Practically Human

I really love my Papa in Heaven. He is so good. He is so much bigger than any obsticle in our lives. I find myself saying that a lot. I really do believe it. There are a few things however, that I don’t believe.

I don’t believe “we are just human.” (as a born again child of God)

I don’t believe that “there are practical things.” (stuff outside God’s concern)

I don’t know about you but it seems I find myself in a conversation about a struggle in someones life and I am trying to speak hope into their lives and they will say “we are only human, brother.” I don’t think that is right. At least I don’t think the person knows what they are meaning when they say this. Sometimes “we are only human” is in response to some kind of accountability. Say “Joe” is having a tough time with “whatever” and you want to speak truth into their lives about who they are, who they really are and not what they are doing. When they respond with “I am only human” they are saying that “whatever” has control over their life and there is no Grace for freedom OR they are saying “whatever” is OK for them and everybody should just except them and stop judging them. In both cases it isn’t true that “whatever” has any power in their lives. They actually aren’t human if they are a born again believer in a risen Jesus. Here is a well know verse we should all memorize:

2 Cor 5:16-18 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (ESV)

If you take a look at the Greek for “new creation” it means a new kind of thing. The old thing that has passed away doesn’t apply anymore. You are actually something different. You have a new, ressurected spirit. You have a new heart. Your mind is being renewed. You are one with the Holy Spirit. You have the fullness of God in you in the love of Christ. You are the righteousness of God in Christ. You are Holy, sanctified, pure and perfect in the eyes of God. Your default mode now is to partner with the divine. You actually want to do good, really you do. To say you are “just human” is to deny that all those things that God says aren’t true. It also diminishes the finished work of Jesus and limits the Grace of God. How is it that God would save us by Grace and not finish the work? Wait, God says He does that too. He also says that He gives us the will and the way to get it done. So how can we say “we are only human” ever again. Self-debasement denies what Jesus has done and opens a door for the lies of the enemy. The sin has already been paid for. Let’s live from the Grace of God instead of limited thinking, false humility and selfish self effort. Harsh words, but very true if you just think about it for a minute.

Oh by the way check out what Paul says about human wisdom:

Col 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (ESV)

The other idea that I don’t agree with is the thought that there are things that God is uninterested in or not concerned about or are beneath Him. This kind of understanding screams “I don’t know how much God loves me.” Really it does. He knows everything about you. He knows every hair on your head. He had a plan for you before you were conceived. He bankrupted heaven to pay for your eternal life. He became a man and humbled Himself in obedience to the point of death to make your life possible. Not only that but you cannot be separtated from His love. He is love. He loves to love you. You cannot be rejected for any reason since Jesus has paid for all your mistakes past, present and future. If God is good, and He is love and He can’t reject you, can’t you see that His gaze is alway on you? Can’t you see that He never looks away from you? Can’t you see that He is not only interested in WHAT you are doing but HOW you are doing all the time!!!

It is called Grace. Your Father in Heaven wants to provide for you. He made that very clear on the cross. God goes to extremes to show us His Grace. Even when we don’t know what to ask for He has Grace for that:

Rom 8:26 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. (AMP)

He wants us to know that He is working behind the scenes and it is His plan and gift:

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. (AMP)

Eph 2:7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. (MSG)

I believe all things we do are important to Him because they are important to us. Why would we ever step outside His provision? To do so effectively cuts off His provision in that situation.

“We are just human” and “there are practical things” are excuses for us to maintain control, try to create control or just plain not trust our Papa. I understand it usually isn’t our fault to have this kind of thinking. The enemy is good at his lies. But now we know better. So let’s stop living like we don’t have a loving Father. He died to make us WAY more that just human and He absolutely cares about every breath we take.

Yay Jesus!

Lance