Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Christian Shell Vs. The Jesus Core

God has already shown me quite a bit about myself through my first few weeks of DTS.  One of the biggest things I realized is that, due to my pride, I was afraid to confess some sin in my life and instead wanted to hold onto the Christian Shell I had created over the course of my life.  I wanted Jesus to come into the mold I had created, but God cannot be formed...he is forever and always the same.  Jesus is not something that can be molded to fit our lives, but on the contrary our lives MUST be molded to fit around His solid, unchanging core.  I found there were two options for my life.  The first is that I could keep my shell but have no part of Jesus filling me on the inside.  The second option was that I could have my shell shattered and begin to be pieced back together around the Solid Core of Jesus Christ instead of Jesse Dawson--who is declared dead, therefore the inside of my shell was death as well.  A scripture that comes to mind is Matthew 21:44 which says, "Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed".  The reason that the person who falls on the stone is broken to pieces, is because he is a fragile shell.  Everyone is hollow without God; anything that is frail and hollow and falls on a solid object will definitely be shattered.  The piece may be shattered and never look like the original shell, but now it is something that can remade as the Artist--or God--wishes.  The new creation will not look like the old shell at all.

It is also important that we do not forget the second half of the verse!  We can keep our shell--and that does not have to be Christian shell--but in the end those who are just a shell will be crushed by the Righteous Judge.  Including some people who appear to be Christians or even think they are.
     
    22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
    24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:22-27

This was how I have felt for quite sometime, but thankfully I can say that is no longer the case!  I am so thankful that the Lord has waited patiently and pursued me until I could not go on any longer living as a shell.  I am not satisfied with that emptiness, I am now satisfied in being a new creation in Christ.  Praise God!

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