Unselfing Self
"And [Joseph] did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son."
Matthew 1:25 (NKJV)
Famed hymn writer and theologian Frederick Faber is right when he says that holiness is “unselfing” ourselves. To me that explains this text in which Joseph wouldn't touch Mary until God finished delivering Jesus through her.
Shrouded in suspicion around the community, with lives interrupted by divine invasion in human affairs, Joseph had his mind made up to divorce Mary quietly. He thought, “Whatever this thing is that she has going on with God, who am I to interfere?” It seems to me like a selfless and noble plan on Joseph’s part.
Joseph goes to sleep firmly settled in his plan to quietly divorce Mary, and while he sleeps, he discovers how much he himself is an intricate part of God's plan for human redemption. God edits his dreams, telling him not to divorce Mary, but to physically father this human Gift that would bring redemption to an otherwise condemned creation.
Joseph awakens the next morning to immediately obey God's plans. And verse 25 gives us insight into the selflessness he took upon himself in being part of the greater plan. It simply says this: “And [Joseph] did not know her until she brought forth her firstborn son.” That means they had no deep intimate connections spanning the time from conception until after it was safe for her post-delivery.
Here is the point: Joseph bought into the dream. He accepted his role in it and also accepted the fact that part of that role was to live in a strange space where his faithfulness was measured by denying his natural passion. Restraining what was a part of his intense love for his new bride, his response to the invitation to offer God his life in service was stewarded for a season by self-denial.
Today, God is calling you to “unself” yourself as part of His bigger plan to bless the world. When you deny yourself (which can take a thousand different forms at any point in your life), take up your cross, and follow Jesus, you are participating in a master plan that is so much bigger than you imagine.
Gains and Losses
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
Mark 10:29-30 (NKJV)
Whatever you have lost in life has no bearing on what God is still able to supply. What’s gone in your life doesn’t count against what God can still yet give. There is a lot that carries expiration dates in our lives, but God’s presence and God’s promises have no expiration date attached to them. He can give you much more than anything you have lost in your life.
• No effort to restore or reconcile anything in your life.
• No physical or emotional investment you have ever made.
• No forgiveness or energy or assistance that you’ve offered.
• No treatment or exercise or therapy that you’ve committed time to.
Nothing has taken so much from you that God can’t give you much more than you have dispensed.
I don’t care how swiftly it made its departure. I don’t care how quickly Satan descended and took it from you. I’m here to tell you, your God can give you much more than you have lost.
That’s the power of God’s eternal might. That’s the endless nature of God’s divine resources. That’s the borderless reality of our human possibilities. That’s the divine power of our God’s sovereignty. That’s the majestic nature of God’s creativity. That’s the security of God’s living covenant. That’s the height and breath, width and depth of God’s love. That’s exactly what He means when He says, “I’ll never leave you, and I’ll never forsake you. I’ll be with you always, even until the end of the age.”
I don’t know what decision you are contemplating in which the potential losses are weighing heavy against the call of faith to take the leap. Don’t let your life be limited by the prospect of your losses.
You serve a God who promises that He can give you much more than you will ever lose!
A Legitimate Question
Amaziah asked the man of God, “But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?"
2 Chronicles 25:9 (NIV)
We all have said it. We’ve all have thought it. We all have emoted it when we’re about to take that necessary next step in life, whatever it may require. It is this question: “But what about all that I’ve lost?”
This was the question that young King Amaziah of Judah asked the man of God concerning all the silver he had sent to Israel to buy the services of mercenaries in order to strengthen his army. His plan to hire men from Israel seemed like a good idea until a man of God showed up and told Amaziah not to accept any assistance from Israel. Why? Because Israel’s spirituality at the time was so fragile that it would create access points in the hedge of protection that God would form securely around Judah.
Amaziah’s response was to be instantly obedient. He did not waiver, not one bit. He understood the consequences of not obeying God and the corresponding threat that would come with spiritual disobedience, guaranteeing their sure defeat in battle.
But he does ask a relevant question. He asks the man of God, “What about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?” In other words, “What should I do about the money that I’m going to lose?”
Let’s be honest. It was an important question. None of us want to feel like we’ve lost precious time or resources to meaningless connections or experiences. None of us like feeling vulnerable or open to attack. It’s a draining feeling that unearths personal regret. It can release an onslaught of anger and rage. It gives that arrogant voice of failure way too much proximity.
I don’t like to think about what I’ve lost in life by chasing ventures that never went anywhere, trusting people that weren’t worth my time, paying attention to things that weren’t worth paying attention to, or languishing around thoughts that should never have been permitted to persist. To feel like I’ve lost anything smells of failure. Can you relate?
We wonder, “Will certain opportunities ever come back? Have I just given away what I can never recapture? Will I ever get it back?” These questions are real and legitimate. The response that the man of God gives can encourage all of us who have experienced significant loss:
“The Lord is able to give you much more than you’ve lost.”
Don’t allow yourself to be stuck pondering your losses. Instead, stand squarely and securely on the promise that your God is able to give you much more than you have lost—or will ever lose.
Take Heart!
"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)
No matter how much responsibility is bearing down on you, no matter how many people are texting and calling you to ask or demand something from you, no matter how many requests for your time and energy you receive, no matter how many times your bank account has to be tapped to rescue somebody else while your own bills still need to be paid, know this: whatever you’ve spent in terms of money, time, effort, and emotion is nothing compared to the riches that He wants to pour out on your life today.
After being dragged through the courts, beaten up in the middle of the city square, nailed to a crossbeam, forced to carry it up skull-shaped hill, and dropped between life and death until the sun refused to shine, it looked like Jesus was completely emptied in every way. But God was not through, and He was about fill up His Son again to accomplish more than anyone could ever have imagined.
I don't care how close to empty you think you feel right now. Know that God is not through yet. I don't care how much the pain is squeezing or how loudly the doubt is speaking. I don't care how busy Satan has been creating havoc in your life. No matter what stands against you today, I want to encourage you to remember that God is not through with you.
Whatever assignment He has for you tomorrow, He’s got sufficient grace and anointing for you today. You have what it takes. God is going to keep on blessing, anointing, and providing you with whatever you need, no matter the task.
You may be in a tiring and fatiguing season. You may be wondering, “Lord, when will the storm pass and how much more do I have to endure?”
Let me tell you this: every time I show up empty, God shows up to refill me. And He will do the same thing in your life. Whatever the necessary assignment, He’s going to make sure that you are adequately prepared to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask, think, or imagine.
Don't you get weary in well-doing, for in due season, you will reap. Don’t faint; take heart!
Pressed and Stressed?
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed..."
1 Corinthians 4:8 (NKJV)
You're pressed and stressed and tired and frustrated and fatigued under the heavy weight you are carrying. But that’s not all you are.
You are also prepared and ready. You are equipped and resourced. You are appointed and gifted. You are supplied and endowed. You are favored and full of faith.
And that means when most are saying, “I can't handle anymore. I can't take another round of this thing that is causing me frustration and weariness,” your response is, “Bring it on.”
Why? Because your relationship with God makes you capable of taking on more and handling it in ways that would make others tap out early. Your faith in Jesus empowers you to face every necessary thing in your life, no matter how much is being required of you.
Jesus brings this kind of resilience to the life of a believer. He brings this kind of influence, this kind of spiritual robustness, this kind of elasticity to the life of a believer. He brings capacity and ability to handle what needs to be handled, to function in assignments, to complete projects, and to make a difference when others would have given up early.
Child of God, you can't get frustrated watching others walk through life with seemingly little responsibility or difficulty. When others seem to be getting off scot-free and you are facing the next giant assignment in your life, your response should be to pause long enough to thank God that He has given you the capacity to stand there, and to know that you have what it takes to get things done.
God never lets your life be pressed into a space, time, or need where He will leave you unprepared. If the Lord has let your life be pressed, He has prepared you to operate in power in that place. Thanks to Jesus, you will always have what you need, when you need it, to get done what He has called you to do.
