Philippians 3 : 8
8 But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ. This phrase "that I may gain Christ" has always been a longing within me for much of my Christian life. I'm sure we all often wonder whether there has been much gaining of Christ in us. We seem the same - the earthen vessel seems still very earthen with fears, doubts etc. So I'd love your spiritual insight into this process of gaining Christ - perhaps we aren't supposed to look into ourselves to see how much we have gained - perhaps that is the Lord's job - He is the righteous judge who weighs the spirits - and our function is to just keep pursuing Him day by day. But as I go through trials - and we all do - I don't want to waste the opportunity the Lord has graciously brought into my path.
This morning I read a verse in Hebrews that talks about the discipline of the Lord:
Hebrews 12 : 11
11 Now no discipline at the present time seems to be a matter of joy, but of grief; but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it.
Are all trials the discipline of the Lord? What is the process of being exercised by it?
I do thank you all for your support - as I woke up today there was the grace ministered to me through the Word, through your prayer and through the power that operates in me!
As I get the chemo - this is what I pray and think about: Today God's zoe life is going to swallow up all the death in my body and "zoeify" it. The zoe life of God is the champion, who will withstand and destroy the usurping cancer cells. Praise the Lord for His unconquerable, indestructible life in us!
I know this entry seems a bit disjointed - I have to take a steroid before chemo which makes me a bit hyper. But I do ask for your insight about the questions I asked about gaining Christ, being exercised by the discipline of the Lord etc. Thank you for your continued prayer and petition.
May we all keep looking away to Jesus today! Joanne
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5 comments:
Hi Joanne,
This is my experience: The more we gain Christ; the more we express His perfect pattern of living. This is seen by the way we deal with people and with God. The Lord was perfect in every way and in all His decisions. We hope to be led and infused by the Lord Spirit to express this pattern of perfect human living.
The trials are a difficult thing. If we gained the peace afterwards, then we gained something. If somehow our nature was changed, then we also gained something. If there is no change and we are left with bitterness, well...
Continue to exercise your spirit because this is what keeps the fire burning within us according to Leviticus 24:2-4
Jesus is Lord!
Steve
Dearest Joanne,
When I was going through the process of losing Richard last year, the Lord made it very clear that all I had was the moment which I was in; the past was gone, some remembered, much lost; I did not know from one day to the next what would happen, what to expect. The scripture that was demonstrated, over and over again, was "Be anxious for nothing." Sounds glib, and impossible, but it was made possible by constantly putting my focus on Jesus, over and over, each time I realized that it had again strayed. He held my hand, He gave me each task to accomplish, He enabled me to do each moment what that moment needed to be done.
It was like scaling a cliff, having to concentrate on each step and handhold, not looking down, unable to see the top, but clinging and moving from each spot to the next. It seemed unending, but I had no choice to do otherwise than "take the next step as it comes."
And Richard went to be with Jesus, and I was left behind, and one day at a time, holding tight to Jesus' hand, my life has been restored, but not as it was, no, it is now something completely new and different. Jesus is my Husband, He takes care of me, He comforts me and advises me and loves me. Could I have imagined what it would be like? No way! But as the caterpillar is changed within the chrysalis, having no intent nor ability of its own but being transformed into a new creation by the Creator Himself, so I have become something I never would have dreamed, but with a much closer relationship with my Lord, dependent on Him, focussed on Him, stronger in my faith.
Would I have chosen this on my own? I don't think so! But I look back at what and where I was, the process I went through, and can see much more of the "big picture" than I would have. All of it? Of course not. But I know where I was, I know where I am, I can see the difference, and I trust Him to take me on the next level.
It sounds trite to say "one step at a time" but that is all we have, just this current instant in time. We can't change the past, we can't see the future, but we can cling to His hand and feel His arms around us right now.
Richard used to say, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, and that's why we call it 'the present'."
Keep praying, clinging, holding fast, and whatever the outcome, He will never let go of your hand!
I love you and pray for you constantly.
Ardith's Mom
Hi Joanne,
I am Paul's cousin Anne. I am a pastor serving under the Detroit Piston and the Detroit Shock Chaplain, at his church.
I wanted to point out a scripture regarding your question about trials and whether they are always for the purposes of discipline.
In Ephesians 3:10 we see that the Apostle Paul is encouraging the church at Ephesus not to lose heart because of the tribulations he is experiencing in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. He makes a statement that we would all do well to remember:
"..to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory."
Our lives are a living testimony to the unseen world around us. Your faith and trust in this crisis looses a prophetic statement to heaven realms about who your God is. I love your declaration that the Zoe life of God is your champion who will withstand and destroy the cancer cells. You have authority and dominion over your body and therefore the "right" to declare that it line up with the Word of God.
My Bishop likes to say, "We know the facts, but we live by truth." The evidence of cancer may be a fact at this time, but the truth is that healing is the children's bread. You are speaking truth which not only impacts your body, soul and spirit-but it challenges powers and principalities to the glory of God.
One of the most frequent titles of God used in scripture is Lord of Hosts. That word hosts in the Hebrew means a people amassed for war! Our God is a mighty warrior and His anointing rests on you for this warfare season you are in. Your words in this hour are a weapon of your warfare and you are doing beautifully making declarations of truth.
We send our love and blessings to your entire family. We cover you with our faith and prayers.
Love,
Anne Powder
Dear JoAnne,
May the Grace of our dear Lord Jesus be with you & your family today! Hallejah! May the Lord Jesus be strenghtening you moment by moment each day.
Our love & our prayers are with you as you go through this trial.
Thank you Lord that we can gain more of Him for His building.
Love,
Ron & Jean
Dear JoAnne,
I have been reading your blog and praying for you and asking the Lord what to write and I have had no idea until now. Your blogging has been such a testimony to me, a younger believer, about the faithfulness of God.
You asked if all of our trials are the discipline of the Lord. I don't know for sure. I tend to think not, but I wanted to repeat some sharing from Don Looper that I heard in college. The verses were from 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassions and God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our affliction that we may be able to comfort those who are in every affliction through the comforting with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For even as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, so through the Christ our comfort also abounds. But whether we are afflicted it is for your comforting and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comforting, which operates in the endurance of the same sufferings which we also suffer. And our hope for you is firm, knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you are of the comfort.
Basically the sharing was that we tend to have the attitude that the Lord is "dealing" with us during sufferings. Only He knows, but we need to not be introspective and realize that everything we go through is for the Body of Christ. Whether we suffer, it is for the other believers' comforting and salvation and whether we are comforted, it is for their comforting. He shared that a person gains a certain portion of Christ during a suffering and only that portion can comfort a dear believer going through something similar. He gave the example of a brother who lost a spouse and that brother was only recovered by one who went through something similar. Anyway, that sharing has stayed with me until now and I has helped my keep perspective. An older sister once told me that she thought that the Lord allowed us to go through things so that we could relate to one another. I think I agree. I hope you are encouraged. (If not, please forgive me)
The Body loves you and is carrying you in prayer.
Your sister in Him,
Cara
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