Right Function (2/6/12)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading John 15:5-8.

Why does a light bulb need electricity to function? Because it's designed that way. If you separate the light bulb from the electricity it can't do what it was designed to do. The light bulb is a wonderful invention, but it's very precise design limits its usefulness. Without electricity there is no need for a light bulb. It was invented to take advantage of the power already available. It would be absolutely stupid to invent it without electricity.

Why does an oil lamp need oil to function? Why does a television need an antenna, cable, or satellite dish to function? Why does a car need gasoline to function? Because they're made that way. Think about cars. We pay a lot of money for cars that won't run without the ability to fill our tanks with gasoline. We spend a boatload of money for something that needs something else to move. Just just like a light bulb without electricity is useless, a car without gasoline isn't any good.

Why does man need his Creator in order to rightly function? Because we were made that way. Separate mankind from his Creator and what have you got? You've got nothing, because without the act of creation none of us would be here. At best you have a man or a woman, but they're unable to behave right because there's no user's manual. Man isn't an animal, but none of us is truly human without the presence of Yahweh. When we reject our Creator we're being foolish. The one who gave us life is the one who knows best how we're to live.

Our world tells us we're insane or at least unsophisticated and unintelligent to believe that we need the presence of Yahweh to live rightly. The insanity is actually believing that we can function well without him. Our Designer says we need to access him daily to rightly function. So those who believe themselves to be extremely intelligent for rejecting the presence of their Creator turn out to be the certifiable idiots. The scriptures tell us we're a branch in need of the life-giving flow of our Creator's presence. A branch separated from the tree can't survive because it no longer is connected to its life source.

Think about how often we try to help Yahweh improve and perfect us. When we don't feel like we're meeting our own expectations, we try to make personal improvements. But all we're really doing is trying to control our circumstances, attempting to set the conditions for our personal advancement. This only results in a life of ongoing frustration. We can't change our world to make it our personal utopia. We may fool ourselves or delude ourselves into thinking that we've manipulated everything to our advantage, but none of us can control the world like Yahweh.

Part of the Good News is that perfection is being handed to us for the asking. When we accept Jesus into our lives through faith we begin the process of perfection. The personal adjustments we make don't get us to this perfect place. Heb 10:14 says, "By one sacrifice Jesus has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Jesus already did what was necessary for us to be perfect. Through his sacrifice we can be presented to the Father as holy, without blemish, totally free from condemnation or accusation.

Suppose you were able to buy the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and you brought it home. One day as you're admiring it on your wall you think to yourself, "Maybe I can make this painting a little better." So you set up an easel, get some paint and brushes, and you begin dabbing on the painting trying to make improvements. But there's no way that any of us non-talented painters can make this masterpiece better. The minute you add something of your own to Mr. da Vinci's work, you rob it of value, not raise its value. The master's work is perfect as it is. There's nothing more any of us can do to improve the painting. And imagine what the art world would think or say if you attempted to do something like this.

In the same way, we're not in our right minds when we try to improve on Yahweh's handiwork. There's nothing we can add or take away to improve on our Creator's work. When we think or believe that we have a better idea about anything compared to Yahweh, we're being foolish and ridiculous. We already have everything we need to live right in this world and to be filled with joy and peace. We only need to trust that our Creator has already provided all the resources and instructions necessary for us to be truly happy.

Salvation is about getting mankind back to their Creator, not bringing Yahweh down to us. Salvation is about restoring us to our true humanity, returning us to the condition Yahweh intended us to live in. Without Yahweh inside of us we're not truly human because we're designed to be in direct contact with him. We can't live the life he intended us to live without being directly connected to his life force, the source of energy necessary to live as we were designed to live.

Yahweh has already given us all we need to function properly. We have his Word, which is our user's manual. Debugging instructions are already provided within its pages. Things like James 4:10. "Humble yourselves before Yahweh, and he will lift you up." None of us has a better plan, so we need to trust him without reservation. The Bible wasn't only written to an ancient people. It was written to Yahweh's creation. The instructions still work. The directions are still valid. Because it's still dealing with created humanity.

Yahweh has also given us the living presence of his Holy Spirit. Because our minds don't work right without spiritual illumination, our Designer gave us this special feature. When we become attached to him through salvation, he gives us direct wisdom and understanding through the Spirit. Part of the Spirit's work is to "teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said" (John 14:26). But probably what we need the most is found in John 16:13. "The Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth."

How can we do any better than what our Creator has already done? He's given us everlasting Truth and the Holy Spirit's help to access whatever we need. The Spirit is available 24/7 to help us make right choices. We definitely think too highly of ourselves when we reject our Creator's user's manual and his provided technical advisor. We appreciate good service with products that fail. Having someone come to our home to fix what's broken or the ability to talk to a representative who can guide us to solutions is something we long for. Yahweh has given us a 24/7 service representative who can answer all our questions in the Holy Spirit.

The picture Jesus used to explain this concept to his disciples was the Vine and the Branches. We have to be connected to Jesus to receive his life-giving flow of spiritual nutrition. If we don't produce the kind of fruit Jesus expects, we'll be cut off and thrown into the fire. Without nutrition from Jesus, we're spiritually dead and not allowed to remain attached to the vine. We're instructed to "remain" in our Lord. This means we abide in him, we dwell in his presence. If we remain in him we find a permanent abode.

If you're struggling, filled with doubt or fighting your sin nature, remember that you can't rightly function without Yahweh's presence. We all need to work at drawing closer to our heavenly Father. We all need to work at following his instructions without making our personal adjustments to them. We all need to be in daily communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Don't try to operate outside of being fully connected to your Lord. There's no right functioning without Yahweh's direct involvement in our lives.

Blessings & Peace, Mike