DISAPPOINTMENT WITH OURSELVES

 

 

We, who have the Spirit, will face painful disappointments in ourselves until our Lord returns (1 John 3:2; Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:18-20, 25). In order to make us more like His Son Jesus, we must be humbled of our self-trust and self-righteousness. This will be painful. We have learned to trust and to believe in ourselves. Therefore, we need a new way to understand our lives (Romans 12:2).  The Spirit calls us to die to ourselves and to live exclusively for our Lord and to trust in Him alone.

 Consequently, our brokenness is beautiful and blessed:

 ·       Matthew 5:3–6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

 How can our poverty in spirit be blessed? We are all poor in spirit. However, those with the Spirit of God have been forced to face our neediness and unworthiness (Luke 17:10). Others, who have rejected the Lord, have little choice but to believe in their own worthiness, even that they are more worthy than others. Consequently, they continue to deceive themselves that they are right while others are wrong.

How can morning, meekness, and our maladies be anything but painful? The Lord assures us that these are His chosen means to blessedness. Therefore, we should rejoice in these:

·       Romans 5:3–5 …we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

If we know this, we need not despair. Instead, we can reassure ourselves that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing with our lives. Even the most mature are not exempt from suffering. Paul has given us a close-up example of this:

·       2 Corinthians 12:7–10 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Consequently, strength in our Lord becomes a matter of regarding our weaknesses and afflictions as blessings, even things to boast about, and even for Paul. This is a vital part of the Good News of Jesus. He is at work in our lives and comforts us in our humility and brokenness (2 Corinthians 1:3-5):

·       Psalm 34:17–19 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Here is our fate without the work of the Spirit:

·       Psalm 36:1–4 (NLT) Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good. They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.

We too are unable to see beneath the face of self-righteousness and even the work of the Spirit in our own lives:

2 Corinthians 5:16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.