..."but what I do have I give you"...

"'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,' says the LORD of hosts, 'so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,' says the LORD of hosts.…” Mal. 4:1-3

I had this picture as I was waking up of a man with a really strong core he contained that made up who he was. This man had wings. It made me think of the scripture in Mal. 4:1-3. He was a follower of Jesus who knew who he was in Him to the core. He saw himself as a specially designed container of Christ and he brought Jesus with into every difficult situation and circumstance he faced.

The Story notes about Jesus and his followers, “He [Jesus] has a rock-solid sense of who he was, and he wanted his followers to know him to the core. Listening to his teaching and admiring his character were not enough. To follow this rabbi, his followers needed to know him in a deeper way, a way that would change their hearts, pursuits and lives. He wanted to be the center, the joy, the 'bread' and sustenance of their lives. As Jesus continued his ministry, he began to reveal more about who he was and why he had come.” [1]

Do we really know who we are in Christ to the core? Are we true followers who know we contain Christ or do we act more like spectators who stand off to the side cheering for Him. Are we involved in His works or do we look for someone else more spiritual to fill the need in front of us?

Jesus selected a band of followers as disciples to not just stand in awe of who He is but to follow in His footsteps. His desire was that they would know Him and know that He was in them such that they would continue the work He had came to do... that the blind would receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead raised and the poor have the good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:5)

Jesus sent the 72 disciples out to see for themselves that they could bring the kingdom through Christ. He told them in Luke 10:8-9, 16-19, 26, “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you...Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name. He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you...

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, 'Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.'”

What do we see? Do we see our capacity to make a difference in Christ? Do we see our capacity to bring Christ's healing to a world in need?

I had a dream about someone who went out of their way to comfort someone that was mourning and alone (lonely) in their grief and it meant a such a great deal to them.  They shared the grief with them and it brought healing.

Somewhat consecutively, I also had a dream of someone who was in a hurry that tried to push past someone who was wounded in their way/path (without considering , caring for them or even acknowledging them) and it caused the wounded person incredible pain and damage. 

Perhaps the difference between the person who brought comfort that God used to bring them healing and the person who brought more pain was an understanding of who they were in Christ. In the first situation, they took the time to bring comfort because they believed that Christ in them mattered and made a difference in the world. In the second situation, they didn't understand their potential impact so they pushed past the situation. And in this, brought harm rather than healing.

Proverbs 18:21 says about even the tongues in our mouths, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Lord, help us to understand who we are in you and to live out of this. Let us be those who bring Your comfort and mercy to places of pain and grief. Let us rise up into all we are in You (with healing in our wings) and go forth to places of need. Help us to slow down and see what is most important right in front of us and not be in too much of a hurry.

1.  The Story. NIV.   Zondervan.  Grand Rapids, MI. 2011