A Better Covenant

I have never ever, ever, ever, ever, been a Michael Jackson fan. Sorry KM. I just didn’t grow up liking the dude. However, I can recall some of his songs because they dominated the airways and music videos. One was “Man in the Mirror” (or something like that). The lyrics says “I am looking at the man in the mirror. I am asking him to change his ways”. This song actually has more theological implications than I first realized.

If someone were to ask me what would you tell a Christian on his first day of the journey, that you didn’t realize to much, much later (really much). My answer would be to “stay in your lane”. I think “lane changing” is detrimental to Christian fellowship and personal growth/sanctification. If you look in the picture above, you might giggle. The man is going bald and is flabby, but to himself he sees Fabio or some other fella in the prime of life. If I were a betting man I would bet that he sees others much more critically than he sees himself.

To be honest this is a huge struggle and what has been convicting me a lot as of late. I started to reflect of all the things I have said about other Christians young and old, mature and immature, carnal and spiritual and how I have always saw myself in the upper echelon and others, well….. not so much. As if I have arrived and they still have much to grow in. How judgmental and critical I could be while ignoring overlooking my own sin. Again this is huge for me. And daily Jesus has been showing me through the Spirit and the scriptures just how much of my time is spent thinking about what others are believing, or what they are doing, or how they are living.

Well if any of you have raced before. The first thing you know not to do is to look back. Especially in a sprint. The prize is the finish line and your competition is the clock, not the guy in the next lane. So it is with us believers. Are competition is the race itself not does running along side of us. Way too much of my time has been spent worrying what others are believing or what other “false” teachers are teaching, or what “weak” books have been released. Or what Joel Olsteen is talking about, or what Paula White is doing. All the time I have ignored the fact that my mark is Christ and I won’t be measured on what they have done but what type of steward I was with the grace provided to me. My heart is heavy there. Here is what Paul says. I want to pull out a few things here. This is the NASB and encompasses a few verses:

8More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul says something quite profound. The tone of this verse is a tension to attain something that he has not yet attained but with all of his energy was attempting to attain. For Paul this pressing involved Him and Christ and no one else. This fellowship with Jesus, this taking hold of, the mark was something that Paul could imagine and His life was invested in attaining it. This blog has spent a lot of time worrying about others, especially false teachers. Paul spends very little time in his epistles concerned about false teachers and the like and more time focusing the recipients on the one anothers and their personal behavior and how they are to live in light of their new found life in Christ. Put on Put Off in other words.

I close with this, I think as bloggers and believers, as we write and especially as we talk, lets focus on what Christ is doing in our lives and what we are doing for others in light of what Christ is doing in our lives. If we can find any room to talk about others, then I promised you the mirror is too far from our faces. If we look more attractive to ourselves while being critical of the appearance of others either the mirror is too far from our face or we are in denial. Our goal is to stay in our lane and to be honest with others about our struggles and shortcomings while HELPING others walk this great faith out until death or until our Lord returns. I hope to assit my brothers and sisters in the pursuit of our great prize, our great mark and the fellowship that Paul longs for. With that in mind there is too much in my own life to focus on. Paul seems to have an preoccupation with this and I hope too also.