Esteeming Jesus

To esteem is to attach worth or value to something.  For  followers of Jesus reading this, I have a question, “How much of your life demonstrates the value of what Jesus did for mankind?”  This article identifies some ways to show greater esteem for the King of Kings.  

First, let’s look at the response of his very first followers when he came to the earth.  Yes, even though they had about three years hanging out with Jesus face-to-face, saw the raw miracles with their eyes, and with their own ears, heard Jesus explaining the prophetic wrtings (from the Book), they were unable to understand and value the Kingdom of God unfolding in their midst.  Near the end of Jesus’ time with them Luke records, “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.  He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;  they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”  The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about”” (Luke 18:31-34; NIV).  They could not accept the idea of a “suffering Messiah,” even when the Messiah himself told them plainly part of his reason for coming is to take on himself the pain of the world.  Jesus came to redeem the guilt of sin and pain of consequences (for every person who believes in him) and restore sonship with Father God.  

Jesus is referring to messages foretold hundreds of years prior like this one in Isaiah,

“Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:1-6)

The phrase in verse 3 “and we held him in low esteem” is worth taking a closer look.  Obviously the people who were bent on killing Jesus held him in low esteem, but the 12 disciples he was talking to in the Luke verses above, also failed to esteem Jesus.  Luke says, “they did not know what he was talking about” (Luke 18:34).  They were not able to fully comprehend the message Jesus was sharing with them at least in part because of the earthly mindset (belief system) of how things should turn out.  They thought, for example, the Messiah (whomever that was) would be the one to deliver them from the oppression of the Roman government.  The Romans were the ruling power over the Jews, and all the first believers in Jesus were of Jewish origin.  For a Messiah to redeem the Jewish people, they were looking for a literal overthrow of the regime.  But that was not in God’s plan.  God’s plan was laid out in the verses of Isaiah above.  Even after these verses were fulfilled and the grusome trauma of the crucifixion of Jesus took place, the disciples still didn’t understand.  In the days following his resurrection, the Bible records a number of times that Jesus appeared to his disciples to encourage them and give them the Holy Spirit and their great commission before he ascended to the Father (see Luke 24:36-49).  

When Jesus appeared to 2 of them on the road to Emmaus, for example (Luke 24:36-49), they were clearly not in a state to bring esteem to what Jesus had endured on their behalf.  They were downcast, depressed, and likely a bit taumatized.  They were likely guilt-ridden for not being able to protect Jesus from the cruel and unjust treatment he received.  One of their members betrayed Jesus.  In betraying Jesus, Judas also betrayed each of the disciples as team members.  They were all scattered, alone, fearing for their own lives, with their leader dead (or so they thought), and no purpose to continue what had consumed the last three years of their lives.   Their pain was too great to bear, and Jesus had to appear to them to bring them back from their strayed condition.  

Like the first disciples who had suffered great loss and needed to be reminded that Jesus came to bear their grief and pain, we too have a similar opportunity to show that we value what Jesus did on the cross to bear our sin and pain.   Jesus didn’t only die to wash away the guilt of our sin, but also was tortured to bear the pain of the consequences of sin.  The pain may be from an accident with no one at fault (ie. a natural disaster, financial,  illness, or physical problem).  It may be inflicted on you by someone else intentionally or unintentionally (ie. prejudgment, misjudgment, mistreatment, slander, rejection, betrayal, abuse,  injustice, etc.).  Or, pain may be self-imposed (ie. shame, self-condemnation, self-rejection,  bitterness, resentment, etc.).  

Whatever the source of emotional pain may be, we (like the very first disciples onward) fail to esteem Jesus when we fail to give Jesus our pain.  You may ask, “What does it mean to give Jesus our pain?”  Inner hurts and wounds from past and present are common.  Acknowleging hurt and offense is the first step to allowing Jesus to bear it for you.  After that, it is  responding  to his invitation to come’   “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).  It seems too simple to be true.  Yoking up with Jesus makes all the difference.  The “yoke” as mentioned here is a term for the instrument that controls a team of work horses enabling them to work together to accomplish a task.  Relief from the pain of an unrested soul, comes through surrender of control.  No matter how good we think we are at controlling things, God always does better.

This surrender continues the rest of our lives, so that greater and greater degrees of control are yielded to God.  As we “draw near” to God (see Hebrews 10:19-31), his power changes us in a way that goes beyond our natural abilities to change ourselves.  We esteem Jesus by surrendering to this on going change process.  Instead of “going astray” and “turning to our own way” (as described in Isaiah 53:6 above), we allow God to satisfy our deepest longings and needs.  Instead of depending on “self” to determine our fate, we cooperate with God’s plan and ways of doing things.  Or, instead of turning to a counterfeit like alcohol, drugs, porn, work-o-holism, etc,. we permit our hearts to be contented in gratitude for what Jesus has done to accomplish our rescue.  

How much of your struggles, disappointments, failed expectations, disagreements, concerns, criticisms, conflicts, etc.do you quickly take to Jesus for him to bear?  The more you take to him and the quicker you respond demonstrates the degree to which you truly value (esteem) Jesus.  And if you feel like you struggle to value Jesus, no condemnation.  Another problem will come your way before you know it, and you’ll have another chance!   Do not listen to the enemy of your soul who tells you things like “you’re all alone,” “no one cares,” or “you’re beyond hope.”   Perhaps you need some help from a counselor to sort out the effects of some very difficult events in your life.  

Sometimes I find it a challenge to practice this myself.  Over the years I have found that music helps me refocus sometimes in a way that points me to God.  One such song that goes way back is called  “Lay Your Burden Down” by Chuck Girard.  Here is a link to hear the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrI9mFDbmXY 

May you be found faithful in esteemng Jesus.  May God grant you the rest your soul craves.  May you be freed to help others find their freedom in Christ Jesus.   And may God be glorified and greatly esteemed!  

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Gender Identity

Do you (or someone you care about) think you want to be a person of the opposite sex?  Or a person with no gender, or intergender, or …. (or one of the many variations these days)?  

If ever you should be thinking about your identity, and your future,  it is now, before you do something irreversible.  There are so-called doctors who want to make money from doing procedures that are so horrible, they were unthinkable until recent media propaganda has made them acceptable.  But what is the truth, and who REALLY cares about YOU?  There are so-called civil rights advocates twisting the numbers to make it look inviting, popular, or progressive to show disrespect for age-old traditions that serve to protect humanity from oblivion.  But, what is the truth, and who really cares about yout rights?   There are even so-called scientists who create studies to skew results for people to think distorted sexuality is a biology issue.  But, what is the truth, and who REALLY cares about YOU?

Here are some basic facts.  God created the human race.  The human body is a biological wonder.  Sexuality is one of those wonders.  It exists in only one of two forms, male or female.  Except in a very rare genetic defect, every individiual is born with body parts that identify them as male or female.  The biological sex is the primary contributor to gender identity.  Other factors contribute to shaping a person’s identity in adulthood, but none is as significant as gender.  Confusion about gender will lead to discontentment  and distress about almost everything else in life.  A so-called sex change will not resolve gender confusion.  Practicing behaviors (dressing, styling, posturing) more typical of the opposite sex will not resolve gender confusion.  Nor will obtaining the endorsement of a therapist or mental “health” professional provide lasting peace of mind about who you are as a person.  Some may just tell you what you want to hear in order to relieve guilt feelings.  But in fact, guilt is a good thing, when it is not confused with shame.  Shame condemns, and tells you  that you are not worthy of the person you were created to be.  Guilt warns you that your behavior is off track, and is a friendly reminder that you need to make some changes to get back on track.  Shame is never a good thing, and always has the goal of proving yourself worthless.  

God is a huge and undeniable factor in identity.  His creation built in unique worthfulness,  purpose, and meaning for each person.  To the degree we are disappointed, ungrateful, and dissatisfied with our innate circumstances and personal characteristics, we hold God in contempt (rebellion).  In doing so, we therefore miss out on the blessing of enjoying who God made us to be.  For example, let’s say I am born with brown hair and brown eyes, short, and stocky build.  If I  idolize blond hair and blue eyes, tall, and thin build, and constantly wish to be someone I was not created to be, I set myself up for frustration and unhappiness.  Maybe I constantly blame myself for needing a step-ladder to change a light bulb.  Maybe as a child I am ridiculed for being a blimp.  Maybe I feel less valuable because I do not have the quickness and agility of more athletic classmates.  These are shame thoughts designed by the enemy of our soul to steal our true identity.  The same is true for family circumstances.  We do not get to choose our dad and mom.  They are pre-determined for us, but they are the ones who give us the gift of life.  Wishing we had different parents or siblings  than the ones we have will not accomplish anything good.  

Gender is in the same category. Questioning God’s decision about your gender puts you in contempt of His divine assignment.   Nothing good will comes of complaining to, or blaming God for connecting the gene that made you a male or female in your mother’s womb.  The raw truth is that it wasn’t your decision, wasn’t ever meant to be your decision, and it cannot be altered.  

And then there are the mental health gurus.  Recently the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Diagnosies (DSM-V)  removed transgender ss a mental problem.   In my opinion, this is a slap in the face to people who are genuinely struggling with gender identity.  It seems mental health professionals who support this change have abandoned their commitment to core common sense principles of human nature and divine providence.  Sometimes they seem  too quick to label people for whom a label is the last thing they need.  But in the case of gender confusion, a label helps reveal thoughts and behaviors that need transformed rather than accepted and assimilated as normal.  Not accepting the reality of biological gender is pathological (sick), and has root causes that need to be discovered, worked through, and transformed into a life-affirming direction.   

I see God at the center of that change. I’m not talking about religion.   You don’t have to be religious to believe that God created people male and female from the beginning of time.  Some things in life are simply out of our control.  Fighting those things is foolishness.  The ancient Proverbs are right when they say that respect for God and his ways is the beginning of knowlege and understanding.  I’ve learned over the years that for many things out of my control, it’s better to cooperate with God and his path through circumstances, rather than fighting for a self-made identity with no foundation upon truth. A person’s perspective change  (based on truth about God, who he makes people to be, and how he created them to relate with each other), is the starting point to clear up gender identity issues.    

You may need a counselor to help you sort out truth from falsehood and fact from fiction.  I encourage you to talk to someone who believes in God’s unconditional love for every person.  When we receive God’s love in our heart, we can begin to see (perceive) our true value and worth which is the basis for true identity.  I want you to know I DO care for you, and there are many others who care as well.  You are not alone in your pain and struggle.  Silence the voice of shame by reaching out for help today.  You’re most certainly worth it.  All because God cares, and He REALLY DOES love you most of all!

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry