There
will be a time when each of us will stand before Jesus Christ, and He
will open a door called "reality past." There we shall gaze into the
days of our earthly existence. Jesus will not only commend our lives in a
general way, but He will point to specific things we did. Rejoicing
together with us, He will say, "Well done!" Perhaps there was a special
act of kindness that turned a bitter person back toward God, or perhaps
you overcame your fears and led a person to Christ whom God then used to
win thousands.
In
the Latin translation of the Bible, the phrase "well done" is rendered
"Bravo!" How would you like Jesus to say that to you? Imagine Him with
His arm around your shoulder, saying, "Bravo! You were just an average
person, but you trusted Me; you learned to love without fear. Look how
many hearts we touched together!" To be so pleasing to Christ that He
rejoices over the life we give Him should be our highest goal.
Love in the Midst of Pressure
Yet it is here, in a world filled with evils, devil-possessed people, and conflicts of all sorts, that we must find the life of Christ. In fact, Jesus warned about the Great Tribulation; one meaning of the word tribulation is "pressure." Even today, is not stress and pressure increasing on people? In spite of these tensions God has called us to love extravagantly. If we do not counteract the stress of this age with love, we will crumble beneath the weight of offenses.
Have you ever seen a supermarket shopping cart full of bent food cans? Most have lost their labels. You can buy a half dozen for a dollar or two. Often what has happened is that the atmospheric pressure outside the can was greater then the pressure inside and the can collapsed. It could not withstand the pressure.
Yet it is here, in a world filled with evils, devil-possessed people, and conflicts of all sorts, that we must find the life of Christ. In fact, Jesus warned about the Great Tribulation; one meaning of the word tribulation is "pressure." Even today, is not stress and pressure increasing on people? In spite of these tensions God has called us to love extravagantly. If we do not counteract the stress of this age with love, we will crumble beneath the weight of offenses.
Have you ever seen a supermarket shopping cart full of bent food cans? Most have lost their labels. You can buy a half dozen for a dollar or two. Often what has happened is that the atmospheric pressure outside the can was greater then the pressure inside and the can collapsed. It could not withstand the pressure.
Similarly,
we must have an aggressive force pushing from the inside out that is
equal to the pressures trying to crumble us from the outside. We need
the pressure of God's love pouring out through us, neutralizing the
pressures of hatred and bitterness in the world.
Love
is God's preservative. It surrounds our souls with a power greater than
the power of the devil and the world around us. It keeps us balanced.
It insulates us against the hostility that exists in our world. Love is
the shelter of the Most High; it is the substance of God's stronghold.
Lord,
forgive me for looking for some other means of protection besides Your
love. Truly, pressures have increased on my life; stress multiplies
daily in my world. Lord, grant me the eternal equalizer: love. Grant
that I would walk in such surrender to You that the power of Your love
would unceasingly emanate from my soul. Amen.
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The preceding excerpt is adapted from the book The Shelter of the Most High by Pastor Frangipane. This book with associated audio resources are currently on sale at www.arrowbookstore.com.
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