Someone New.
October 11, 2016
My family loves Cirque Du Soleil. They bring a production down under every couple of years and we make sure we get tickets. We celebrated our youngest 21st birthday at the latest show, Kooza, a few weeks ago. It was extra special because Jake went on stage before the performance started. If you’ve ever seen a Cirque show some of the performers roam through the audience prior to the show starting and Jake got grabbed by one of them. She put a tutu around him and had him do a few ballet steps. I was so proud of him as he wasn’t put off by the 2,000 sets of eyes staring and gave it a real go much to the audience’s appreciation. It’ll be a memory that stays with him for a long time I expect.
The trapeze
One of the standout performances was the trapeze act where a singular performer dazzled us. She didn’t have a protective net, however, was hooked up to a wire so if she did fall she wouldn’t fall far. Last week I read something that used the trapeze act as a useful analogy to compare our old life before we met Jesus and the new one we have when in relationship with Him. I’ve found in my journey that I’m juggling the two. When I’m on the old life trapeze, doing what’s ingrained in me from my years living it, old habits, sin, and so, there’s a strange comfortableness about it because I’ve got that wire holding me. The new life trapeze is always swinging next to me but there’s neither a wire nor protective net. However, Jesus is standing on the platform smiling encouraging me to hop off the old life trapeze. Take the step.
Jump!
It’s scary especially when I look down. No wire. No net.
But when I keep my eyes on Him I’m emboldened to … jump.
“Gotta keep looking at Him. Keep looking at Him, Ian. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus.”
Now I’m swinging … “Keep your eyes on Me, Ian”
Okay … now I’m standing.
You get the picture.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You’ve probably read that verse a thousand times you know it off by heart. What I love about it is there’s no in between. It’s like being pregnant. You either are or you’re not.
We are new creations. The old us has gone. We are now filled with God. In us! He’s in us. Hallelujah.
But we still keep eyeing off that other trapeze bar and we hop back on it more often than we like. Don’t we? We get crabby at our partner, our children because we’ve had a bad day. We look enviously at the fancy new car our friends have just bought. You know the drill.
Fullness of Life
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
I’ve been studying Nehemiah recently. Here is a man who is besotted by God and by God’s purposes. So much so he does something crazy: asks the king to let him rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. The king affirms Nehemiah and off he goes, assembles helpers and despite lots of opposition they rebuild the wall in 52 days.
Nehemiah is a man who experienced life to the full. He was a man devoted to prayer, seeking the will of God and obeying it. And Nehemiah did something truly remarkable. God equipped him to do His work.
God wants to equip us to do His work to. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to do something like rebuild Jerusalem; it’s as simple as being kind to our partners and children when we really don’t want to.
We can only do that if we stay on the new trapeze bar with our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus. In Colossians 3 (verses 1-5) it’s explicit that we can only let go of our old nature by looking to “things above”. It starts there.
If life’s a struggle at present for whatever reason can I encourage you to start looking at “things above”. Remember it’s not the truth that sets you free but “knowing the truth” (John 8:32)
You are a new creation.
You are one with Jesus.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Know the truth in your heart, in your mind and you will be set free.
Grace and peace dear SUMite friends.