Jesus is Coming...and I'm Not Scared Anymore

How does a woman who turned from her holy-on-the-outside/sinful-on-the-inside ways almost thirty years ago make an idol of something good, something God wants for His children: becoming like Jesus? That's the question I promised to answer at the end of my last blog post.


A quick recap if you didn't read it:


I was struck with fear when I heard Anne Graham Lotz say she believes Jesus will return during her lifetime. As a Christian who knows her heavenly future is secure, my fear made no sense; yet, it was my first, uncensored response. As I dug into the driving why, God's Spirit revealed the answer: roots of trusting in works, instead of grace, are still alive in me, AND I've become lax, even uncaring about the salvation of others, including people I love.

I wrote:

"It's easy to slide back into trying to save yourself, and the servant life of a follower of Jesus can make you ripe for shifting your righteousness from something that is entirely out of your control and too-good-to-be-true (though it is!) -- the gift of salvation paid for by Jesus' death -- to something that feels like the proper payment for being forgiven and made once-and-for-all clean: good, kind actions, which are the fruit of spiritual transformation."

Making spiritual transformation my obsession, and about me, resulted in the slow shift of trusting in good works to make me right with God. It also made me my first, second, and third priorities -- which shoved concern about others knowing Jesus, out the window.

 While spiritual transformation is about us because it happens in us, it is not about us first.

 It's first about Jesus, as is everything.

Ah, now the fear and uncaring heart made sense. I had moved from living the Greatest Commandment, loving Jesus with every inch of my being, out of which the whole of our lives FLOWS, to prioritizing spiritual transformation. Truth be told, my desire for change was a mixture of wanting to bless and honor Jesus...and to make my life better, for my sake. Anne's declaration that Jesus IS returning was a gift from God to expose my sinful self-centeredness.

So now what?

It begins with confession. What a gift! God says let's agree that you've sinned, which is what confession means. Then ask for forgiveness, which God gladly, graciously gives. I did that. You can too, whenever you sin. Then take His hand and walk toward Home. I'm doing that. You can, too.

Ed Miller says, "We are not left on this earth after we become Christians because we have a job to do, but because we have a God to know." Out of that One Thing of knowing Jesus, we will be transformed, while resting in His righteousness, ready to meet Him, unafraid, when He returns.

Maranatha! Come quickly, Jesus!