him he will establish boundaries for your life.
We only have so much time. I invite you to ask the Lord for wisdom for your life, how you might better treasure your life and time in Christ.
Unprecedented changes are ahead in the world and in the church. What part will you play? What goodness lies just around the corner for you?
Unprecedented Change
Each new move of God brings unprecedented change and opportunities to the people of God. The wave of God’s Spirit is approaching once again to elevate his people into greater intimacy with him.
Some will be caught off-guard and unprepared.
Let’s not be like those who heard the word of God, experienced the moving of God’s Spirit in word and testimony, and fell away.
Let’s not be like those who abandoned Egypt for a season. Let’s be over comers and not overcome.
There is a shakeup coming to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is much in the way of fear the Lord needs to heal in the lives of his church and its leaders.
There’s a fresh revelation of the word of God coming that will challenge those who have been schooled in the word of God.
It will be a challenge like the days of old – Luther faced it, Paul faced it, Christ faced it, as well as hundreds of reformers past and present.
Sadly, it seems, at times, the ones who know the most are the hardest ones to embrace new things in Christ.
Clash of Cultures
Unless I’m mistaken, even the world knows there’s something amiss, portending coming events. Movies and the like are filled with apocalyptic catastrophes.
The heart of man senses change is in the wind.
And the church senses it as well.
Thankfully, the New Testament dispensation timeline is determined by Jesus and his work in the church, and not by world events no matter how grievous they may appear.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and not the world.
As with every new move of God, historic Christianity is headed on a collision course with the Spirit of God.
Jesus knows how to leapfrog you and me into the new things of God. He’s done it for those preceding us and he can do it for us.
Sometimes the most vocal opponents can become the most ardent supporters.
Stay in the word, stay close to Jesus, cry out for his protection and help, and he’ll keep the wolves in sheep’s clothing at bay and lead you into the deeper things of his Spirit.
Matthew 19:24
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (NIV, Matthew 19:24, bold and italicize are mine)
I believe this Scripture has new nuggets for you and me. Let’s see what we can mine from the word of God.
I think this is one of those eat my flesh and drink my blood scriptures. (John 6:53-6:64)
This is also one of those compare and contrast scriptures, the camel being those entering into Christ (those moving toward a single eye in Christ) versus the rich (those whose hearts are asleep and adrift), e.g., five virgins with oil versus five virgins without oil; those “taken” versus “left”; Philadelphia versus Laodicea church, etc.
The camel is a beast of burden. It lives in the hot and dry places.
It is symbolic of a person under the weight of wounds and sins, and the injuries that caused them, coupled with the weight of the law, enslaved to a system offering no hope, redemption or spiritual life.
A system of laws, rules, and regulations impeding freedom and release, thwarting all avenues of escape and hope, enabling and empowering brokenness.
The camel represents labor; labor under a hard yoke and heavy burden. The labor of “works righteousness,” endeavoring but falling short of fulfilling the law of God in the flesh.
The camel represents Christians like you and me, needing cleansing and healing – Christ, an easy yoke and light burden.
There is a lot of symbolism in Christ’s use of the camel. Surely, he’s not talking about a literal camel, but trying to draw the listener’s attention to the beast of burden and their lot outside of Christ.
Jesus is stretching their heart and hoping they would have eyes to see and ears to hear spiritual wisdom.
Jesus wants them (and you and me) to ponder, meditate, and seek him for explanations.
The Greek word for “eye,” has interesting words in its family relationship.
The sense of these words are as follows: a hole, eye of a needle, to wear away, to wound, to rub, corrosion or wear, and even trauma.
Now one has to ask, is Jesus talking about a literal “needle’s eye” (or a gate as some suppose), or is he intimating something spiritual?
Is Jesus giving them something literal or is he drawing their heart to greater truth?
It seems to me Jesus is referring to the wounds and brokenness that chew and gnaw on the inside of one’s heart and soul. The “hole” inside, the wearing away of goodness and love, the wounding of one’s inner being by the assault of the enemy and sin, and the resultant corrosion and tear to the fabric of God’s original design. This is what I think Jesus had in mind.
And the word “needle” has the idea of puncturing, a needle. A kindred word has the sense of to rap, to slap.
And “to go” has the sense of come, enter, go in, I go in, i.e., Jesus coming and entering into our wounds and brokenness, to cleanse and heal.
And of course, “through” means to come out the other side.
(It is also interesting Jesus counsels the man to sell his possessions. We embrace (possess) and harbor much in the way of wounds and sins through unforgiveness, etc. Jesus directs us to go to those who “buy and sell” and rid ourselves of these impurities. (Matthew 25:9))
What is Jesus trying to say in all this about the camel?
“Walking in your midst are children of God heavy laden and burdened with sins, wounds and brokenness, and the injuries that have caused them. I have come to cleanse and heal you from the works of the law into God’s love, care and grace.”
“I will enter, come, into the wounds and dark places and take you unto myself in grace. I will bring rest, comfort and peace to the broken and troubled areas of your heart and mind.”
“It will require the ‘puncturing’ of everything you hold dear in the law, the works of your flesh, and in the eyes of man.”
“It will require you revisiting, going ‘through,’ the wounds and sins you’ve embraced. Repentance and forgiveness are my surgical tools of the trade.”
“I will come to you, and walk you through the other side of your wounds and sins, injuries and traumas, revealing myself in you by grace, putting to death the lower nature, through repentance, forgiveness, love, and care.”
“I will bring rest to you from works righteousness. I will remove the burdens placed upon you by your generations, others, and those you’ve embraced.”
“I will remove the heavy loads and hard to bear weight of do’s and don’ts, and the traditions of men – the stewardship of the law and sin – and ‘take’ you unto myself, into the realm of peace and grace.”
“We will clean the inside of the cup together by your willing participation and my words and power.”
“I will be a Father to you and you will be my Son and Daughter. I will teach you obedience and faith, confidence and trust, in gentleness and humility of heart.”
Blessings, Drake
(NIV) Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™
