In the previous segment (II) I spoke of “bits and pieces” of
rebellion that have to be “worked out” of our nature and character. Serious consequence can derive if we do not
permit God to have His way with us in this process. “Exhibit A” of this process is Old Testament
Jacob. Though he had had his rounds with
his Uncle Laban, deceitfulness matched against deceitfulness, Jacob had
actually met all his financial obligations to Laban and then some. He leaves Laban and heads back to Canaan, to
face his brother, Esau.
Subterfuge had been so much a part of Jacob to this point
and was much on display in the strategy he employed in sending ahead his family
and all his possessions, with appropriate and extravagant gifts, to assuage
Esau’s probable anger, so Jacob imagined.
Meanwhile, Jacob remains behind and begins a “wrestling match” for the
ages (Genesis 32:22-28). There had never
been a wrestling match like this before and never would there be another one
quite like it until his grandson (to the umpteenth power), Jesus, wrestled in
the garden.
What was at stake in this wrestling match? Jacob’s character, his nature, the future of
his family and the nation that will soon bear his name and, dare it be said,
ultimately the future of the entire world!
One slip and all would be lost. How much Jacob understood beyond the fact that
if God did not have mercy upon Him, Esau would destroy him—one does not
know? And is that not the way such
titanic struggles frequently happen—the participants do not realize the stakes
involved? Yes, Jacob could have been
disqualified had he not pursued the “wrestling match” to its conclusion.
Consider Judas in his betrayal of Jesus, positioned to be a
founding Apostle of the Church and yet disqualifying himself for a mere 30
pieces of silver.
With full awareness of betrayal by Demas concerning whom
Paul said, “has forsaken me, having loved
the present world. . .”(II Timothy 4:10) and other covenant people over
1500 years, Paul said, “. . . I
discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to
others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27). Much later the great reformer, Martin Luther,
said in a hymn, “Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul”. The Bible, secular history and the
contemporary scene all furnish illustrations of persons who in “one moment”
cast away something very precious, and disqualify themselves.
In speaking of “disqualification” I’m not speaking
necessarily of a person’s losing his/her salvation, I’m talking about “victory”,
“abundance of life” (John 10:10), and “ruling and reigning” in this life. The disqualification can come at the point of
falling short of a God-designed goal and then repentance enters in—but then,
again?
So let us suffer to be so trained that all the Heavenly
Father has to do is “lift His eyebrow” and we catch the signal. If this were needful for Jesus who said, “I always do those things that please Him
[the Father]” (John 8:29b), how much more needful for us.
A critical part of this training process is being
accountable to someone, possibly in a same-sex, small group where we can “Confess [our] trespasses [faults] to one
another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed” (James 5:16).
God wants to take us from victory to victory and the sweetest part of
that victory is the one over self--this knocks "disqualification" in the head.
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