There’s this misconception. When we say yes to Jesus, we expect to experience immediate glory. We hear the testimonies of those that have had their lives redeemed by God. We hear stories of how He raised people back to life. How He took broken things and made them beautiful again. We hear that He is a restorer, and we desire the same for our lives. We are attracted to His resurrection power. Only, we don’t understand what that resurrection takes. We don't yet understand the cost.
And when our lives don't bear the fruit of walking with Christ, in the timing we believe it should, we are tempted to give up. Why go through the trouble of giving up our lives for Christ, if we are to struggle anyways?
I think this is the question that plagues those that are on the borderline of following Christ. Maybe they’ve tried the Christian walk, and all they experienced was trial, as a result. So they gave up. Or maybe you are there now. Maybe you’ve decided that you will follow Christ, or maybe you’ve stepped out of your boat and took a leap of faith in the direction of purpose. If that's you, I want you to know that what you’re feeling right now, the struggle that you are enduring while you wait on God, is worth it.
Because that’s what we all wonder, isn’t it? Will it be worth it? Is what we are enduring right now, worth it? Will we ever get to experience the fruit of our walk with Christ?
And I want to tell you, yes! Yes you will experience the fruit of your walk with Christ. You will receive everything that God has for you, if only you’ll wait on Him.
But what does waiting on God look like?
When we make the decision to surrender to Christ, we decide that we don’t just want Him to be our Savior, but we want Him to be Lord of our lives. And this is a big distinction. Jesus came to save all of humanity, He saves those that choose to put their faith in Him. Their eternity is secure. But, once we say yes to believing in Jesus, we still have a choice to make. Will we follow Him? Will we let go of our way, and allow Him to lead? Will we, like Jesus, say, “Not my will, but your will be done?”
Jesus modeled this perfectly for us. He knew what He would have to endure on the cross. Fully God, yet, fully man, He was troubled by what was to come.
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:41-42 NLT)
This is a perfect picture of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Even Jesus did not get to experience immediate glory during His life on earth. Regardless of the many miracles that He performed, many people still didn’t believe He was the Son of God. But He was not focused on what was right in front of him. He had his sights set on accomplishing the task that would lead to His ultimate glory.
Jesus showed us what it means to be His disciple.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. (Matthew 16:24-25 NLT)
What does taking up your cross look like?
It is the process of allowing God to kill our flesh, daily. It is relinquishing control of our lives, so that Christ might live through us. It is laying down our desires, so that God’s will can be done.
And it looks like what Christ did. It looks foolish to the outside world. It might look and feel stupid. It deifies socially acceptable norms, logic, and common sense. It is not easy; it will be the hardest process that you will ever go through.
But, it will also be the most fulfilling thing you will ever do.
A life of following Christ requires humility. It requires a sense of lowness, that says, “God, I don’t know everything. Matter of fact, I don’t know anything. But You know all things. You know who you created me to be. You know the reason for everything I've been through. You know where I am going, and the best way to get me there. I will trust you.”
And when we do that. When we surrender completely to God’s plan, in humility, He lifts us up.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:10 NLT)
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. (1 Peter 5:6 NLT)
When we lower ourselves, in reverence of God, He lifts us up.
Can you see that this is the life of Christ? He did not come to receive glory. He did not come to be served, he came to serve. He lowered himself before the throne of God. He submitted himself so that the Father could raise Him up. And He rose, on the third day, for us. All of this He did, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that lives inside of us.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. (Romans 8:11 NLT)
But, we must understand that, as Christ had to lay down His life, so do we.
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:17 NLT)
We must be willing to obey God, even when it’s tough. And we must be able to stay, even when we don’t have the tangible evidence of His promise. Because our faith is the proof; our faith is the evidence.
And when we do this, when we remain, in the will of God, He gets the glory out of our lives. And we bear the fruit of walking with Him. This is the only way.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)
Like trees, our fruit will be the result of staying firmly planted. Because trees can never produce upwards without first taking root. And this process takes place under the surface.
This is the season that looks unfruitful to those around you. But under the surface, God is removing those things in your life that bear no fruit. And this can be a gruesome process. You might feel like you are being stripped of everything you once knew, and you’re afraid that you will have nothing left, to move forward. You might feel lost, and empty.
But I want to encourage you that God only empties us when He intends to fill us back up.
He intends to reveal Himself to you. He intends to reveal who you really are, who He’s created you to be.
But, your ability to remain planted depends on your perception.
Because is you perceive this season through the wrong lens, you will uproot yourself, in an effort to save the life you once knew. But if you view this season through a renewed mind, you have the opportunity to walk into the destiny that God has set before you.
And I know what this season feels like. It feels lonely. It feels scary. It feels like you are floating in the middle of the ocean without anyone to grab ahold of.
But I promise you, you are not alone. Your savior is in the middle of that ocean with you. His is interceding for you. He is strengthening you. He is cheering you on.
When I sit and think of where my family is today, all I can do is praise God. I remember the times that I was lonely, taking care of my kids on my own. I remember wondering if I would ever experience a joyful marriage. I wondered would my children ever get to experience what it’s like to have parents madly in love. Would we ever prosper? Like you, I’ve wondered would it ever be worth it.
But God, in His grace, saw my family. He reached down from heaven, and He drew us out of deep waters. And it wasn’t through our efforts, that we were saved. It was through the finished work of Christ. It was because we waited on Him.
When we wait on Him. He always comes through. The righteous will never be forsaken. He stands up for those that kneel before Him. And He lifts them back up, and seats them in His glory, along with Christ.
When Christ died, He did not lay idle in a tomb. But He returned with the keys of death and the grave.
I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. (Revelation 1:18 NLT)
While they waited on Him to rise, He was winning the victory. And that is exactly what He is doing now. While you wait on Him. He is fighting on your behalf, rebuking the enemy for your sake. He is breaking chains off of you, that have been in your family for generations. He is working in your heart. He’s doing a deeper work, under the surface, so that you can walk into the purpose that He has for you.
I don’t know what you are waiting for, but I do know The Way. He is our example. He’s shown us that the route to receiving the redeemed life that God has for us, comes through waiting on Him.
So will you wait on Him? Will you kneel before Him so that He can lift you up? Are you willing to loose what you once knew, so that He can give you something so much better? Because His plan will fulfill all the desires of your heart, and He will restore wholeness, peace, and true joy to your life. He never fails. Put your faith in Him. Leave your hope in Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, today I put my faith in you. Thank you for never leaving my side, and for reminding me that as I remain planted in you, You will lift me up, in your perfect timing. I surrender my wants and my desires, and I ask that You give me the desires of my heart…those things that You desire for me. Because I know that a life of living for You, produces a fruit that I wouldn’t even know to ask for. You are more than enough for me. During this season, I ask that you remove anything that stands in the way of the plans that you have for my life. And I ask that you fill me back up with your Spirit. I ask that you build me up, in the purpose that you have for me. Right now, I thank you for the work that you have begun, because I know that you are not don’t yet! And I praise you for what is to come. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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